The Best Backcountry Skiing Routes in Ben Nevis

It’s possible to do a few routes in a day when based at the CIC Hut, with only around 650 metres of ascent from the hut to the summit of the Ben....

The famous Back Corries of Nevis Range are the go-to spot for all backcountry enthusiasts visiting the area, if conditions are stable. With different entrances across the whole corie rim that vary in steepness (steepest on the skier’s right hand side), the Back Corries caters for all ranges of skill levels from intermediate - expert skiers....

The famous Back Corries of Nevis Range are the go-to spot for all backcountry enthusiasts visiting the area, if conditions are stable. With different entrances across the whole corie rim that vary in steepness (steepest on the skier’s right hand side), the Back Corries caters for all ranges of skill levels from intermediate - expert skiers....

With different entrances across the whole corie rim that vary in steepness (steepest on the skier’s right hand side), the Back Corries caters for all ranges of skill levels from intermediate - expert skiers....

Spikes gives access to a fantastic hidden corie, just beyond Coire an Lochain and is great choice to head towards if you see the Back Corries getting heavily tracked out. Just be aware that this bowl isn’t assessed by patrol (although it is named on the piste map) and is therefore a full backcountry itinerary....

Summit Gully gives you an awesome 470 metres of descent, directly from the summit of Aonach Mor (hence the name!). It never gets too steep or technical and for that reason, should be on the ’to-do’ lists for all intermediate and above level backcountry skiers/snowboarders who wish to escape the hustle and bustle of the Back Corries in favour of something a little quieter....

The famous Back Corries of Nevis Range are the go-to spot for all backcountry enthusiasts visiting the area, if conditions are stable. With different entrances across the whole Corie rim that vary in steepness (steepest on the skier’s right hand side), the Back Corries caters for all ranges of skill levels from intermediate - expert skiers....

Dropping over on the northern side of the col between Aonach Mor and Aonach Beag offers some of the best skiing in the area, for up to 450 metres. The extra effort required to get over to and back from this area of Nevis Range also seems to keep the masses away from visiting and tracking this descent out - win win! Starting from the summit of Aonach Mor, descend in a southerly direction along the broad ridge line towards Aonach Beag....

Number 5 Gully needs to be on the hit-list for all Scottish steep skiers, with a real ‘journey’ feeling to this couloir as you’re enclosed by the steep walls of Ledge Route on your left hand side and Moonlight Buttress on your right hand side....

Number 3 Gully is usually split into 2 separate gullies early on in the season, or during low snowfall years, but it it will soon fill out to become a single gully at the top section, quite similar to Number 4 Gully, only steeper....

Arguably the crown jewel of the Grade I gullies on the north face of the Ben, with the chance to ski almost straight from the summit of the Ben and a fantastically exposed pitch above the Tower Scoop - Tower Gully isn’t one to miss! The top of this gully is a wide open funnel that soon narrows in its lower section to give some fairly technical skiing....

The ‘easiest’ of the Grade I gullies on the north face, but no pushover, Number 4 Gully usually has a steep & frequently corniced entrance. This gully is identified at the top by the notorious ‘Number 4 Gully Cairn’ that climbers use to rappel which usually pokes its head out of the snow at the top of this gully, if it hasn’t been completely buried....

Easy Gully is one of the few ways to access the bowl of Coire an Lochain, and for this reason, you’re usually guaranteed to get fresh tracks when you’re out of the gully and into this remote bowl! Starting from the Ski Patrol hut at the top of the Summit Button, walk/skate in a south westerly direction for around 150 metres to reach the top of Easy Gully, which is marked by a large opening that is usually flanked by some pretty massive cornices around the whole rim! It's sometimes split into 2 separate gullies during lean/early seasons....

Marked as ‘Grade II’ in the climbing guidebooks; this should give you an appetite for what’s on offer with this extremely narrow, steep and tapered corridor. There’s no point in even thinking of skiing this couloir if there hasn’t been too much snow, or it’s early on in the season as it requires a good amount of snow to make the small channel passable to descend by ski....

Two deep cut gullies split carve their way down from Castle Ridge, down to the corrie floor. Both of these two couloirs are flanked between towering rocky walls either side of them and both require large snow depths to make a descent possible and fill in the large rocky steps that are usually present during low snow years....

Two deep cut gullies split carve their way down from Castle Ridge, down to the corrie floor. Both of these two couloirs are flanked between towering rocky walls either side of them and both require large snow depths to make a descent possible and fill in the large rocky steps that are usually present during low snow years....