UKH

Hi all,

Being fairly new to trad and scrambling and having been to the Cuillins hiking numerous times I am keen to try a full traverse. Obviously packing light is favourable but as a fairly new climber I dont want to be ill prepared either. What gear would people recomend to take for a succesful attempt?

Thanks,

Adam.

I'd recommend you download this from Rockfax https://www.rockfax.com/climbing-guides/miniguides/skye-ridge/

I found it very useful, more useful than the guidebook or map.

I don't know what your climbing background is or what grade you climb but be aware that some of the pitches will feel much harder than their modest grade when you are tired, carrying a sack and wearing approach shoes and you will need to be familiar with moving together techniques on  some of the scrambling sections. Also to do it in anything like a reasonable time you will end up soloing short steps of up to about Mod standard unroped where a fall could be fatal.

I've heard that the success rate for first attempts with no prior knowledge of the rigde is only about 10% which I can well imagine is about right.

Not trying to put you off but if you're new to trad and scrambling you might want to build up to it (unless you're a hotshot sports climber who'll pi$$ up it easily!)

We had a crack a couple of years back in June and got beat back by hail, yes hail in June. The Rockfax guide and the free PDF download kicking about online from 2007 is helpful.

Gear wise we took a skinny single at 35 metres, a set of nuts, 3 cams, 2 slings and 4 quickdraws. We got a lightweight bivi bag for 1 night and a light synthetic bag. Very light waterproofs and a light belay jacket.

Planning is key and a good head under pressure will see the route through if you get the weather. Weather windows are the only way I'd try again. We are planning this year again. Good luck.

Hi Adam, I live and work on Skye and more than happy to talk you through the ridge and gear needed. Check out the Facebook group All Things Cuillin that I've set up and post on most days with updates on weather, conditions etc but also articles about aspects of doing the ridge. Message me for contact details and also feel free to drop in at Sconser for a brew and a chat when you get to Skye.

Here's a few pointers; 35m rope long enough for anything on the ridge itself.  A minimal rack if you are fairly competent/confident would be rocks 3/4/6 and 3 smallest rockcentrics plus a few slings and krabs. Best approach is by boat from Elgol.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/165143940728168/

Not strictly gear but don't forget to take plenty of water.  Last time I did it I carried four litres and easily got through it all.

We carried a single half rope, and a long sling with a screw krab and belay device each. The two slings were our harnesses for the abs and the rack for the climbing sections.

As an indication, we were climbing around E1/2 at the time so were happy basically soloing the climbing sections. Except the TD Gap which was horrendous.

We had been on the island for two weeks, doing some cragging on Sron na Ciche but also a couple of long training / recce outings - the Dubhs traverse and the Coire Lagan horseshoe. These are a good fitness check and cover some of the crucial ground that it's useful to know in advance. The Dubh slabs are a fantastic outing in their own right anyway. And you tick off the Munros that aren't directly on the ridge so you don't need to worry about those on the big day!

Good point. We ran out of water and therefore also couldn't eat anything for the last couple of hours. My mate's girlfriend met us on Alasdair summit with full water bottles - no wonder he subsequently married her!

Plus 1 for the water recommendation. Take at least 4 litres each and some straws to suck up water which is there in some of the crevices, tantalisingly close, but beyond the reach of your tongue. 

Navigation is the other problem. Lots of false scratch marks where others before you have gone wrong, which lead you off the main ridge to dead ends. This is time wasting, so brush up on your navigation skills - the 1:25,000 map is cluttered and detailed and hence difficult to follow. Hopefully your previous experiences on the Ridge will have been useful recce's.

The other factor is bad weather, navigation in cloud is very difficult, and another reason for the high failure rate.

Gain confidence in soloing where it's very exposed, but not technically difficult. There isn't time to keep roping up apart from technical pitches like the TD Gap, and for abs. get plenty of practice at setting up and abing quickly but safely. Get confident in climbing in walking boots, there isn't time to keep changing into rock shoes. Walking boots with a stiff sole are better for this than bendy boots. Or or use approach shoes. Personally I prefer boots.

It's the closest experience to Alpine ridge climbing in the UK where moving quickly but safely is so important.

If you are planning to bivi, it's worth taking a three quarter length karimat, and lightweight sleeping bag (I took my PSD). I slept well, but my mate who was trying to save on weight tried to rely on just a down jacket, and sitting with his feet in the rucksack. He had a miserable cold night. To save weight, we also dispensed with a stove and cooking things and relied on sweets and biscuits which were fine.

Good luck!

Oops. Gillean, not Alasdair. It was a long time ago.

I was also climbing E1 at the time and likewise soloed most of it but found Naismiths Route really tough, near the end of day 2, hot sweaty hands (no chalk), wearing approach shoes and carrying a sack with bivi gear. Its very steep and I had to stop halfway and clip the sack into some gear and haul it once I'd finished the pitch.

To the OP:

You can miss out out Naismiths using the Lotta Corrie route but its a big detour, you have to lose a lot of height.

Tactics are everything, with no prior knowledge your chances of success are low, a one day crossing even less so, so a bivi will almost certainly be needed. There's next to no water on the ridge, we carried 4 litres each and still ran out, the only reliable water source is almost at the end (Fionn Choire), pre stashed water halfway is a good idea.

Our tactics worked well and I would definitely do the same again. We walked up to Coir a Ghrunnda from Glen Brittle carrying no water to keep weight down on this long ascent. Ditched our sacks at the coire and headed off right to the start (Gars Bheinn). Came back to Coir a Ghrunnda (so carrying no weight on this first section) and filled up our water bottles there for the rest of the ridge.

Decide what you actually want to achieve. There are Munroes just off the ridge, do you want to climb them as well? Do you want to climb every summit on the ridge or just the Munroes? Unless you're well ahead of schedule you may have to be selective in what you want to climb.

Leave your tent pitched at Sligachan campsite so when you get back late and knackered you don't have to pitch it or try and get to Glen Brittle.

The Harveys map is much more useful than the OS map.

Yet more info here:

https://www.needlesports.com/content/the-cuillin-ridge.aspx

It would be a terrible pity to miss out Naismith's because it's about the best thing on the whole ridge and one of the best positioned climbs of its standard in Britain.

There are various strategies, all successful on their day. If I were going up again, i’d perhaps seek out a water/food stash 2/3 of the way along and attempt the traverse light and fast. I’ve heard it said many times that if you pack for an unforeseen bivvy, you’ll end up needing it anyway due to increased weight of gear, water and food. 

You need to be ok with soloing exposed diff/vdiff sort of ground too.

3 failures before my eventual tick on the CR

Curious about the mention of 35m ropes now. I was under the impression 45m was required?

Will 35m really do all the abseils? Can I lose some more weight on my next attempt?

Edit: I'm talking about a south to north attempt.

The InPinn abseil has the longest requirement of rope, it's something like 17m so a 30m is just too short, but a 35m fine.

The other three normal abseils (TD gap and two on Bidein) are shorter. Using belays on the pitched climbs will keep the rope length down there, I've split Naismith's into three before.

Lots of good advice here but a key link is missing. 

http://bobwightman.co.uk/climb/skye_ridge.php

For a one day crossing do not take much water ...use endurance athlete's isotonic, as you will hydrate better for much less weight. Only take enough water for drinking with food.  We took the energy powder in bottles (and food-wise only had protein bars) and filled up as we approached the ridge... all to keep weight down. We were experienced but injured bumblies who onsighted all the tricky bits of  ridge (climbing and nav) first go (so much for 10%...likely true but more about poor preparation and trying to 'wing it' in bad weather).

Can you solo back down?

Very easily - but not really cricket.

If you are doing the ridge from south to north, then I think you might find the shorter but technically more difficult down climb quite tricky to solo than ascending the arete. I led the short climb a couple of times in the 1960s and thought it was hard for a V Diff (which was it's grade then - I think it is now a Severe), More recenty I've always soloed the long arete and then abbed the short pitch.

You could, but usually the folk doing that are on a solo/speed variation on the ridge. I haven't downclimbed it to actually know how it is. Would be curious, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

I'm not sure I'd think the five metres worth sacrificing for the rest of the ridge and for the sake of a solo. On the InPinn west side the crux is at the bottom so it's not even as though you'd be abbing off the rope ends onto really easy ground, it's all bald, polished and steep off the deck.

I was assuming it meant you could avoid taking a rope at all rather than just a shorter one (also saves queuing)? 

Agree with this. Recce the route. pre-stash some water and don't bivvy. Much better to get a sleep in a proper bed then set up early.

 Route finding is the most difficult part of the route - lots and lots of trails and scratches that lead to dead-ends. Use the rockfax/Andy Hyslop guide for the best info.

The grade of climbing is not all that difficult in the grand scheme of things although the TD gap is basalt and feels like VDiff 7a in the wet!. Being prepared mentally and physically to solo and/or move together on some serious scrambling for long periods of time is key.

Do bivi. Spend four days on it, take it easy, it's not a race  

Surprised no-one has mentioned this handy guide from Mike Lates:

http://skyeguides.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2007_Ridge_Download.pdf

I did in my first reply. Thanks for the link though as I couldn't find it.

Thanks for that, good to know

... and about V Diff 5b in the dry

Lots of good advice above, everyone has different strategies. Last year I tried to see how far I could get without being knackered. I'm retired and able to choose to go when weather forecasts (checked several websites) good for a few days. Good weather, especially visibility vital. Had prior knowledge of bits of southern half. Not now up to soloing anything above Diff and wanted to minimize weight so chose to avoid TD gap, Kings and descended after Mhadaidh. Minimal gear: sling, tat, krab, 35m cheap 7mm light rope for abs only, helmet. (I imagine you'd want harnesses, 35mm climbing rope, few slings, krabs and nuts.) Bars and cold food (no stove), several coke bottles. 
Especially if doing it fast you'll find every gram counts, especially footwear, thin short karrimat, Blizzard insulating bag (sub 300g) instead of sleeping bag. Carried minimal water replenishing on route (need to know locations). Started from Elgol boat to Coruisk, great but meant I was several hours late on the morning approach. Photocopies from Skye Scrambles guide as well as Rockfax useful.
May have been said but Clach Glas to Blaven is much shorter but good experience. 

Very much depends on conditions in my experience. Downclimbed it in trainers when bone dry on a warm day and felt fine, just one tricky but exposed move. Also downclimbed in rock shoes when a bit damp and cold and was gripped on same move!

Whether ascending or descending the graded rock sections of the ridge do feel a bit old school grading to me. The amount of polish probably a considerable factor in this, maybe exposure too, but guess that shouldn't affect the grade. Worth adding on a grade to them all for me - in your head at least!

Thanks for all the advice guys!

If you already have substantial prior experience of the ridge then you'll know whether a 1 or 2 day attempt is best for you but if you don't then your chances of success on a 1 day attempt are almost zero so you should bank on 2 and take bivi gear (unless you enjoy miserable nights). If you're organised the extra weight really needn't be much, I took less than 3kg extra for bivvying and that included the extra food which you don't carry the whole route anyway.

Bivvying on the ridge and waking up to those views is a magnificent experience in itself and taking 2 days gives you a bit more time to take it all in, take a few photos and enjoy it instead of being in an unholy rush and much of it passing in a blur.

It's tricky if you're being opportunistic with the weather and going at very short notice, but as a member of the BMC or MCoS, or of an affiliated club, it may be an option to stay at the Coruisk Memorial hut.
https://www.glasgowjmcs.org.uk/coruisk.php  (There's a calendar showing it's availability on the website - I see it's already pretty much rammed through May, but otherwise not too busy.)

As a bonus, you could perhaps stretch your legs the afternoon/evening before an early start with a walk up to the summit of Sgurr na Stri.  (Especially attractive after taking the soft option of a boat ride over there as opposed to the walk in.)  The view of the Cuillin from up there, looking across Loch Coruisk, is absolutely breathtaking.

Hmm. Clearly loads of different opinions here which is great.   My experience/ suggestion follows.

I had done perhaps 5 or so of the Munros in the past and found the ridge a difficult and scary place on previous visits. E.g. collies ledge compleyely shit me up.

Anyway, the year before last I had time available and was fairly fit so decided to give it a go. I looked into guides and they were stoopid expensive. Don't really have many climbing partners as the wife was working, so went on my own. Instead of a partner I took rock boots and chalk bag. Instead of a harness I took two slings with knots in the right places. Bought a lovely light 8mm rope for the abseil.

Looked at all the info about water staches etc and took heed of the guy who said "If the weather's good then forget staching water, just get on with the traverse".

Got a weather window of two good days which coincided with a gap at home almost.  Alas I had to take the kid to the doctor's on the first good day..... But left just after lunch from Manchester. Arrived in sligachan around 11pm.

Zeds, stached my bike locked to a telegraph pole near fairy pools.  Drove to Glen brittle and set off around 6am. Filled bottles at Cpire Ghrunda ( I think) around 6 litres, bloody heavy.

the walk to the ridge takes a fair while, and it's quite demoralising doing the southerly section twice and ending up back at An casteil after around 4/5 hours on the go.

But, needs must.   Didn't have anyone to organise my shit and only one dry day. Was fairly confident I could keep going for around a day if needed.

Ctrl S

Damn lost everything.  Perhaps for the best.  Anyway, will try again.

Abbed into TD gap, donned rock boots and chalk bag.  Tied one end of rope to me, and other end to ruksack perched precariously on the block.  Soloing out in proper climbing shoes was probably less nerve wracking than leading it in big boots and ruksack.  Hauled ruksack, which did indeed get stuck a few times.

King's Chimney was fine.  An Stac was great, but when I got to InnPinn I was gubbed and didn't fancy the solo on the easy side, so I managed to persuade a passing local to belay me on the short side on the condition that I didn't take more than 3 mimutes....  By the time he had his harness on I was 2/3 of the way up, next to the good gear.  Placed my nut, on belay and about 60 seconds later I was on top threading for the abseil.

What's the hill with the four tops?  Sgurr a Mhadaidh or something?  That was tricky, spent about an hour trying to find the route, which turned out to be a highly improbably looking blank black wall.  But being Gabbro it was way easier than it looked.

Got to Bhasteir around 8pm, pretty tired.  Didn't even consider Naismith's route at that stage.  Headed down right as a plan B.  Went heinously off route up some ghastly crack/gully/chimney thing.  Looked hard but after the Mhadaidh experience I kept telling myself it just looked hard and wasn't.  Found some tat and realised I was deeply off route.  Also at 8:30pm on a Tuesday night I realised it might be a while before anyone found me, so backed off .  Thank f*ck, as I was indeed off route.  

So I headed further down the corrie in the lonely gloom trying to get to the col between Bhasteir and Gillean.  Cliffed out,... bugger.  So near yet so far.  Never mind good attempt on my first try and on my own....

Then I spotted a weakness in the wall in front.  I climbed up, then left, then got spooked and headed back right, intending to go all the way back to the Bhasteir/Gillean coll with the intention of then going all the way back up Bhasteir after that.... in the dark.  Then I changed my mind again and decided to give it one more go to the left.  WTH, July nights up there are short

It went a bit, and a bit further, then eventually eased off and dumped me at the tooth.  Bagged the tooth and then up Bhasteir (it turns out the route I did was exactly the route that is [badly] described in the Rockfax guide (just got down and right from Naismith's  a bit further than you think))

Hooray, at the col around 9pm perhaps.  Dumped most kit.  Up Gillean. Got dark.  Down Gillean to coll.  Got kit.  Down the path towards Sligachan, but not too close.  Contoured round to the left (west) and then through some gap down towards Fairy pools.  Unlocked bike from telegraph pole and set off cycling back to Glen Brittle at around 2:30am.

Then it started raining.  OH HELL YES.  Bloody marvelous.  Two day weather window absobloodylutely.  Spot on.  Got piss wet but deeply content cycing back to the van in Glen Brittle.  Got to bed around 3 or 4 am after a solid day out.  Perhaps 21 hours or so.

One of those trips where things just work out perfectly.  Spent the next day in bed in the pissing rain, with a short cycle ride and loads of food.  Then drove to Torridon.  Did the classic mega Annat/Achnashellach MTB loop, then drove to Aviemore.  Did Cairngorm and Ben Macdui by bike, with the splendid descent by Coire an Lochain.  Then drove back to Manchester having done three epic Scottish days out in the space of 4 days.

YMMV

Anyone want to buy a lucky rope.  Only one day's use....

I'm intrigued. What hydrates you better than water with less weight?

I've been wondering that too.

I came to do the same as 99ster:

Mike's guide gives some good info on some of the realities of planning.

Flexibility and weather is key, low visibility or damp can add hours to the fastest parties, so it's best to understand the escape routes and variation options in case things go south, and to be lucky with the weather!

I have pretty good knowledge of the route and when taking a fit but "scrambler" partner for his attempt a few years ago we were passed 4 times by the same pair of young students as they kept going wrong in the low visibility.

Some excellent advice on here but I will add something that I don't think has been mentioned.

If you do it in mid/late June there will be few midges and very short nights. When we did it I went to sleep and woke in daylight. I wasn't aware it had ever been dark!

Down-soloing the short side of the In Pin is intimidating as hell, but it is only about Severe. If you're happy down climbing very exposed, steep and polished Severe in trainers, it's OK. Down-soloing the east ridge is fine too so long as there isn't any traffic.

The downclimb into the TD Gap is the worst.

The thought's something along these lines, possibly?:

https://blog.skratchlabs.com/blog/why-water-isnt-enough

Less weight seems dubious, though. And I'm pretty sure they'd advocate drinking plenty - just a different concoction than pure water