We rappelled to the ground and returned to the Tower of Babel. Realizing we still had time to salvage the day if we moved quickly, we raced up four pitches to join our friends on top. The climbing was interesting and enjoyable (and, thankfully, didn’t depend on frozen turf), but even though the temperature hovered right around freezing I was seriously cold with three layers of clothing on my legs and five on top. I hadn’t seen clearly through my glasses in hours.

It was well after dark by the time we returned to the bikes. Now came the payoff for the hard ride up the hill: The day’s struggles were forgotten as we swooped down the forest road in the pale glow of our headlamps, rain splatting against our Gore-Tex, laughing at the absurdity of it all.

While we were off wandering in the wilderness, the climbers at the meet had gone wild on Ben Nevis, establishing three new Grade VIII routes and repeating other hard lines. Dave MacLeod was blown away by the action: “Everywhere you looked in Coire na Ciste, there were people on Grade VII and up routes,” he exclaimed. (See Big Day on Ben Nevis for a news report.)

We didn’t return to the lodge until 9:30 p.m., and the end-of-the-meet party was well under way. In the morning, groggy climbers slurped coffee before loading vans for the airport and train station. Infuriatingly, the weather and climbing conditions were perfect, with the first clear-blue skies we’d seen all week. “The Scottish weather gods are laughing at us,” one British host said. Of course, by early afternoon the storms would be back. Anyway, it was time to go home. 

Attending a BMC Meet

The British Mountaineering Council and Mountaineering Council of Scotland host International Winter Meets every two years; guests pay for their own transportation, but the weeklong meet itself costs just £65, including food, lodging, and local transportation. (The BMC also hosts a summer meet in North Wales in alternate years.) Guest climbers represent their national federation, which is the American Alpine Club in the United States. Members of the AAC are notified about upcoming meets; see www.americanalpineclub.org for information about joining.