In reply to maxsmith:
Pretty committing, to be honest - although from memory you can descend after the abseil from Sgurr Dubh Beag, down into the corrie to the North (Coir' a Chaoruinn), avoiding the section up Sgurr Dubh Mor.
I'm not sure this makes life much easier, though!
The scramble I was thinking of on Sgurr na Stri is a grade 2/3, fun, and a much less serious day out, so it might be a better option - but the Dubhs ridge is pure magic.