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Safety / Wellbeing

However you look at it, Ben Nevis will be an arduous extended hike, covering about 12km over terrain that is neither flat nor continuous. Physical fitness is essential.

For Those that have never hiked before, hiking burns off as many calories per hour as jogging, over flat terrain. as a mountain is not flat, the average hiker will burn about 500-750 cals per hour of hiking. this depends on the physical status and the style of hike, but the mountain is the ultimate in intensity for hiking. for this reason, it is essential to get into shape and know what to bring in your sack.

Recommended: Favourites on the mountains are bananas, Mars bars, Snickers, Peanut brittle, and of course Kendal Mint Cake. snack regularly but don't over do it. high glucose levels make you sluggish and dehydrated.

recommended: hardwearing waterproof plasters, foot spray / powder, bandage/steripack, muscle spray such as deep heat for sprains and cramps. A TOTAL ESSENTIAL is blister relief, creams or plasters. the best form of protection if blisters / sore spots from are "second skin" products, like "Compede"

A few notes on packing your sack:

make sure there is order to the kit: some aspects like water, medical and waterproofs, you will want to get to rapidly. Put these in webbing, in side pockets, or in easy access sections of the bag: If the rain hits hard, you do not want to have to rummage through your kit to get your waterproofs out.

Fight the urge to take more water than you need. Remember that water weighs about 1kg per litre, and worse, flasks are heavy! Also be aware of over hydration - ever tried taking a leak at -4C with a wind howling at 30mph?!

MAKE SURE TO BREAK YOUR BOOTS IN BEFORE YOU GET TO GLEN NEVIS. ideally you should have done a few walks in your boots to get them broken in. about 20-30miles is advisable in leather, a little less in modern polymer boots. this is ESSENTIAL - blisters and pain WILL be avoided by walking your boots in early. also test the inner sock/thermal socks in a walk with your boots. your feet will lose about half a pint of water over the hike, test the sock combos to make sure your feet stay dry, if not, try different sock combinations

DO NOT TAKE METAL FLASKS INTO LOW TEMPERATURE ZONES (E.G. A MOUNTAIN). not only does this lose a lot of heat, and hence cause a chill on your pack, but also... in cold temps.. Metal STICKS TO SKIN. in the same way that your skin sticks to ice. I have seen someone's bottom lip torn apart when they took a sip from their designer stainless steel Russell Hobbs. Save yourself the pain and get a plastic lipped flask, and make sure the outer walls are plastic / rubber to avoid it sticking to your hands. At low temps your skin chaps, and will tear and split easy, add that to the salty sweat your whole body is covered in, and imagine the pain.