UKH

I'm planning on going from Loch Coruisk to Glen Brittle via the Dubhs Ridge and Sgurr Dubh Mor. Looking at Tom Prentice's recent book, this seems doable without the faff of the abseil off Sgurr Dubh Beag. I'm struggling to make complete sense of his description of the alternative to the abseil, but to summarise, I think it says:

1. Climb a curving crack, followed by broken ground, to the summit of Sgurr Dubh Beag
2. Return to the base of the curving crack by following a grassy terrace (?)
3. Traverse left to a cairn at the top of a shallow gully
4. Descend the gully for about 100m to a grassy terrace
5. Follow the terrace to a broad arete

That looks like it takes you to where you'd finish up if you'd done the abseil instead.

Do I have this right?

A couple of hundred metres before the summit of Sgurr Dubh Beag there is a gully on the left which takes you down to a traverse path back to the ridge beyond SDB. I assume points 1-3 refer to summiting SDB and returning to the top of the gully.

The description in the SMC Skye rock climbs book was excellent for the whole route including avoiding the abseil.

Yep that sounds right. Don't remember a curving crack, but you backtrack easily from the summit to the top of a shallow easy gully on the SOUTH side for sure. Then as described.

In reply to:

Thanks both. 

It is 50m vertical height below the summit. There is a decent cairn by the gully.