The plan had initally been to reascend to Sgurr na Banachdich and then traverse the knife edge arete via Sgurr Thormaid on to Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh via the South Ridge (grade III) to the Summit of Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh, descend to An Dorus and then scramble up to the top of Sgurr a' Mhadaidh - possibly continuing on over the other three tops to the Bealach na Glaic Mhoir. However, the team wanted an easier day to include the two remaining Munros, so Iain suggested walking in to Coire a' Ghreadaidh and bagging both tops from An Dorus which is what we did.
Today was rather colder than previous days but we still got some sunshine through the gaps in the clouds and also some great views as well. On occasion we were also pelted with hail.
With hindsight, it was as well we had not attempted the traverse of the South Ridge of Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh as the rocks were being wetted from time to time by occasional showers - making a traverse of that ridge a slippery proposition.
We had avoided the tricky downclimb just above this section by moving to the west side of the ridge and returning via an easy ledge above the Eag Dubh - benefitting once again from Iains local knowledge of the ridge.
Beyond the team is a view down into the expanse of Coire Uisg beyond Loch Coruisk. Rising up to the right of the loch can be seen the outline of the famous Dubh Slabs and Sgurr Dubh Beag where one can scramble & climb for over 1000 metres - it is commonly regarded as one of the finest scrambling routes in the country.
Our final photo from this last day of our guided Cuillin Ridge Traverse Trip was taken as we descended out of Coire An Dorus into Coire a' Ghreadaidh. We arrived back at Glenbrittle Youth Hostel shortly after 3pm - an early finish indeed for a day on the Cuillin Ridge but everyone was very happy once again with what we had achieved.
Further photos taken during this final day can be viewed here.
Whilst over the course of our four days we had not succeeded in completeing a whole traverse of the ridge, however, we had succeeded in reaching the summits of all eleven Munros by some exhilarating and interesting routes including scrambling from grades I to III and rock climbing to Diff standard as well as a number of abseils.
Probably a high point for everyone had been being able to do the famous In Pinn traverse, but just being able to spend a week in these awe inspiring mountains guided by a knowledgeable and experienced Mountaineering Instructor had been a truly great experience for all concerned.
Kendal Mountaineering Services hopes to be able to offer our bi-annual guided Cuillin Ridge Traverse Trips again in 2013. The cottage is already booked for May 11th - 18th and September 7th - 14th. The price for May will certainly be £425 per person so you have time to start saving & planning if you would like to join Iain on either of those weeks. We are taking bookings now for these course dates so if you would like to book a place on one of our 2013 guided Cuillin Ridge Traverse Trips contact Iain here.
We look forward to working with you.
4 comments:
I was on this trip and have got to say that the views from Sgurr Alasdair were amazing! This is a well managed week and I would highly recommend it. Iain is very experienced which helped us keep safe but still pack in as much as possible. Both the younger and older members of the group were up to the challenge and got on great. The cottage also created a relaxed place to enjoy some cracking food! Well worth the money!
I was also on this trip and can vouch for what carl has already said. I had a fantastic week and would reccomend this trip to anyone considering doing the cuillin ridges and summits on sky. Iain knowledge and experience was vital in us achieving all that we did and as the elder statesman of the group would say that we got on really well as a group.
I went along on this trip too, safe to say it was a spectacular week. We were blessed with some really good weather later on in the days which resulted in some impressive views that we were guided to by Iain's thorough knowledge of the ridge. The layout of the week, staying in a cottage, made the fact that you didn't know each other much more relaxed, the evenings spent in the pub helped as well. I would definitely recommend this week to everyone!
I went on this trip as well and it safe to say it was a spectacular week. We were blessed with good weather to wards the end of the days which resulted in seeing some impressive views that we managed to get a lot of as Iain guided us to the top of all 11 monros. The layout of the week, staying in a cottage, made it easier to bond and socialise, especially with the trips to the pub. Overall an extremely enjoyable week, definitely recommend it to everyone.
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