To climb Ben Nevis with no experience?

[CiderWithRosy]

My DH and DS (17) are driving up to Scotland next week to climb Ben Nevis. I hadn't really given it much thought but I mentioned it to my mother and sister today and they were absolutely appalled. They said it was very dangerous and DH and DS shouldn't be attempting this by themselves. DH and DS don't have any experience of climbing mountains. DH (55) is relatively fit, keen cyclist and runner but DS is unfit, typical teenager spends most of his time gaming and has done absolutely no training for this. I've done some googling and there seems to be some pretty mixed information, some sources saying it's dangerous, some saying it's fine. Does anyone have any experience of this? Would they be foolish to attempt it? I feel quite worried now.

I've tried 2 routes up Scafell and didn't make it up either!

Honestly I'm all for mountain safety, but some of these comments are OTT. Obviously mountaineering in Scotland generally needs skill and equipment but thousands of non-mountaineers do the tourist route on Ben Nevis every year and expose themselves to much less risk than hardened walkers doing more difficult outings.

It is a long but not technically difficult walk for people who are reasonably fit (and the teen will have youth on his side) and have a moderate amount of sensible equipment. If they are prepared for cloud and horizontal rain at the top (on any day of the year) and careful not to miss the start of the way down, they'll be fine. If they do it on the longest day they may be held up by crowds of three-peakers, is the only thing.

www.instagram.com/p/Ce6b72vM4HC/?hl=en

Scafell was a tough climb. If I remember rightly it's pretty well scree at the summit and I was pretty whacked. It was part of a charity trek though and I'd done Skiddaw thx day before and we did Scafell and Scafell Pike in one day. The third day was Helvellyn.... the views were stunning though