What’s the CMD route like up the Ben for younger folk – it is a long day? Looking to go up there this summer with my 10 yo son – he’s been up stuff like Scafell Pike, Snowden, Helvellyn no probs, in fact he is in better shape than me when we come off the hill. He does, however, have sever’s disease with his heels [dramatic-sounding name for growing pains on the heel plate] so sometimes complains about sore feet.

I’ve seen some lengthy times quoted for the 11 mile route, so wondering how rough the going is. The tourist track is obv also an option – years since I’ve done it but recall the views were great, just a bit of an uninteresting slog.

CMD Arete is a graded scramble. Absolutely nothing like any of the walks up the other hills you mention.

It’s a fairly long, committing route; with plenty of exposure, so you need a head for heights too.

Has the 10 yo done anything similar? Have you done any scrambling before? Would you know what to do if there were any issues?

Have done it many times with people of all abilities but not children.

With capable companions it’s a tough and challenging route but at the same time rewarding and satisfying

With incapable companions it becomes a very difficult slog reaching the summit late in the afternoon even after an early start. Time really flies if you have to show them every foot and hand hold

Only you know your son’s resilience and ability. So much depends on your skills and abilities and how much you have to help him over the difficult stuff. Not so much technically difficult but exposed and steep. If your son has any tendency to give up when things get difficult then I wouldn’t recommend it

Unless he and you have done say crib goch on Snowden and the edges up/down Helvellyn then the CDM is probably not the route to find out if you like heights and scrambling. I took a couple of mates up a few years ago and totally underestimated how challenging they found the exposure and scrambling element to the point where I thought one of them was going to end up crag fast – took a lot of coaxing to get him going again once he sat down on the ridge and looked down. There’s no real escape routes once you start up to the ridge from the climbing hut as coming back down the rocky steep slope would be much worse than going up

Having said that, while we were sat admiring the view (one of us shaking and eating jelly beans in an effort to calm down) a couple of fell runners skipped along the top of the ridge in trainers at a fair pace so depends on your head for heights. None of it is technically difficult (in decent weather) and it is a lot quieter and more interesting than schlepping up the tourist path.

It’s a fairly long, committing route; with plenty of exposure, so you need a head for heights too.

Time really flies if you have to show them every foot and hand hold

Yup,we once had to coach a couple along the last section,the mist had come in and one of them just got really scared and started to panic a bit,but as said a very rewarding climb,way better than the tourist track.

If you have to ask strangers on the internet about it then no, it’s not suitable for your 10 year old.

Don’t consider myself particularly bold on rock, but never really though of the CMD as a full blown scramble in summer conditions, think there is one point where the crest gets a little narrow and needs hands, but it always felt like you could bail off to the left where there was a lower level path?

I would however caution against the length of route, we approached from the climbing hut and found the grind up the side of CMD to be pretty grim, we never found much of a path and it just seemed to be scree or soggy wet stuff. Steep too. Also the final pull up to the summit of Nevis after the arete feels long and steep, and it’s boulders all the way so you can’t really just plod up it, you still need to focus a bit.

Last time I did it I had started in Spean Bridge and done the full traverse, the final pull up to the Nevis summit at 10pm was slow to say the least, but worth it for an empty summit and a kip in the summit shelter : ) Also if you approach from the Aonachs there’s a nice little precursor to the arete called ‘Watershed ridge’.

It’s very long and committing much more so than the other peaks you mention.  Personally I wouldn’t with a 10 year old but only you know his limits.  If you do go for it start as early as poss and be prepared to turn back.

I’d echo the others saying that it’s likely to be the length of the day that would be the issue for a ten year old. There are bypass paths you can take that avoid much of the exposure and some of the difficulty but they can be difficult to find.

If you’re up that way I’d suggest one of the many splendid options in the Mamores instead, shorter, quieter and not really any less spectacular.

Thanks all – food for thought. The lad is happy scrambling, goes climbing at the wall etc, so I think he’d enjoy that aspect. He’s also quite phlegmatic, his younger sister oscillates between YAY Rockclimbing! and Hillwalking is SO BORING! whereas he just gets on with stuff. Sounds like it could be quite a long day, though, so maybe one for later on.

We’ve not done Crib Goch that Sharkey mentioned above, might be good to get that under the belt first.

We’ve not done Crib Goch that Sharkey mentioned above, might be good to get that under the belt first.

I think Crib Goch is actually a more serious proposition than the CMD Arete. There are more places where a fall would have very serious consequences and it’s much more affected by slippy, greasy rock. I don’t know Wales that well but I’d say as intros to scrambling things like Striding Edge or Hall’s Fell would be better. On a dry day obviously!

Er yes – I wasn’t really suggesting Crib Goch, more that you mentioned Snowden but not a route – if he’d been happy strolling up that ridge then CMD is probably easier (just longer walk with more height gain)

Beinn a’Bheithir offers a similarly graceful curved ridge, albeit not scrambly, but you could tag on schoolhouse ridge for some quite scenic almost-grade-1 scrambling.

I’ve no experience with the CMD arete, but just to say that Crib Goch gets pretty busy unless you go at a quiet time.

Plenty of other scrambles in Snowdonia nearby which are quieter and have less serious consequences for a fall. Tryfan and Bristly ridge for example. The rock isn’t as polished either. Snowdon’s south peak is worth skipping about on too. Yr Elen’s north-east ridge is easy but feels serious.

Sounds like your son will cope totally fine with a sense of exposure, but not all folk are the same. Mrs ADH skipped up Tryfan (faster than me) and Snowdon south peak, happy with hands on rock, but totally hated Striding Edge and Sharp Edge with those plunging voids either side of you. I had to put her boots into each foothole on Frodo’s chimney and ended up with her on a rope down bad step. Now we just avoid that exposed stuff when walking together, but I was (admittedly) totally unprepared for how she would react when otherwise she loves scrambling.

Could you involve bikes? Cycling into the Lairig Leacach bothy then taking in Stob Coire Claurigh and Stob Coire na Ceannain would be a relatively short day on foot with another short but spectacular arete between the two peaks. Bonus big fast landy track descent to finish also!

North Ridge Tryfan would be my go to first scramble for a reasonably competent youngster.  It does get busy but lots of alternative lines compared to Crib Goch.

I did it when I was 11 .I vividly remember it as one of the best mountain days ever. Exceptional weather conditions. I had a lot of Munro’s under my belt though as my dad collected them all and I was doing them with him. Growing up interfered with me completing them. Not many for me to complete now.  From the experience level of the child you describe, my opinion would be that yes it is doable and will be thoroughly enjoyed. It is a big mountain day though . If there is any doubt over the weather then I would abandon. Map reading is difficult and once on the ridge there is no escape route. It is either back the way you came or continue. On a good day at least you can rest as required. You don’t want to turn it into a lesson in survival for him and scare him off.

I did it around that age.    Midsummer is a good a time as any.  We climbed the evening before, bivvied at the summit and descended cmd arete in the morning.

I think Crib Goch is actually a more serious proposition than the CMD Arete.

+1

I don’t remember anything tricky on CMD, similar to Striding Edge in difficulty.

It is the shear length of rough territory that makes the traverse between the two summits via the CMD really tiring when the 1600m of ascent is factored in. Was up there via Observatory Ridge with my 19 year old a couple of weeks back (he did the Inn Pinn when he was nine though).

With the trajectory you have him on, select the day well and you’ll both enjoy. Ridge walking at that age is amazing. I went on to do the A’Chir, Aonach Eagach and the Cullin ridge non stop in under 24 hours in that order after CMD.  If he is still into after that, introduce him to the An Teallach playground.

A’Chir, Aonach Eagach AND the Cuillin Ridge in under 24hr?? That’s some shift…

Personally I would have wanted to do the walk myself as I know the abilities of myself and my son more than a bunch of strangers on the Internet.

So go and walk it yourself and then make your decision