UKH

Or is it...? (The ridge in Glencoe, that is, not the prolific contributor to the forums)
 

AEITB’s recent grading thread got me thinking, what are the best scrambles at each grade? The ones that have got the ideal combination of sound rock, length, sustained interest and spectacular situations. I can only really comment on ones I’ve done, so I came up with:

grade 1: Tryfan N ridge, Bristly ridge, Crib Goch, Daear Ddu, Sharp Edge (maybe Snowdon Y Gribin and the Horns of Alligin, both in impressive situations but a bit short)

grade 2: Am Fasarinen, Round of glen sannox,  ledge route (ok, not done this one but surely has to be in there) and the Aonach Eagach, of course...

grade 3: Curved ridge, Clogwyn y person arête, Pinnacle Ridge (St Sunday one), tourist route on sgurr nan gillean, An Teallach

an observation- Wales seems to have the best grade 1s, Scotland the best grade 2s, grade 3s more spread out. 
 

any serious candidates I’ve missed at each grade? Can compile a hit list for when I finally get out to do something in the hills instead of on the bike...

Forcan Ridge? Ghreadaidh to Banachdich? All sorts of other things on the Skye Cuillin? Ditto for Arran and Rum. Cobbler south and centre peaks? Jack's Rake? As for more obscure stuff, I've a distant memory of the south ridge of Conival being good - is that grade 1?

There's also the question of things being harder/easier in different directions, eg there's a school of thought that the Aonach Eagach is easier west-east. I've only done it in full east-west, but I once came up from the north side and turned east, and the awkward down-scramble on Am Bodach is certainly easier in ascent. I believe that Iain Thow of this parish reckons the main-ridge pinnacles on Liathach are similarly a bit easier west-east than east-west. Then there's going down things that are normally ascended. I once went down Sharp Edge in the rain. I've no idea what grade that is - but I'm pretty sure it was more serious than the mild grade 1 of the uphill version done on a dry day.

You’ve obviously missed a lot. There are too many to mention.

anyway An teallach and Liathach, Skye, Castle ridge on the Ben,  angels ridge, and after thought Arete all obviously need a mention.

Cneifon Arete for grade 3 surely!

I agree with your assessment of Sharp Edge being harder than Grade 1 in the wet. (The bit above the edge itself). Nasty polished rock.

The beginning of the Cneifion Arete is really a short Mod or Diff rock climb, then it's a grade 1 scramble.

If you're terrible at grading scrambles.

What did you disagree with? (Most people seemed to agree with the grades I gave in my Cuillin book for many years, before more detailed guide books became available.)

BTW. Grade 3 often involves a section of unroped Mod rock climbing on an otherwise easier scramble. A total classic example, maybe Grade 3+, is the Clogwyn y Person Arete, starting up the Parson's Nose. About the best scramble in Snowdonia, imho.

The first bit of Cneifion Arete is diff, the rest of it is around grade 3.

Anyone expecting grade 1 after the first bit would be in for a massive shock.

I accept that my memory of the main/upper part of the Cneifion Arete is hazy, though I've done it twice. Second time taking shots for my book Eyes to the Hills. But I seem to remember moving around on it quite happily unroped, draped with Hasselblad and Fuji cameras, getting different angles.

PS. I think grading any technically very easy climbing that's very exposed and serious is very difficult. Still difficult is accurately grading rock climbs between Mod and Hard Severe. I think only very accurate, meaningful grades become possible at VS and above. Below that, it's just a wonderful melange of traditional adjectives.

I'd nominate Tower Ridge as a 3(S).

It was an October day 35 years ago and memories are fuzzy, but yes it was the steeper Foule Crag section that felt quite airy as a wet descent (and in cloud). I was with one of my sisters and we'd gone up by Hall's Fell and on top - being young and keen and stupid - I suggested Sharp Edge as a way down. At that stage I hadn't been either up or down it. We got down without any mishaps but I can remember it feeling a bit nervy for a while. I think the traditional awkward notch at the junction of the actual edge and Foule Crag is possibly easier that way round, as you're going up the little step that a lot of people descend on their backside. But the whole thing felt like something we'd got away. A few years ago I was chatting with a Cumbrian friend who has been up Blencathra a couple of hundred times and is considerably more scrambling-competent than me. When I mentioned having gone down Sharp Edge in the wet he just pulled a face and said something like: Hmm. I wouldn't do that!

Mod is a little generous IMO - classic scrambling terrain. Yes it has a crux, but so does everything!

Yes, Forcan ridge! How could I have forgotten that! And also Ghreadaidh to Banachdich. 
 

not been to Rum yet, but definitely on the list...

I’d also disagree, Gordon- it’s a juggy romp above the initial section, but way too steep and sustained for grade 1. I think it’s grade 3, and definitely gets a place on the list. 

Grade 3: A'Chir ridge on the Isle of Arran. Proper ridge scramble, no bypass for the hard sections (unless you want to abseil), fantastic views when it's not in the clag as well.

I have to agree. I went up last year when it was clear at the bottom but low cloud, and the rock was just sopping and like ice. There are plenty of places that are simple uphill walks on rock that force you to scratch away almost on hands and knees in the wet. My partner slipped descending a small gully and took a real fall that could have been a lot worse than the few bruises she got.

No... if the grade exists at all, I don’t think its about being harder than grade 3, it’s to warn people not to bother, because the route is probably a tottering pile of plants, slime and choss, following a major drainage line, or wandering at random across a crumbling face....

any of which would rule the route out of this list- possible  **** candidates only please...

A’chir- Not done it- but is it not a moderate rock climb? 
 

but then so is Curved ridge, and I included that. 
 

if that’s included, I’m definitely suggesting North Buttress on the Buachaille. Better than curved ridge. 

It has a very short section of mod that's often downclimbed but I'd say 3 is a reasonable assessment of the ridge.

It was my first ever decent scramble, solo and I had no idea what I was letting myself in for, the mod downclimb is not obvious of you're in clag and don't know it's there, it's also right near the end of the ridge if you're going south to north. I got there, couldn't see a way down and had to reverse the entire ridge back to take the path down into the valley. Very glad I didn't try and downclimb the obvious drop as that's probably way beyond my ability!

Went back after a look online to find the route and completed it, happy days.

If we're including routes which are graded as easy climbs I think cyfrwy arete should be in the grade 3 list.

So much can depend on subjective aspects in such places - weather/wet rock most obviously, but also sometimes just a general sense of unease. The prime location with regard to this for me is Jack's Rake, which I've never fully done, and which has always unnerved me somewhat when I've sat looking at it from Stickle Tarn or wherever. I'm not a great scrambler but I've certainly done harder things than that (eg Ghreadaidh to Banachdich as mentioned upthread). But there's something about the "feel" of Jack's Rake that I just don't like. A few years ago I decided to grasp the nettle and set off up it with an experienced local friend. It was a dry day but at the end of a wet week and there was a lot of seepage - and I was wearing old and not-great boots, which might have been a factor. Near the top of the first section I became spooked and ground to a halt, and after a minute or so shouted up to my pal - who was ahead - that I wasn't for this, apologies but it's unnerving me enough to not want to go any further.

So we retreated - and then, funnily enough, went up Easy Gully right next to it. There's a theory that this is harder than Jack's Rake (there was a discussion on here years ago about it possibly being "the hardest thing in Wainwright") - it's mainly just messy scree but with an awkward reachy chockstone move near the top - we arrived at this to find that someone prior to us had felt it serious enough to have tied on, as there was some tat in a crack. I managed to get up (my pal - a good bit shorter than me - couldn't make the crux move and had to retreat), but I was never at all spooked by this in the way that I had been on an easy section of the more famous route a few minutes beforehand. I don't think I'll ever do Jack's Rake - there's something very dark and forbidding about it and I just don't fancy it.

North Buttress is right at the top end of grade 3 (3S). Dempster in Classic Scottish Scrambles gives it grade 4. UKC gives it Mod:

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/buachaille_etive_mor-387/north_but...

It's much more memorable/scary than A'chir, which is really good quality granite. (Did it the day after doing West Flank Route, so can't really judge difficulty.) SMC guidebooks have it as Mod. My logbook for May 1983 says 'v. fine scrambling (quite exposed, & tricky) but sadly v. short-lived.'

Grade 2/Mod?: https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/cam_crags_borrowdale-2477/cam_crag...

What would An Stac be? I'd have said it was a scramble not a climb but getting to it in the first place isn't easy.

Mind you it depends which line you take on most scrambles, you can certainly make Tryfan north ridge and Bristley ridge a grade 2 by taking a direct line over the obstacles rather than the path.

Can anything really compare with the ridges up Torridon way? I've only been in winter but Ben Alligin, An Teallach, Liathach, A'Chioch on Beinn Bhan, Beinn Eighe, etc. The situation, views and how wild they feel cannot compare to anything in North Wales, and even give the best scrambles in the West Midlands a run for their money. Skye is also unfathomably pointy. 

Yes?

Re north buttress- yes, checked my logbook- can it really be 15 years since I did it...?
 

I’ve commented ‘more a scramble than a climb’, I assume I meant that the ‘hands on rock’ bits are part of a larger whole, with steep walking in between- as opposed to easy rock climbs eg ordinary route at idwal slabs, middlefell buttress, milestone ordinary (ok the descents from some of those are not really straightforward walks, but all the same...)

In my book they can- I’ve not done a’chioch but have done all the others you mention, in summer. Superlative days out all of them- but so are clogwyn y person arête, cneifon arête, crib goch... 

Which an stac? 
 

agree re N ridge tryfan- some great passages of scrambling if the earliest line not taken; and bristly ridge has ‘feel’ of something harder 

Not done it yet, but have had my eye on it for a while now! 

The one just before or after the Inpin (depending on which way you're going) on  the Cuillin.

Never much liked Jack’s rake either- polished scrappy scrambling up a damp trench lower down, walking with an unnerving clamber around an eroded section further up. Done it a couple of times but I don’t think it’s anywhere near the calibre of the others mentioned. 
 

as to being spooked on easy scrambles- eastern terrace on cloggy, in thick mist and rain... still wake up in a cold sweat about that one...!  

Ah ok- haven’t done it, came up the south west ridge of sgurr dearg when we did the in pin, then had an adventure descending into coire na banachdich when we lost the path...

I attempted to compile a graded best-of in these articles, but with half an eye to geographical spread as well as sheer quality, so they do miss out plenty of deserving candidates:

grade 1: https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/destinations/britains_best_grade_1_s...

grade 2: https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/features/britains_best_grade_2_scram...

Been meaning to follow up with grade 3, but since we lost half the summer to lockdown it will probably wait til next year.

I'm not sure it makes sense to try to separate top end scrambling from low end climbing, it's all climbing, so for this sort of scrambly long mountain route list game I'd probably go up to Diff (with the caveat that from 3 upwards it's mostly worth having a rope). Here's a few suggestions:

gr3 - An teallach direct, Greadaidh-Mhadaidh, Curved Ridge, Suilven full traverse (short lived difficulty but you can't argue with the positions), Pinnacle Ridge St Sunday (shame it's so short), Sentries Ridge, Ill Crag SE Face (amazing rock! massive route by Lakeland standards) 

Mod - North Buttress, Dolmen Ridge (that steep pitch is never a 'scramble'), Dubh Ridge (the best scramble in the country hands down, a contender for the best long day out at any grade), Castle Ridge, A'Chir, Afterthought Arete, Rum Cuillin done direct (mostly just a walk of course), Cneifion Arete

Diff - Tower Ridge, NE Ridge Aonach Beag, Clach Glas-Bla Bheinn, Pinnacle Ridge Gillean, Clogwyn y Person Arete with a start up the nose (otherwise it deserves to go into the grade 3 list), Cyfrwy Arete via Table Direct, round of Coire Lagan with Kings Chimney included

I'm bound to have forgotten loads of others

Clach Glas - Bla Bheinn is the best grade 3 I've ever done. 

Clach Glas - Bla Bheinn  traverse has to be there at mod!

North Buttress I've never done, despite having done most of the other scrambles. Some guides say it's amazing, others that it's a 1 star job. Similar with people I've spoken to. Guess I'd better do it then!

I think An Stac (taken direct up the crest) is correctly graded at 3 (***). Mustn't forget the stars!

North Buttress is very exposed, with a steep chimney crux. My memory of that is coloured by the fact that my big Manfrotto tripod, strapped to the bottom of my camera sack, was getting jammed across the chimney ... When I got to the superb grassy ledge at the top of that, I had to take a bit of breather for about 10 minutes and to wait for my heart beat to return to normal

yes, i was going to mention that not least for the splendid view of the great prow but it's a Diff

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/bla_bheinn-684/clach_glas_-_blabhe...

Outside of the Cuillin, it is hard to beat the north ridge of Tryfan or the Aonach Eagach for sheer duration of quality scrambling at invariant grade. The scrambling is much more intermittent or limited on Liathach, An Teallach, Forcan ridge, Arran, and most of the other Lakes/Snowdonia scrambles.

Yes, on a 3-star system it's about *****

It's 3 stars for the sheer grandeur of the experience. You can't sidle off on to anything easier: it's either up, or down (or off, I suppose )

It rained towards the end so we ended up going up the Dif chimney onto Blaven. The other option sounded horrifying! (crawling along until a massive drop appears underneath you!?) 

Couldn't agree more, stands up to anything on the main ridge or anywhere else. 

You can avoid the final chimney section to the right, or step to the right higher in the chimney to bypass the direct finish. Guided groups often go for the first option.

have you done Slab and Notch on Pillar? i think it was my first Grade 3 in my youth and memorable for sense of exposure/death. UKC logbooks gives it low/mid Grade 3 but mid/high Mod..

Sorry, Gordon, but I also disagree. Cneifion Arete is a benchmark Grade 3 scramble. Even after the steep juggy first pitch (which I agree is probably Diff) it is sustained and very exposed if you keep to the right edge and a fall on it would be very serious. The chimney on P2 isn’t straightforward and I’ve always been glad to be roped up when climbing it, which I would never say or do on a Grade 1 route. 

As you say, CYP Arete is also a beauty with the Parson’s Nose start and always feels more serious to me than Cneifion Arete. 

I would add Cyfrwy Arete (Grade 3S) to the list for a full-on mountaineering adventure, especially with the Table Direct start, although this being a V Diff falls outside scrambling grades. However, I felt that the crux of the whole route was the climb out of the gap on Cyfrwy Arete, which felt tougher than anything on Table Direct. Mind you, I had changed into big boots by then! 😂 

Haven't done the Cyfrwy Arete. It's probably about as hard as it is to spell Re. Cneifion. Snag about that for me is that when I was doing Eyes to the Hills I was superfit and going very well, so it's very hard to judge. But, big but ... thinking about it again harder, I'm fairly certain that we kept the rope on and moved Alpine style, precisely because I wanted to move around into interesting camera positions.

yes, about 4 times. Taken bold beginners on it (with a scrambling rope). Undoubtedly serious, but the final rib is covered with huge friendly jugs and spikes. I seem to remember quite a nasty step on a damp slab/ramp even before you got to the col ...

I'm assuming you're talking about the North Buttress on the Bookle? I'm not sure how obvious those alternatives are. I think, because I didn't know it, I thought to myself I'll stick to the chimney crack because that will be more secure. I remember there was absolutely no one else around, so it was a very 'lonely' scary experience. What I remember so vividly about it (I'm sure I've mentioned it on UKC at LEAST once before!) was that the chimney steepens and narrows at the top to a chockstone about the size of a football. Because my feet were bridged on rather poor insecure footholds, I relied very much on my arms, more or less wrapped round that chockstone ... AND, it having a slightly insecure 'grating' feeling. I thought, if the chockstone comes out, I'm dead.

Yes, the Scrambles in Lochaber route steps to the right when the chimney narrows to a crack. Following the crack leads to an interesting position for a Grade 3 scramble!

To put it mildly

I think I agree with you, Gordon. I seem to remember (off my head) about 40m of diff then mod, followed by much easier scrambling that became walking. And I think your Cuillin book is fantastic.

I feel "scrambling" only really applies to Wales. In Scotland you'd call it "mountaineering" and in the Lakes "mucking about".

I had a surprisingly good day on the Fiacaill Ridge (and Afterthought Arete, but that's already been mentioned) last weekend. The difficulties are short, but unexpectedly spicy for a grade 1 (and would probably get a 2 if it were any longer or more exposed). Perhaps it was just the fact that I was on my own and the eerie silence up there compared to the hordes on MacDui.

So much depends on the situation you're in. I've always found it about 3 or 4 times as scary soloing on my own.

Yes, I would agree with that. I think there was a degree of expectation not quite meeting reality too.  I expected to find Afterthought Arete initmidating solo so it didn't really surprise me that it was. But, I didn't expect anything much from Fiacaill Ridge so it took me by surprise a bit.

I

The same suggested when it was featured in Trail magazine, many years ago when Trail was good and featured rock climbing (even ice climbing at one point...), rather than the same recycled walks round the usual suspects in Lake District.

Yes, shame it’s not longer. Did it years back en route to Beinn Mheadhoin. I accidentally forgot to mention to my friend we’d have to climb over Cairn Gorm again on the way back...

A good point. CyP arête scores on this point too, and cneifon - but they are shorter. 

Thanks Dan- will look forward to that article when it appears!

The pitch up for the table gap is definitely harder than either pitch of table direct, but it's escapable to the left and also on much more solid rock. The corner on table direct is the easiest way up that part of the crag and has some distinctly worrying loose blocks stacked in it which you can't avoid. I've soloed the arete itself but the idea of table direct without a rope gives me the willies...

The good thing about the Cneifion Arete is that it can easily be linked with other things, e.g. an "alpine" finish to a route up the Idwal Slabs, Holly Tree Wall and Continuation Wall. Otherwise, as spectacular as it looks, it wouldn't be particularly worthwhile.

Yes, it's a brilliant day doing something like Hope followed by Lazarus then that peculiar Continuation wall, then a not very obvious descending scramble into the Nameless Cwm followed by the Cneifion Arete.

Yes, very much so. Last year I did Hope, Original Route and Continuation Crack followed by Cneifion Arete and a swim in Llyn Idwal with some friends. Previously, I'd done Sub-Cneifion Arete, Tennis Shoe, Lazarus, Groove Above and Central Arete on Glydr Fawr with a different friend. Both great days out, enjoying Ogwen's pecuilar concentration of great rock. Many more variations remain for the future, I hope!

Best grade 1 prob this 

grade 1 (best )

Crib Goch ,tryfan north ridge ,liatach 

grade 2(best)

aonach eagach , Bastow buttress , curved ridge ,an tellach ,

grade 3(best)

cnefion arete , pinnacle ridge st Sunday crag ,Cuillin ridge ,tower ridge ,hornli ridge Matterhorn , table direct ,

See, this is the sort of post that gets people thinking ‘troll’. Misgrading universally known classics, and suggesting obscure v diffs as classic grade 2 scrambles. And no one in history has ever suggested the Cuillin ridge (assuming you mean the traverse) is a scramble. 
 

Edit: I see you’re adding some interesting grade 3 scrambles- I think you missed the South col route on Everest 

What routes have I graded wrong ?

Most of them. Liathach grade 2, CR grade 3, BB v diff, an teallach grade 3, tower ridge diff, table direct v diff, the Cuillin ridge an ultra long v diff (but you probably want to have a number of grades in hand), hornli ridge alpine grade AD. 
 

That’s not my opinion, these are consistent across guidebooks and the logbooks here

Nope you’re wrong there liatach is a grade 1/2

cr is a grade 2+

bb is a 2+ even says in Steve Ashton’s guide book

an tellach can be a grade 2 if u avoid the pinacles 

table direct is a grade 3s even says in Steve Ashton’s book 

cuilin ridge is a grade 3 with v diff bits 

and hornli ridge is a 2/3 it says on loads of websites

You just invented a new grading system- there are no plus or minus signs in scrambling grades. 
 

Of course, grade 2+ is more that grade 2, ie grade 3...

an teallach can be grade 0 ie a walk, as you can avoid all the pinnacles by the bypass path. 
 

scrambling grades are meant to give an overall sense of the difficulty of the route as well as its hardest moves. They don’t work for alpine routes or for the Cuillin ridge traverse. If someone thought, I’ve done cneifon arête, it’s grade 3, so I’ll be ok to do the Cuillin traverse or the hornli, they’re probably not going to have a great experience 

as I said, these aren’t my opinions, they are consensus grades. Some routes are borderline and open to discussion, but no one seriously argues that tower ridge or the Cuillin traverse  are grade 3 scrambles. 
 

feel free to keep doing so though! You are welcome to believe what you like, and sandbagging yourself could give you some memorable experiences!

Grade 1 + grade 2+ and 3s have been a thing for ages Steve Ashton uses it in his Snowdonia book and also most people would say tower ride is a grade 3 maybe 3s and cuilin ridge is a 3s with vd climbing in it

and I get what you mean about someone who done cnefion Arete does cuilin ridge will find it hard cuz that’s true but that’s because all scrambles and climbs are different like someone who only done grade 1s decides to go for a grade 2 let’s say they do something easy say Idwal Buttress then they think that was fun and easy and then they look for another grade 2 and they see byrants gully then they think that was verry hard even tho it was the same grade 

Has AEITB listened to people’s advice and changed his username to Cneifion Arete? 

who’s aeitb

You

Tower ride may well be a grade 3 

tower ridge though- According to the Scrambles in Lochaber cicerone guidebook is ‘too hard to be regarded as a scramble’, and a modified version missing the great tower is still 3(s). The SMC Scottish rock climbs book grades it diff, as does Dan Bailey of this parish in his guidebooks. 

grade 3(s) fairly widely used but not universally. + as a qualifier to grade 1 and 2 not used anywhere, other than  the perhaps snowdonia book, which I appear to have misplaced- a shame, the description of yr Esgair always made me chuckle....

No it isn’t shh 

I don’t get the problem with yr esgair  I seen a few vids of it it looks a nice scramble why is it so disliked ?

As ever huge observational bias with which is best, with by default everyone offering a route they have done, thus the classic ridges lines particularly in Scotland have an over prominence.

For example is the Clach Glas - Balvern Traverse better than either of the face routes of Sids Rake with the direct start and the Slapin Face variation or Ramp Route then the imposter, both up Clach Glas East face both followed by finishing off up Blavern by the Traverse.  The classic traverse will always again more votes, because so few people have done differing lines, but the other two routes to the summit of Clach Glas in their own way are equally phenomenal....but I'm equally as bad as i've done Clach Glas Blavern over a dozen times, but the others only once!

No mention of anything in Carnmore, or Fionaven, or on Harris.......which is a good thing, there are lots of good big stuff away from the classics...

U said clach Glas a lot 😅

Never been on it. Wouldn’t even try, after reading these...

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/info/search.php?forum=0&dates=1&n...

I think there’s something about the purity of the line on the ‘classics’ that make them classic- following a skyline ridge connecting major summits, or an obvious major ridge leading to a summit has a simplicity that a subsidiary ridge can’t match. Though obviously the answer is to do as you’ve done, and do them all!
 

and indeed that was part of the motivation for starting this thread, to get suggestions for routes of a similar quality to the classics that I might not have heard of- so suggestions welcome, I won’t tell anyone...

My top five at each grade would be:

Grade 1: Crib Goch, Tryfan N Ridge, Bristly Ridge, Ledge Route (easier version), Horns of Alligin.

Grade 2: Aonach Eagach, Forcan Ridge, Ghreadaidh traverse, Liathach, AnTeallach (avoiding the Bad Step but including the rest of the ridge)

Grade 3: Clogwyn y Person, Ill Crag from Little Narrowcove, Curved Ridge, RH Slabs (An Groban, Gairloch), Ganu Mor Slabs (Foinaven). The last two are obscure but are real gems which would be famous if they were in Glencoe or Ogwen

Mod: A' Chir, Narnia Arete (Rum), Clach Glas, Dubhs, Amphitheatre Arete (Sron na Ciche). Surprised nobody's mentioned the last one, 300m long, sustained, impressive situation, amazing exposure for the grade and all bar the final tower on perfect gabbro.

I agree that Wales has the best Grade 1's and Scotland the best Grade 2's (hadn't occurred to me before). Inevitably the well known routes top the list, not just because more people have done them, but because the classics are classics for good reasons. If I could add one route though it would be an obscurity, C Buttress on Gillaval Dubh in Harris, another that would be famous if it were somewhere more frequented - 250m of rough gneiss that looks ridiculous from below but turns out to be lovely rough slabs, sustained but never hard.

Bully.

Thanks Iain- some great suggestions there. Are the rum/Harris/gairloch ones on clean rock? (As opposed to loose/vegetated)

?

Picking on another poster, the ? is crass. Our community does not do this. You should be ashamed.

Preach 

Have you been drinking? 

Have a look at the other thread, that’s crass. Maybe you can vent at some of the posters there.

And perhaps stay there, you’re bringing the tone of this one down. 

You are a bully, naming a person in an OP is no go. End of.

apologies if any of my posts have come across as bullying- not the intent, and didn’t think you were taking it that way judging by your replies to me.

worth looking at dan bailey’s and Iain Thor’s replies on this thread- those are pretty good ticklists they have compiled, and Dan’s guidebooks are worth looking out for

Naming a person is bullying. AEITB is a person, think how they may feel.
You are a bully, you should be ashamed.

If it had been to mock, yes. It wasn’t, it’s been a thread the person referred to has been happy to contribute extensively to. 

I’ve offered an apology to him, if it is needed

But judging by the considerable engagement with the thread over the day, your view is a minority one, and you are misreading the tone of the thread. But still, apologies anyway, as I never set out to offend anyone. 
 

if you’re in the mood to stick up for people, not that I think CA needs it, there are some posters over on the other thread who you might be better taking to task. 

Naming a person in an OP or thread title is no go, non negotiable.

Playground bullying. You could have a thousand likes, but its wrong.
 

Disgraceful.

Thanks for your concern, but I’m more interested in what CA thinks. If he is upset by it, I’ll ask the mods to delete the thread. If he’s not- as I said, perhaps you’ve misjudged situation 

So long as your comfortable with being a bully.

nighty night sleep well.

Good night, Steve. 

Hi Steve 

thanks for you’re concern but as far as I’m concerned he isn’t bullying me he just said my name to refer to a certain subject 😄

Thanks CA- honestly, no malice intended. You are a welcome addition to the forums, and your attitude reminds me of another young man whose early posting style got a few backs up, but who went on to climb E10... 

Narnia Arete is on immaculate peridotite, no vegetation at all (has a bird ban in Spring). If it was more than 120m it would be easily the best Mod in Britain.

RH slabs are solid gneiss, some grass on the ledges but the slabs themselves are clean.

The Gillaval Dubh routes are on excellent gneiss, clean but with more grassy bits than RH Slabs (around 80% of its 250m is rock)

The main section of Ganu Mor Slabs is on superb gneiss, no vegetation at all and never found a loose hold on it. The three possible finishes are on steeper but more broken rock, so with some grass and the odd loose bit.

They are all mountain routes so sometimes holds do loosen (about as solid as Tryfan or Curved Ridge, sounder than Crib Goch or the Aonach Eagach).

If you want to get really obscure, the Uig Hills in West Lewis have some superb routes that nobody ever does. East Buttress of Mealaisval (think Etive Slabs for scramblers) and the Tahaval routes are especially good. Handy for the sea cliffs too.

Thanks Iain- inspirational stuff! Will bear these suggestions in mind when I’m next up that way, still got quite a few Munros to do up there, including Fisherfield- already got my eye on some easy rock climbs near Carnmore, can add these suggestions to the pot. And a trip to Harris & Lewis looks like a must- been reading the Cicerone walking in the Hebrides book for lockdown inspiration, will take a rope when I finally go...

Has to be one of the best Diffs in Britain. Great holds and wild exposure. Were you there for that amazing cloud sea?

As Grahame says above, if you're doing easy rock climbs near Carnmore make sure Red Slab is one of them - it's mindblowing!

Enjoy.

Is  your opinion  based on actually climbing all of these?

I would find it very difficult to make a judgement about grades and the best routes without personal hands and feet experience.

Ye I climbed most of them 

Sounds amazing! What’s are the belays/gear on it like? I’d likely be doing it with less experienced seconds- would be reassuring if the belays were solid.

I soloed it, but I'm pretty sure the belays are decent (definitely a good crack on the lower one). Small friends would be useful for pockets on the main pitch.

Ok thanks Iain

I did a scramble on Ben Hope last year, can’t remember what it was called but it was a grade 3 I think and was outstanding. Also did some nice slabby scramble over on Foinaven which was excellent.

Thuilm Ridge a grade 3 on Sgurr a Mhadaidh is another gem on Skye

Do u need ropes for it ?

You didn't say in the UK, so I will propose the Schächentaler Windgällen and the Mürtschenstock in NE Switzerland as great scrambles. Both are reachable from the Klausenpass. I had great, manageable days out on both without a rope but got pretty scared each time. There was an alpine horn gathering going on in the valley when I came down from the Mürtschenstock.

wish i'd known the hornli ridge was a grade 3 when i was exploring the lower ridge on an inter-rail trip in my youth- may have gone for the solo,..

U can’t solo it that’s almost impossible 

Eh? Of course you can solo it!

Questioning stuff on a climbing forum is cool. Offering opinion on something you know nothing about is not on. 

Pack it in

For which one? 
 

depends really, on how confident you are. 

All I said is can I solo it ?

In reply to Tom Last 

cuilin

Depends on how confident you are. It’s pretty straightforward, but if you fall you might die 🤷‍♂️

👆

The LGP up the constitution hill arete > CA

Finest mid wales line

Great route and I was surprised how insecure some bits felt - rounded slightly damp granite!