Ben Nevis, scene of the historic climbs. Photo: Graham Lewis

They had to contend with flying rucksacks and a mouse with a taste for mountain gloves, but two of Scotland’s top climbers have successfully completed a reconstruction of a historic round of winter climbs.

Dave MacLeod and Andy Turner were filmed on six classic routes originally climbed 50 years ago by Jimmy Marshall and Robin Smith, using traditional step-cutting techniques. The result will be screened on Sunday at a screening of the footage at Fort William Mountain Festival that will be attended by Marshall.

MacLeod and Turner fought shy of using only step cutting on the routes. As Dave explained in his blog of the event: “Neither of us has ever tried it before and a week of grade Vs probably wouldn’t be the place to start. By all accounts it’s quite a skill and to be honest we don’t have any idea how to do it.”

Modern snow and ice climbing relies on mountaineers using technical ice axes, crampons, ice screws and a plethora of other protection to help them tackle routes. Marshall and Smith used simple ice axes to cut steps in the snow and ice as they made their ascent.

The Ben Nevis routes climbed by MacLeod and Turner were: the Great Chimney, Minus Three Gully, Smith’s Route, Observatory Buttress, Point Five Gully, Piggot’s Route and Orion Direct.

Jimmy Marshall, whose climbs 50 years ago were recreated by MacLeod and Turner

Conditions on Smith’s Route were, according to MacLeod, ‘thin’, but the weather was relatively kind to the pair during the week, though the mouse at the CIC Hut in the shadow of ben did managed to chew threw Dave’s gloves.

While on Minus Three Gully, the climbers had to dodge a rucksack and gear that came flying past them from above. “Fortunately no climbers came by in the same direction,” MacLeod said, “and the owner came past later to collect the fallen kit.”

Film editing by cameraman Paul Diffley was carried out during the week at the hut and ferried down to Fort William by runners. The footage is being finally put together now ready for the Sunday show.

Details are on the Fort William Mountain Festival website.