I was with climbers Paul McSorely and Marc-Andre Leclerc, the weather was getting worse and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to capture much, but their spirits were high.
“I love bad weather.” Those were Marc's exact words as we hiked by headlamp through the rain up from the car park to Ben Nevis. As dawn approached, the freezing level was dropping and the rain gradually turned to sleet then snow. But this is what Scottish winter climbing is all about – bad weather mixed with full-on conditions.
Small avalanches were pouring down the rock face and spindrift was filling my camera lens constantly. Perched on a ledge system I was spending more time clearing snow from the lens hood than shooting.
Marc was on lead, and while he moved higher up the wall Paul was being hammered by constant sluff at the belay. I down-climbed off the perch, crossed the gully and was able to capture this single image. Both climbers finished the route, a motivating force to witness.