UKC

Never been anywhere near it. Planning on doing it in next few weeks. Any tips for it? Planning on a quick day ascent, rather than stashing gear, etc etc.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:
It's beta than Crib Goch

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

http://skyeguides.co.uk/information/downloads/ PDF by Mike Lates
http://www.rockfax.com/climbing-guides/miniguides/skye-ridge/ Rockfax miniguide
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Skye-Cuillin-XT25-Superwalker-Harvey/dp/1851374078 Harveys map

Good luck with the weather. A lot of time is lost in route finding if you don't already know the Ridge. Damp conditions make it much harder, poor vis mass it extremely tough if you don't already know the route. Save it for a dry day when you can see. Adopt a flexible approach (read some of the tips on Mike's site).

In reply to Adam Lincoln:
There are a few articles on the ridge on this site. Try a search of Destination Articles, under the Articles heading.

Ian

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

Take a long straw... you'll know what to do with it when the time comes. Wish I'd taken one. ;-(

In reply to Adam Lincoln: Bob's website, Gordon's book. That'll do you.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:
My advice would be to hire a guide if you are short on time otherwise you may lose time route finding. Mike Latest is your man.

It took me five attempts, sans guide, to finally make it end to end. And don't do it after May unless you live midges.

Don't forget to have a stab at the chioch nose to reconstruct The Highlander fight scene.

good luck

In reply to The Leeming


Packing an inflatable sword makes the photos look all the more impressive?

In reply to AlH:






Yes.

Whatever you do, don't do it on a really nice sunny day. Cool day with little rain and good visibility is what you want. If you cannot get that then trim your ambitions. Corrie rounds in the Cuillin are decent days out and all sorts of options are possible. Accidents are more likely to happen to the over-ambitious, irrationally determined and inflexible.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

I did it last year having never been on it and found the rockfax handy to have in your back pocket. You will take wrong turns but as long as the cloud isn't down you'll soon see where you are meant to be! Just go fast on the easy bits so there is plenty of time to get lost.
I was lucky that there was still snow in places so never had to worry about water.

Might be up that way again with some Kiwi friends end of June early July if the weather is nice.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

Take your own beer. The stuff from the Skye Brewery is rotten.

In reply to JIMBO:


Plus 1. That's one of the best bits of advice you've been given. There's plenty of water up there, getting at it is the problem.

In reply to The Lemming:

Taking a guide would ruin it for me. Id rather do it over a few goes without a guide.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:


Excellent news.

First time I went, I seriously underestimated how physically and mentally demanding the route was. Most of the time was wasted on route finding and it took a few years of exploring and suchlike before I got the tick.

If you've never been to Skye then make sure you hit Portree on a Friday night as it has to be seen to be believed.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

Perfectly possible onsight in cool dry conditions with no cloud. Water and food are more important than a large rack of rock gear. An older guide book summed it up well; 'take plenty of water, some slings and a handfull of nuts, one of them small'.

i.e 5-6 nuts is ample...not your entire rack, or even half of it!

First time across onsight I took 5 small to medium hexs (1-5) on spectra with individual krabs and four slings, but only 1 litre of water.....and suffered, but not on the climbing sections. On all subsequent crossings I've uped the water to 2-2.5 litres of water, plus if dooing a 'bounce' to the S end of the ridge and back stashed a litre on the way out at the Castle to drink on return.

In reply to The Lemming:




Been to Skye many of times, love the place.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

Hi Adam,
done it in summer & winter both times in a day on first try. Do your research, pick a good day, be fit go LIGHT!! I had 2 litres of water which was OK. Have your logistics sorted - I drove to glen brittle early having pitched a tent at slig then got the bus back the next day to collect car. I wore trail shoes which I also soloed everything in hardest climbing is a 30 ft down solo of IN pinn - about severe. As otthers have said route finding in anything but good vis is a nightmare even then U can go wrong especially near the end ( slig side ) of the ridge. It is without a doubt one of ( if not THE)the best walks/scrambles in the British Isles

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

I see you're an E6 leader, I would've thought someone like that would stroll the CT?!?!
I'm an ex VS punter, who's failed twice from exhaustion.
On my 2nd year of serious walking training at the moment, failing again is not an option!

In reply to Adam Lincoln:
If you get a half-decent day you just need to be able to just keep on moving, and to keep thinking when not super-hydrated. You certainly don't need to be super fit, I wasn't.

It is easier as a pair as you can 'swing leads' on route finding for sections; solo would be more mentally taxing. Hope you get decent weather. We had a lovely sunny day and could have done with a touch more shade.

Best day out I've ever had probably.

In reply to chiz:

Can I ask, what's the best place to stay on Skye for the ridge?

Not keen on camping.....

We are going in July

Thanks

In reply to avinash1981:
If you don't want to camp at GB...the Glenbrittle hut will probably be full, dunno about the youth hostel.
Stayed at the JCMS hut at Loch Scavaig before, it's ok to get on the ridge from there, and a great location. Getting back after the end would be a slog though.
Bunkhouse at Sligachan?

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

If you are happy soloing up and down Severe on good dry rock then you can forget about the rope, nuts, harness etc. I did this when I first did it and had no problems and I wasn't leading anything like as hard as you are and I've never liked soloing much either but was happy soloing Severes at Almscliffe. The most difficult down climb was the North Side of the In Pinn but the climbing sections are pretty short anyway. The only "guide" I had was an old SMC map that is no longer published but the current Harvey's map is more or less the same and the most useful bit was the diagrammatic representation of the Ridge. I'd never been to Skye before and saw no-one all day until almost at the end so it wasn't as though I could have asked anyone the way but I didn't get lost so it can't be that difficult. The only other time I've done it was in winter and again, route finding wasn't a problem despite the fact that I hadn't been back to the Cuillin in the intervening 15 years or so. With the benefit of that limited experience, I would say that if you can see where you are going and can read a map you shouldn't have any trouble finding the way. And if you're not carrying all that rope and stuff, you should move a lot quicker. 2 litres of water is a must though.

In reply to Stephen Reid - Needle Sports:

Well we are going for the first time and hope to get the ridge done.

I do reckon a guide increases your chances of success, but this is my first unguided trip for almost 5 years, and so think we should be ok

We are not going to set off if the weather is bad. Only if we can see where we are going

We can't decide whether to do it in a day or 2

Out of interest, where do people bivvy?

In reply to avinash1981:

There are lots of bivvy spots on the actual ridge, especially in the first half. They may not be that comfortable, fit more than one person, or have water, but they usually have a dry-stone windbreak wall, and are vaguely flat. Most people seem to bivvy down in Coir a Ghrunnda (sp?), there are some springs there. When we did the ridge we had got all the way to TD Gap and looked down to see everyone still sleeping...
The Rockfax guide is very good but lacks detail in some spots (as you'd expect), but if you can see you'll be fine even if it takes a bit of a nose around to find the best line. There's a couple of spots where the scramble downclimbs are a bit tricky and I wanted a sling -but I had a knackered shoulder.
There are springs along the way, but you'll need to drop down a way -there's one below Am Bhasteir in Fionn a Coir (spelling!) side -look for the green moss. If it has been hot then knowing that is there can be a lifesaver

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

I quite like the notion that 'the' ridge route description defies neat and consistent packageability.
Long may it remain a puzzle to the averagely competent, a place that is best learnt by experience.
Go and have a look. It's good to be humbled, and if you manage to 'do it' you may remind yourself that you got away with it this time.

'Long, long and distant,
long the ascent,
long the way of the Cuillin
and the peril of your striving..'

In reply to Adam Lincoln

This is for 2 but it gives the right ideas about fast and light. Moff and I did it onsight carrying injuries so on a good day you will be fine. The nav is arguably harder than the climbing. Best of luck.

http://bobwightman.co.uk/climb/gear.php?p=skye_ridge_gear_tips

In reply to Offwidth:

A good list, one thing about fell-running shoes, my lightweight Innov8s (all I had with me) got pretty trashed and I was worried about them failing completely. Missed out TD gap as I was injured, but don't think they'd have liked that boot-crack. You don't <need> 'heavy' B0 scrambling boots though. And if you climb E6 you'll not have a problem with the crack anyways...

Having done bits of the ridge totally direct, I did notice that there are now significant paths and bypasses for the 'in a day' route. Next time I want to go back and do the whole ridge as direct as possible at a leisurely rate, taking two days. A key thing I learnt on an early trip was it is a long day and if you go the path of least resistance (rather than the one that is hardest/most fun looking) you'll save a lot of energy over the day.

In reply to chiz:
I did everything in approach shoes am really only a VS leader and onsight rope- soloed the TD gap with no feeling in my fingers as we had to queue and got cold. Its piss for an experienced climber. The 'scamble' descents are the climbing crux for me and the real crux is logistics (that Bob had sussed and many still ignore) and nav. Solo into the TD gap or the front descent from the In pinn would push me a bit harder I think.

2 days is indulgence, success is way easier on one.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

You'll be fine. It's all easy, but the approach marches are long, and route finding can be time consuming, making it a very long day unless you run bits.

If you have a decent forecast I'd take some light bivvy gear, leave mid-afternoon, stop overnight and finish in the morning. I reckon the break will mean you'll enjoy it more and the sunset and sunrise should be magical.

In reply to Adam Long:

Mortals of course get sunrise and sunset in their one day crossing. Its so light at this time of year we didnt have to use a headtorch despite starting well before sunrise and finishing after midnight.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

I tried with Skye a couple of times before deciding to let Skye tell me when. We got a good spell and did it in 2 days and it was one of the best trips. Got to meet folks along the way who more or less are there along the way. We all ended up in the Slig inn at the end in all manner of states.
We struggled with water but found a spring visible from above in one of the Northern corries. Everyone seemed to turn up there and bivy.

I reckon it would be much more easier had there been patches of snow to get water from.

In reply to Offwidth:
Well I'm a Diff leader and enjoyed it as it's my kind of thing. But I do know a few far better climbers than me that haven't found it 'piss', especially on-sight, and no they were not 'wall-bred gym rats'. So I think that comment was a bit silly really.

The crux to me is the ability to keep going at a steady rate for hour after hour on semi-technical and non-technical terrain, with less water than you'd usually have, and being able to think on your feet and deal with complex route finding all day, and then being able to run from Gillean to the Sligachan to get your food order in and enjoy a few pints.

I look forward to indulging myself over a couple of days next time.

In reply to chiz:

We had knee problems so couldnt run to train but had fewer problem walking or climbing. We did many long high volume days on grit (in fact our notes we made and local experience we built led directly to our Offwidth webpages and our BMC guideboook work). On water most people simply cant function dehydrated so our trick was isotonic endurance drinks from bottles pre loaded with powder to keep weight down and filled just before gaining the ridge.

I apologise for exaggerating a bit on the TD gap but we got so cold watching people faff changing into climbjng shoes (which dont help) and cleft climbing with overweight sacks that it was like a revelation that Bob's lightweight advice meant a route some have claimed is as tough as HS climbed little harder than I experienced on grit diffs, even though I couldnt feel my hands.

We overtook all of those slow groups by bypassing the queue on AnStac and although we slowed greatly at the end, as my knee really started to play up, no one overtook us.

In reply to Offwidth:

When you say you bypassed the queue on An Stac, do you mean you went up the rake on the left - a great pity, because it's one of the v best things on the ridge. Also, did you do the Basteir Tooth by Naismith's? I can't remember what you've told me previously.

In reply to Offwidth:

Andy's tale of our traverse includes our being held up at the TD gap by a big queue caused by a group faffing on the climb out - they were hauling their sacks (large) which kept getting stuck. I knew the bypass down in to Coire Ghrannda so we decided to do that. Someone asked what we would do at the Inn Pin. According to Andy my reply was "Act French!"

On the Inn Pin we got there just in time to get in front of a group who were changing in to rock boots for the Mod ridge. More faffing.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

A bit of general but accurate beta: not everything that looks like a path is the best way to go. First time on it you're almost guaranteed to make some small mistakes, but as long as it's clear weather you'll soon find the way.

First time I did it I annotated the enlarged (1:12,500) Harvey's map with routefinding notes for complicated sections - that was super helpful.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

Yes we sadly missed arguably the best scrambling on the ridge but needs must. Did Naismith's with a one piece dodgy belay on the mid-way ledge as I didn't think the rope would reach... very exciting but by then I was either indestructable in my head or ready to give up for good.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

Adam, I want to do the traverse leaving 18 july.I mean to do it by hook or crook,or solo,but id rather have a partner an a 35m rope.I wouldn't mind biving at the eagles nest.watch the star,s and photograph the sun rises.Have my own gear and rope. If you want to partner up please get in touch.I plan on camping there for 4 days,and want to get as much as i can done especially cioch nose.

In reply to Offwidth:


Well that was a fine achievement. I remember the dodgy belay. But what a route! I'm always going on about it - it must be just about the most spectacular shortish route of its standard in the whole of Britain.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

I had a mad grin by then and the exposure on the ledge alongside the suspect belay was really enjoyable in a sick way: we had really earnt this. When Moff arrived at the ledge she had the crucial bit of gear which meant we were safe as I started the second half. Scrambling up above Naismiths, the 4b boulder problem on top of the wall was a bit of a shock as well.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

I have done it a few times and have found the best way to do it in 1 day is first of all pick a good clear day. Travel up via Coire a Ghrunnda. Dump the bags there then run to Gars Bheinn. on the return fill up your water bottle at the stream at Coire a Ghrunnda before continuing on to TD Gap as water there after is scarce until you get to Am Bhasteir. I have found that a 60meter half rope is sufficient for all your climbing and abbing needs (add an extra hms onto your belay for more friction when abbing ). TD Gap can be tricky in the wet. At the crux face left not right and the moves will fall into place. Gear wise on TD Gap I used 1 x NO7 nut 1 x sling 220cm 1 x no3 wc cam plus kit for an anchor or you can belay from the tat on the top. Kings chimney and the In Pin are pretty straight forward as is Naismiths route on the Bhasteir tooth but after a long day it can seem harder than it really is. Be aware that if you use a sling on the obvious spike on Naismiths that it will lift off as you ascend so get a bit of gear in just after to be safe. I would recommend approach shoes. I use La Sportive boulders. Rack wise I bring 1 x set of nuts 2 x 2.2m slings 1 x longer sling 5 x qds,no3 2.5 1.75 and 0.75 cams 4 gatelocks 1 x belay 1 x nut key and a bit of tat just in case. I like to be safe as I am no superstar rock jock. I would recommend you have a car waiting at Sligachan or get a taxi back to Glen brittle if that's where you are staying as the walk back is truly brutal after doing the ridge (never again). Hope this info helps. This is just my personal view and you should take kit according to your own ability experience fitness level and of course weather conditions.

In reply to Andy Moles:


Dunno if many folk would agree with me on this because most rave about the map, though I find the 1:12500 Harveys really unhelpful. I found the OS with the faded out crag markings a lot better, that combined with photo topos.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

I did the ridge in one go within 24hours. But it was tough. We ran out of water. I think we only took maybe 2 litres each. Wasn't enough. Also we could have done with more food.
We did train for it though. Fell running every weekend for months and our lead grades ranged from E1 to E5. So I think we were physically prepared. One had done it before so he was our guide. But if you want to do it without getting lost then research. There's only so much a forum can tell you.
Enjoy!

In reply to Adam Lincoln:

A batch of pictures from a 2 day traverse this week here: https://www.facebook.com/climbwhenyoureready.mountaineering/media_set?set=a...

It was very hot on day 1, I drank 6 litres of water (filled below Sgurr nan Eag on way in, from spring below T-D Gap and from spring below Coire na Bannachdich where we had dinner), bivvi at An Dorus then much cooler on day 2 stopping us needing quite so much fluid.

In reply to kwoods:

It wasn't so much the map that was helpful as the annotations. I wouldn't want to rely on any of the maps in the Cuillin, at the expense of reading the immediate terrain. I think they only come in useful for relocation if it's claggy and you're a bit lost.

In reply to Adam Lincoln:
The Cuillin? My number one tip would be: "Don't rush it. It's not a race. Take your time."

In reply to Tim Chappell:

Anyone over there next week? We are going up on Saturday

It's our first trip there