Sgurr thearlaich descent books

Sgurr alasdair is the highest peak of the black cuillin, and the highest peak on the isle of skye and in the inner hebrides, at 992 m 3,255 ft. By the last day of a week on skye i needed to climb sgurr dubh mor and sgurr alasdair, so we set off from glen brittle camp site and ascended by sgurr sgumain before reaching the top of sgurr dubh mor. On the other side of the gap, the crumpled black flanks of sgurr thearlaich rose higher into the clouds, but sgurr mhic coinnich was the one thats classified as a munro, so that was our first target. Scottish hills forumsviewtopicsgurr na stri summit camp. Descent is probably easiest by traversing sgurr thearlaich towards the td gap and then down climbing until an abseil is possible into the top of the great stone shoot, there is also a convenient 50m abseil from a thread at the top of gully e.

At 992m3,255ft the highest point on the cuillin, sgurr alasdair would be beyond the abilities of nonscrambling hillwalkers were it not for the peaks most distinctive feature, the great stone. By far the best map to use for the cuillin is the 1. We had been this way twice before and john had had a tumble coming down alasdair near the bad step twenty five years ago during our first visit. Sgurr sgumain to thearlaich the adventures of a mountain. Bill murray, in his seminal book entitled mountaineering in scotland, offered an endearing description of the cuillin horseshoe ridge when he looked upon the ridge and likened the crestline to writing written in a stiff hand. For those with the ability to reach this bealach, however, a remarkable terrace, collies. Like all the other black cuillin mountains it is made predominantly of gabbro rock and has little vegetation. The path now reappears and climbs much more steeply northeast until you reach a more level area at about 500m. When you think of eigg, what first comes to mind is that great eminence, sticking out of the island, much more like a sore thumb than many other things that are so characterised the sgurr of eigg, an sgurr.

The thearlaich dubh gap this is an awkward severe grade climb with a fearsome reputation and is probably the hardest climb on the ridge. It is a very good description, as anyone who has stood on either side of the ridge in glen brittle or in glen sligachan and has looked up at the. Sgurr aghreadaidh and sgurr na banachdich highland walk. Jun 05, 2016 sgurr alasdair in silhouette from the slopes of beinn dearg in descent, it pays to keep the brakes on to avoid an outofcontrol unhappy landing. We had a look at the onward route which goes over sgumain, up the back of sgurr alasdair, down the normal route to the great stone chute top and then my onward ridge up sgurr thearlaich the second of my days munro tops. We had hoped to complete the full traverse, but with diversions from the main including a descent into corrie grunnhda as well as the ascent of sgurr sgumain, along with some dithering on unexpectedly difficult ground the result of route finding errors the descent into corrie an uaigneis was an obvious decision. Coire lagan scottish climbing archive climbing in scotland. Buy a measure of munros 1st ed by wilson, graham, dale, gerry isbn. Bag the summit then double back to your kit and follow harts ledge to the start of the north ridge mod of sgurr thearlaich. We parked at slighachan and the mountain was in full view in all its splendour. Sgurr alasdair, sgurr thearlaich and sgurr mhic choinnich are shown on the photo below from right to left.

He also decribes a third way which i think the rockfax mini guide to the skye ridge also describes. The scramble to the top via the east ridge i realise title is wrong on the video. Day 3 sgurr a mhadaidh sgurr a ghreadaidh sgurr na banachdaich the middle section of the cullin today, we walk into the majestic corie a ghreadaidh, keeping left, aiming for an dorus. Andrew dempsters book talked about a descent on the lagan side some metres to the left. Looking north from the summit of the inaccessible pinnacle on day two sgurr nan banachdich and sgurr aghreadaidh and on towards the north end of the ridge the cuillin ridge offers the nearest thing the uk gets to the alps, with more than 3000m of ascent over a horizontal distance of 10km. Sgurr na ciche is the highest peak in the range and views from its summit are superb, with fantastic seaward panoramas over eigg, rhum, skye and beyond. Cross coire lagan and join the network of paths crossing the corrie on the way back to the moorland below, where you rejoin the outward route.

After sgurr alasdair there is a tricky step up to sgurr thearlaich. Sgurr nan conbhairean feature page on undiscovered scotland. I approached the walk with trepidation as i knew that the mountain had been considered unclimbable until 1836 and i wondered how a basic hill walker with poor scrambling skills would manage. It still wasnt dark and we may have been able to struggle on and finish but as it was we had a sociable evening. Rough bounds of knoydart sgurr na ciche, sgurr mor, gairich. By the time we returned to the main ridge, the clouds had lifted, and both sgurr alasdair and its neighbour sgurr thearlaich were clear. Sgurr mhiccoinnich, sgurr thearlaich and the great stone shoot. It is named for alexander nicolson, who made the first recorded ascent in 1873. The round of coire lagan caused delays owing to unfamiliarity, although one cannot imagine that such climbers had any difficulty with the tricky descent from thearlaich to the bealach mhic choinnich or the ascent of the second rock climbing obstacle, kings chimney king and party, 1898 on sgurr mhic choinnich. It is difficult to decide whether the ascent or descent is more difficult. Sgurr alasdair isle of skye 2020 all you need to know. Well, nothing as far as hills are concerned what with the lockdown and trying to keep ourselves and others safe. This is thought to be the line taken by charles pilkingtons party on the first ascent in 1887. All the walking routes up sgurr na ciche on mud and routes can be found below.

The path is very indistinct now but you will soon see the rocky dome of sgurr amhadaidh straight ahead, the black sides of sgurr eadar da choire to the right and an dorus, a gash cleft between mhadaidh and ghreadaidh. Sgurr alasdair is 991m above sea level, and is in the skye and mull region. Further right is sgurr thearlaich, a fang of rock accessible only to rock climbers, and then sgurr alasdair, the highest mountain in britain outwith the mainland. Sgurr mhichoinnich, thearlaich and alasdair from sgurr dearg it was 12. Once that descent was over, all that remained was a quick sunbath on the rocks in coire lagan before heading back to the car.

An afternoon on sgurr mhic coinnich and sgurr dearg on. Four days on the black cuillin east cheshire ramblers. We get roped up for a few sections of tricky scrambling from the col, heading for sgurr a mhadaidh. All the walking routes up sgurr thearlaich on mud and routes can be found below. An sgurr is the highest hill on the inner hebridean island of eigg, lochaber, highland, scotland. Batter over the in pin i prefer to go up the east ridge and then abseil down the steep west side and then around to sgurr mhic choinnich, dumping your kit at the start of harts ledge 2. As the first may bank holiday approaches rapidly snow fields in the cuillin arent melting very fast at all. Hemmed in by the rock walls of sgurr alasdair on one side and sgurr thearlaich on the other, the great stone shoot is the longest scree slope in britain but the angular stones come in all shapes and sizes, with the stones at the bottom generally smaller. First professional mountain guide to work in britain. It is in the black cuillin range of mountains and is classified as a munro. The sun was out and the rock was dry, no wind to speak of, conditions were perfect.

The descent is incredibly steep and once in motion it is difficult to stop. The 3 smc skye guide books are great and im a big fan of the skye scrambles probably my 2nd favourite guide book of all time. Sgurr alasdair and sgurr thearlaich via some hairraising grade 3 scrambles mark jackson 09072011. Descending the ridge from the saddle was easy enough i was suprised by the narrowness of the ridge w of the saddle. An afternoon on sgurr mhic coinnich and sgurr dearg. Although lower than sgurr thuilm it is a better summit and a finer viewpoint. Sgurr na lapaich, which is linked to an riabhachan and carn nan gobhar by its wsw and ese ridges is the most craggy of this group. May 24, 2008 after surmounting sgurr alasdair, we descended over sgurr sgumain to descend the sgumain stone shoot a much better alternative to the great stone shoot. In the above photo, the contact between brown peridotites forming the slopes of sgurr dubh an da bheinn on the right and various gabbro intrusions forming the grey ground can be seen sweeping down from the ridge. We then retraced our steps over sgurr dubh na da bheinn before heading around and up to sgurr alasdair via its south west ridge. The summit area is one of the smallest on the ridge, the cairn sitting above plunging rock faces.

The inaccessible pinnacle and sgurr mhic choinnich highland. Sgurr thearlaich is a summit in the skye region or range in scotland. The smc is best known for its long history of guide books and im sure many members will have some in their collections. To get off the top, there was an easy descent down steep grass to the south beinn fhada tops bidean. On clearing the td gap, sgurr alasdair and thearlaich await, once again relatively straight forward in good weather, but the descent of thearlaich towards mhic choinnich and kings chimney is a more serious proposition and the first black spot on route. Get a constantly updating feed of breaking news, fun stories, pics, memes, and videos just for you. Apr 11, 2011 the round of coire lagan caused delays owing to unfamiliarity, although one cannot imagine that such climbers had any difficulty with the tricky descent from thearlaich to the bealach mhic choinnich or the ascent of the second rock climbing obstacle, kings chimney king and party, 1898 on sgurr mhic choinnich. Consider things such as access and accommodation at the base of sgurr a ghreadaidh, as well as the logistics of climbing to the summit. The last real peak is sgurr sgumain and then the great rock wall of sron na ciche, rising from beneath the corrie is the cioch a dramatic rock pinnacle jutting out from the face can be hard to pick out but is. This area is affectionately known as the rough bounds of knoydart and comprises many hills surrounding glen dessarry, glen kingie and loch quoich now correctly named loch cuaich on newer maps. From the bealach we scrambled up to the kings chimney which proved to be a very enjoyable climb vdiff with exciting, small, but positive holds.

Please submit any useful information about climbing sgurr a ghreadaidh that may be useful to other climbers. Oct 31, 2018 on the col beneath sgurr nan eag, with sgurr dubh mor in cloud to the right. Please submit any useful information about climbing sgurr thearlaich that may be useful to other climbers. Consider things such as access and accommodation at the base of sgurr thearlaich, as well as the logistics of climbing to the summit. You can start from the hut at the phonebox but the path up into coire lagan from there is unimproved whereas the one from the campsite is quite wonderful guess who made the wrong choice. Sean lang has 25 books on goodreads with 3190 ratings. East of the small stony saddle at the head of the stone chute, a short rampart leads to sgurr thearlaich, a subsidiary top named after charles pilkington. The descent to coire lagan is back to the 800 m low point, then down a scree run into the corrie, very similar but less extensive than the infamous stone shoot off the sgurr alasdair. Sgurr thuilm and sgurr nan coireachan walkhighlands. Map of coire lagan and the skye ridge coire lagan is one of the most impressive corries in the cuillin of skye. The gulley between them is the sgumain stone shoot. The descent of the slabs which are described as insecure and polished. The usual ascent is via an dorus but there is an easier option which leaves the gully before reaching the bealach. Leave bealach coir an lochain and descend on the coir a ghrunnda side to a scree path that runs.

Bypass it is bypassed via screes below the base of the thearlaich dubh gap. The inaccessible pinnacle and sgurr mhic choinnich. This was pretty much everything id hoped it would be, and more. The big day of the weekend was the same group tackling sgurr nan gillean. Sgurr na ciche is a summit in the region or range in scotland.

We abandoned the idea of walking in the quiet ochils which would have involved a three mile drive to the nearest parking spot so have enjoyed daily walks from the house instead, meeting only the odd cyclist or dog walker. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Sgurr sgumain to thearlaich the adventures of a mountain coward. This beautiful mountain is known as the saddle due to its unusual, undulating, craggy shape, which makes it look a bit like the floating hills in avatar. Peak bagging the cuillin ridge on scotlands isle of skye. Steepening slabs lead downwards to bealach mhich coinnich and, so the smc guide tells us, it is possible to descent this way on foot much care is required, though. Ive quite a few versions of the skye guide going back to 1923.

After that we descended to the top of the great stone shoot, before heading on over sgurr thearlaich and sgurr mhiccoinnich via hartscollies ledge and descending via coire lagan. Deep drifts were a feature but we stuck to our guns and aimed for the first winter ascent of gully e on sgurr thearlaich near the top of the great stone shoot. The descent from sgurr thearlaich, the lower middle peak, is the first big route finding task and requires full concentration. Continue up to reach the cylindrical trig point at 956m marking the second munro of the day. Sgurr thearlaich, sgurr mhic choinnich and sgurr dearg. Photograph and map of sgur thearlaich on the skye ridge. Sgurr thearlaich was a bit of a struggle in deep snow and after an obligatory detour to sgurr alasdair we descended the great stone chute where bridgette, my wife, and nigel, a friend of john, had established camp. Trekitt tackle the cuillin ridge traverse with contour outdoor. They were to climb the adjoining top of sgurr thearlaich but i began the long descent of the stone shoot. Alpine in nature, the summits are airy giving stunning views, quite different from anything else in the uk. Looking back at sgurr mhic chonnich and sgurr thearlich.

Gordon stainforths excellent book the cuillin gives very good desriptions of 3 routes off thearlaich. The top does not lie on the main cuillin ridge, but on a spur extending from the alasdair thearlaich col to sgumain and sron na ciche. It was a dull and misty day, not really raining, but there was moisture in. Sgurr na ciche summit mud and routes highest mountains. Prior to this the mountain had been locally known as sgurr biorach.

Skyes black cuillin ridge munros south steven fallon. There remained one more peak to complete that day, sgurr alasdair, at 993m the highest point on skye. Sgurr sgumain left and sron na ciche from the coire lagan track. Jun 19, 2018 and now for the final leg, a descent to the thearlaichdubh gap and then a traverse beneath the massive cliffs of sgurr alasdair to reach the bealach between sguur sgumain and sgurr alasdair. Sgurr thearlaich we descended the thearlaich rooftop slabs toward sgurr mhic choinnich when we came upon a real steep section of the ridge, a cliff bisecting the ridge, outflanked only by a rooftop slab slanting down rightward. Scottish hills forumsviewtopicthe hardest munro top. It is littered with rocks of varying sizes and difficult to establish a rhythm as you could forty years ago when it was a delight to skate down the scree. After the steep descent off garsbheinn it was just the walk along back to glen brittle which went on a bit, but at around 1pm we arrived in the car park, after two painless hitches we arrived back at my car at the other end. N of the summit a narrow ridge curves nw around the crags of garbh choire to an lethchreag, where the slopes into glen srathfarrar are otherwise moderate and accessible. Climbed out of the gap before sgurr na forcan on the right steep scrabble on loose dirt. Sgurr sgumain, sgurr alasdair and sgurr thearlaich because of the lack of vegetation cover, the geology of the corrie stands out. It contains a small loch lochan ringed by rock peaks. I lost it eventually and made my own way across boilerplate gabbro to the west summit of sgurr na stri. Reddit gives you the best of the internet in one place.

By this stage the weather was improving, the drizzle had stopped. Includes the peaks of sgurr alasdair, sgurr dearg the inaccessible pinnacle inn pinn, sgurr dubh mor, sgurr nan eag, sgurr mhic choinnich, sgurr na banachdich, sgurr aghreadaidh and sgurr amhadaidh from glenbrittle and sligachan. We descended sgurr thearlaich to a knee high notch, which acts as a gate to a series of rocky ramps down to bealach mhic choinnich. After a very brief descent the final ascent towards sgurr nan coireachan begins. In order, south to north, the group comprises carn ghluasaid at 957m or 3,140ft, sgurr nan conbhairean at 1,109m or 3,640ft, and sail chaorainn at 1,002m or 3,287ft. From ben nevis to glen coe, weve got an incredible range of easy to very difficult scrambling walks for you to view. Sgurr amhadaidh has four summits on one of the trickier sections of the cuillin ridge the highest one, which is the only munro, is the only one that can be ascended without rockclimbing. The best starting point is from the car park at the campsite at the bottom of glen brittle. North of loch cluanie lies this little known group of three munros stretching back from the a87 towards the wilds of glen affric. Sgurr alasdair 993m, translated as the peak of alexander, is named after sheriff alexander nicolson who made the first ascent of the great stone shoot in 1873.

Like the rest of the range it is composed of gabbro, a rock with excellent grip for mountaineering. Update more up to date photos have been added at the foot of the page from 23 april. Trekitt tackle the cuillin ridge traverse with contour. Sean langs most popular book is the pursuit of history.