Stob Ban - GM/WS-058 SOTA (2022)

Summits on the Air Activation Report

Activation Date: Tuesday 22nd March, 2022.
Activator(s): Richard M1HAX.
Summit: Stob Ban, Western Scotland, Scotland.
Summit ID: SOTA reference GM/WS-058 (0 points).
Summit Height: 1000m elevation, 237m prominence.
Summit Location: Lat./Long. 56.74371, -5.03033. Maidenhead Grid IO76lr.
Distance: 16.6km travelled with 1297m of ascent.
Difficulty: Winter Grade I.
Elapsed Time: 7h 55m (including operating).
Weather: 1°C, light breeze, sunny.
Radio Equipment: Yaesu FTM100D, MFJ-1714, Zippy 4200mAh 4S LiFePo4.
Callsign Used: MM1HAX/P.
Contacts: 3 (2m FM).

Trip Notes

Stob Ban, standing at 1000 metres in the Mamores range northwest of Kinlochleven, is a significant Scottish mountain with a distinctive pyramid-shaped summit. The name translates from Gaelic as “white peak”, aptly describing its often snow-covered appearance in winter months. Geologically part of the ancient Dalradian supergroup, the mountain features impressive quartzite outcrops that glint silver in certain light conditions, creating a striking contrast with surrounding peaks.

Our objective for this Scottish winter mountaineering trip was to climb South Gully, a Grade I snow route that leads almost directly to the summit. This ascent was inspired by Gary Smith’s excellent guidebook “Scotland’s Winter Mountains with one axe” (2018), which highlights this route as a classic winter line accessible to those with intermediate snow skills. Despite the relatively modest winter grade, we opted to carry full climbing equipment due to uncertain snow conditions so late in the season, alongside my radio gear - which felt particularly weighty on this occasion.

We were blessed with sublime alpine-like weather throughout the day - clear blue skies, light breeze, and excellent visibility across the Western Highlands. From the Glen Nevis parking area, we followed a good footpath into the valley, before we contoured around the corrie to locate the entrance to South Gully, which clearly snakes left inside one of the mountain’s prominent buttresses.

Snow conditions in the gully were just about acceptable - with the route still shaded from the morning sun - but deteriorating due to spring temperatures. We alternated leading, carefully picking our way up, seeking out the more solid neve and occasional ice amongst increasingly soft snow. It was obvious this would likely be the last day the gully would be safely climbable until the next winter season.

We topped out just after midday, with the exit proving the most challenging section of the climb. The final few metres involved negotiating loose rock (choss) and a deep wet snow bank - a delicate transition that required careful movement. Looking back at photos from the summit, I’m not entirely sure why we didn’t walk straight out, though the poor snow conditions and risk of an uncontrolled slide likely informed that decision at the time.

Upon reaching the summit of Stob Ban, I quickly set up my Yaesu FTM100D with the MFJ-1714 antenna. SOTA veterans GM7PKT and GM0GAV (the latter operating summit-to-summit from GM/SS-013) were immediately reached, with GM0HBK following shortly after. Despite continued efforts, I couldn’t secure the crucial fourth contact required to qualify the activation - an unusual outcome that was my second-ever failed activation.

This unsuccessful attempt wasn’t entirely unexpected given the remote location, but it was nonetheless disappointing. The experience prompted me to finally invest in an Elecraft KX2 HF radio to improve my chances in similar situations. I might have persisted longer at the summit, but with a non-radio-enthusiast in tow, I was conscious of not extending our stay in the cold conditions unnecessarily.

Despite the SOTA radio disappointment, we’d achieved our primary mountaineering objective. We continued northwest to bag the Munro of Mullach nan Coirean and Meall a' Chaorainn before completing this satisfying 16.6km circuit back to Glen Nevis. The combination of winter climbing and magnificent mountain scenery made this a memorable day in the Scottish Highlands, one I’d happily repeat in suitable snow conditions.

Photos

Below are some photographs taken during my activation of Stob Ban on Tuesday 22nd March, 2022.

Walking Route for Stob Ban

The interactive map below shows my GPS track taken to the SOTA activation zone for Stob Ban. The GM/WS-058 summit area is marked on the map with a blue pin icon.

You can download the route shown above as a GPX file suitable for use with most GPS devices. This file is provided for information only, to support your own walk planning and research (it may contain navigation errors, detours and/or safety hazards). The route downloads provided here are governed by the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.

Station Log

I logged the following 3 amateur radio contacts operating as MM1HAX/P from GM/WS-058 Stob Ban on Tuesday 22nd March, 2022 (all times shown are UTC):

In the notes field I will usually log the other operator’s name and the signal report they provided. In accordance with the Summits on the Air rules, I do not make a log entry where a complete exchange of callsigns and signal reports was unsuccessful.

Additional Information

The following resources may be helpful to walkers, mountaineers and SOTA activators interested in Stob Ban:

• Sotl.as Summit Page for GM/WS-058 Stob Ban.
• Hill Bagging UK Summit Page for Stob Ban.
• Google Maps Page for Stob Ban.
• Wikipedia entry for Stob Ban.
• 360° Panorama near summit of GM/WS-058 Stob Ban.

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