A camera on Ben Nevis

By PA Team

22 August 2011 15:08

Anybody who has a passion for both photography and exploring the more mountainous parts of the world will have faced this particular decision at some point in their lives; do you forgo your ‘proper’ camera gear in favour of a lighter, more portable method of image capture that doesn’t take up valuable backpack space or add too much weight to your load, or do you suffer the discomfort in exchange for knowing that you’ll have the best possible chance of recording the views in all their splendour, should they present themselves?

For me, on most occasions the former wins out, and it’ll be a compact camera that accompanies on my weekends wild-camping in the Lakes with my trekking buddies.  But this one is different – this is Ben Nevis and our first climb (and, given the 12 hour drive from Norfolk, the last for some time) of the UK’s highest mountain demands the full performance of my very best camera gear.

We’re lucky with the weather in as much as the sun is shining and there seems little chance of any rain on The Ben today, but as we head toward our ascent route and the Carn Mor Dearg Arête, the gale force wind is making progress incredibly difficult. My heavier than usual rucksack doesn’t help, and taking photos is less of a priority than standing upright and making forward progress.  For the time being my camera remained safely ensconced within the pack on my back.

By the time we stop to take a break on the summit of Carn Mor Dearg, the wind has rescinded just enough to allow me to retrieve my camera from the depths of my pack. With my elbows tucked in tight to my body and leaning on a large rock for additional stability, I‘m about to take a photo of the breath-taking north face of Ben Nevis and the CMD Arête spread out below, when a hidden walker pops up from nowhere into my shot. After waiting unsuccessfully for him to move on (he has obviously also decided that this is a suitable rest stop) I squeeze the shutter and take the photo. I’m glad I did – the gent’s figure in the frame gives some scale to the incredible scenery.

The Carn Mor Dearg Arête
(Canon EOS 5D MkII, 24-70mm f2.8 L USM @ 24mm, f/16, 1/250 sec, ISO 200)

As we descend from the summit and onto the ridge, the full glory of the CMD Arête becomes even more apparent. It also becomes clear that, with the ridge becoming increasingly narrow and the wind picking up again, I will need both hands to hold onto the rock, so a final shot of the arête is taken before the camera is once again stowed safely away.

The Sharp Ridge
(Canon EOS 5D MkII, 24-70mm f2.8 L USM @ 70mm, f/16, 1/125 sec, ISO 200)

After traversing the incredible arête and negotiating the arduous and seemingly endless boulder field up the southern shoulder of the mountain, we arrive at the summit of Ben Nevis and the highest point on the British Isles.  The remains of the observatory and hotel (yes, there used to be a hotel on the top!) make the summit a slightly surreal place to be. But even with the wind doing it’s best to make us feel unwelcome, there’s no denying the stunning beauty of the surrounding vista.

The observatory and hotel remains
(Canon EOS 5D MkII, 24-70mm f2.8 L USM @ 24mm, f/13, 1/200 sec, ISO 200)

Patches of snow – often quite deep – make the start of the descent treacherous in places. The summit slopes are dotted in triangular cairns that mark the safe route off when snow completely obscures the path. In heavy winter snow, even the tips of these pyramid-shaped signposts can be obscured by powdery drifts, but with the evening sun low and strong, their geometric outlines and rough texture in contrast with the deep blue of the sky and soft haziness of the clouds make them great photographic subjects.

Path marker cairn
(Canon EOS 5D MkII, 24-70mm f2.8 L USM @ 24mm, f/5, 1/2500 sec, ISO 200)

Path marker cairns
(Canon EOS 5D MkII, 24-70mm f2.8 L USM @ 24mm, f/5, 1/1000 sec, ISO 200)

As we set off towards the Pony track down from Ben Nevis, some other adventurous souls are just arriving at the summit, having made the same journey. Looking back over my shoulder I can see two figures standing at the trig point on the highest ground in the UK. Dropping back a few yards to get the nearest cairn in frame, I focus on the distant figures and press the shutter. The combination of the rich, dark blue sky, the textured white snow and the rough, grey rock strike me at as being potential monochrome material, and I plan to convert the coloured shot to mono once I have the image on my laptop.

Looking back at the summit
(Canon EOS 5D MkII, 24-70mm f2.8 L USM @ 24mm, f/5, 1/3200 sec, ISO 200)

It’s been a long, tiring day and we still have to get down off Ben Nevis. I decide that my progress is likely to be faster if I return the camera to my bag and focus all my energy on putting one foot in front of the other. As I pull the camera strap from around my neck, the long shadows of my fellow mountaineers catch my eye as they stretch across the soft snow towards me. Another monochrome shot, I think. I crouch down and frame the shot. A quiet click in the silent still of the evening signals my last photo of the day.

The way down
(Canon EOS 5D MkII, 24-70mm f2.8 L USM @ 24mm, f/5, 1/3200 sec, ISO 200)

The camera is returned to my rucksack and I get back to the business of leaving the mountain, one step at a time. When I get home I’ll look at the photos again properly, but I already know that the weight was worth it.