Climbing on The Isle of Skye, Scotland

Insp. Harry Callahan

Hi, Travelling over next weekend with a couple of friends to climb the Cuillin Main Ridge Traverse. Was reading up about it, seems a lot of very difficult climbing and scrambling, although i would be fairly fit, wouldnt have done anything at this level before. I was wondering if anyone here has climbed it and has any advice/ tips?.
Would 2 days and a night complete the route?
Thanks..

SomeFool

Never been, planning on going next year. Have you read this? Hope you get good weather, let us know how it goes!!

OS119

Insp. Harry Callahan wrote: »

Hi, Travelling over next weekend with a couple of friends to climb the Cuillin Main Ridge Traverse. Was reading up about it, seems a lot of very difficult climbing and scrambling, although i would be fairly fit, wouldnt have done anything at this level before. I was wondering if anyone here has climbed it and has any advice/ tips?.
Would 2 days and a night complete the route?
Thanks..

the traverse is scrambling - its not climbing unless you want it to be. as long as you happy that while it might be a bit exposed and look a bit daunting, it is still scrambling, you'll be fine.

its usually considered a long summers day trip, and a two day trip in winter.

it is committing, and its a hard day and you need to be switched on the whole time, but its very rewarding. it'll be reasonably well sprinkled with people at this time of year, but the InPin will be mobbed, so while getting lost won't be a problem, bottle-necks might be.

you'll want loads of water - 3 litres at minimum, an emergency bivvy bag and a bivvy jacket just in case...

Insp. Harry Callahan

Thanks for the info guys and for that link, lots of info on it.
Scrambling i enjoy, did a bit last year,did the Aonach Eagach hike and ridge in Glenco,that was very enjoyable, 5-6 hours,easy enough in good weather, and also around the back off and up to the summit of Ben Nevis, not sure what the route was called but it was away from the crowds,was fantastic, took 9 hours in the sun, our feet were sore after!
Hopefully the sun will still be shining next weekend!.June seems to be the best month for climbing in skye i think, best chance of good weather.
Got a biviy bag and some gear today.
There is a chap who has done this before who was supposed to be coming with us but has had to pull out of this trip, Its just using a rope for the first time we are a bit unsure of, because it think you need it for the Inaccessible Pinnacle though we could leave this out,would be a shame though to do that.
Would there be any good scrambling in Ireland, like along ridges?

OS119

Insp. Harry Callahan wrote: »

...Its just using a rope for the first time we are a bit unsure of, because it think you need it for the Inaccessible Pinnacle though we could leave this out...

the InPin is a proper, 2 pitch rock climb - you need to place protection, set up belays etc.. if you've not done it before the InPin is not the place to try it the first time.

you can rope up for the ridge if you want, but its not neccesary - and won't achieve much except getting in your way and slowing you down. Cuillin is harder than the Aonach Eagach and the CMD Arete (the route you did on Ben Nevis), but the principles will be the same.

if the idea of doing this route without being roped up/guided concerns you, i'd suggest you 'cut your teeth' on something else - the Snowdon Horseshoe (start at Pen-y-Pass, asecend via Crib Goch, summit, decend via Y Lliwedd and return to Pen-y-Pass. its long day, with an exposed route (especially on Crib Goch), but with more escape routes than on Cuillin if you're not happy. you could also try Tryfan - its good scramble route up, with easy walking on the plateau and decent.

if your booked to go to Scotland, the Mamore ridge in Lochaber is a fab route - not as hard as any of the other routes i've described, with no scrambling involved, or you could do the Kintail ridge.

if you're not happy with doing the Cuillin without either your mate who's done it before, or without ropes, then i'd really, really suggest that you don't do it - its very commiting and you've not many options if, once you get up there, you decide its not for you. its not going away, try some others to get your confidence/skills up, then go back and enjoy it rather than muddle through with the smell of 'courage' wafting through your trousers.

DeepSleeper

I'd agree with a lot of the advice from OS119 there - the Cuilin Ridge is way more difficult than the Aonach Eagach, since both can be great on a good day but the real difficulties in Skye become obvious if the weather turns on you - I've made three attempts to traverse the ridge and have climbed 10 of the 11 Munros - 3 from one end and 7 from the other. On each occasion we had to abseil off the ridge due to rain, as the gabbro becomes terribly slippy when wet.

If you rope up for the whole thing, then it will take you ages to get across it - rope up for the TD gap, the InnPin, the Baister Tooth and a few other tricky steps, and then move as quickly as you can without a rope on the rest. Bring plenty of food and enough gear to allow you to settle in for the night (even if you don't plan to...).

This is the most serious ridge in the UK and Ireland and is a significant step up from all the other classics - don't underestimate, and read, read, read... you need to have it all in your head in order to save timewasting through tricky route finding.

OS119

also worth noting that its snowing in Scotland today, in June - oh yes, and your compass will be telling you lies. the rock is magnetic you see...

Insp. Harry Callahan

Ended up we didnt go to climb the skye ridge,due to iffy weather forcast. we climbed the An Teallach ridge way up north of scotland,good trip, i will review in a new post-

Esel

A good read on the Ridge

http://www.irishmountaineeringclub.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=68&Itemid=89

Another IMC article

http://www.irishmountaineeringclub.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=289&Itemid=89

And another

http://www.irishmountaineeringclub.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=220&Itemid=89