CUILLIN RIDGE TRAVERSE
Well deserving of its reputation, a ridge traverse typically consists of two long, hard days (with an overnight bivi on the ridge), where sustained exposure and significant ascent/descent combine to make a magnificent challenge - and most desirable mountaineering objective in the UK.
DURATION
GROUP SIZE
1 instructor to 2 participants is possible (but a 1 instructor to 1 participant ratio has a higher success rate)
5 days
To ensure a reasonable chance of getting good weather, this course takes place over 5 days. Days not used for laying/retrieving the bivi cache or making a traverse attempt are used for other classic Skye scrambles, such as the Clach Glas - Blaven traverse, and the day after a traverse attempt is normally fairly mellow to allow for recovery!
Read our essential Guide to the Cuillin Ridge Traverse.
COST £1500
Experience required: Participants must have attended our Advanced Scrambling in Snowdonia course, OR have attended a Cuillin Ridge Munros/Classics course, OR have recent scrambling experience (Grade 2-3) in the UK.
If participants wish to do a ‘climbers traverse’, then recent trad climbing (seconding) experience up to Hard Severe is required.
When is the best time to go?
This course can run anytime May-Oct, but we recommend mid-May to mid-June, and September each year. This is to:
a) get the most stable weather and avoid the ‘lambing snows’ that can occur in late April/early May;
b) avoid the worst of the midges in mid summer; and
c) avoid the peak tourist season.
What is the normal route?
Anybody who has gone from Sgùrr nan Eag to Sgùrr nan Gillean (or vice versa!) is considered to have completed the traverse. However within a normal traverse, you still have multiple variations, including:
start (Glen Brittle or take the boat from Elgol?);
route (do you include Sgùrr Dubh Mòr or Biden Druim nan Ramh?),
what to do with bivi kit (carry it or leave a depot?).
Your guide will discuss the best options for you, given the weather and conditions.
Are 1 day traverses possible?
Yes for those who are exceptionally fit, motivated scramblers and lucky with the weather, a 1 day traverse is possible, with vehicle-to-vehicle times of approx. 15-18 hours. These courses still run over 5 days, to ensure a reasonable chance of getting a weather window.
Climbers Traverse
If participants have aspirations of a climbers traverse, and the rock is dry there are 4 commonly climbed pitches:
1) TD Gap (Severe);
2) Kings Chimney (VDiff);
3) In Pinn East Ridge (Mod); and
4) Naismith’s Route (Severe).
These grades all feel a little harder as you will be carrying a rucksack, wearing approach shoes and have just done A LOT of scrambling to get there, which is both physically and mentally taxing.
Therefore if participants wish to do a ‘climbers traverse’, then recent trad climbing (seconding) experience up to Hard Severe is required.
All these climbs can be bypassed, and only the In Pinn is a Munro. At the time of booking, your aspirations will be discussed, and your traverse will be tailored to you.
Other information
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The following are popular choices close to the Cuillin:
1) www.theoldinnskye.co.uk – a homely inn with bunkhouse attached
2) www.sligachan.co.uk - camping, bunkhouse & hotel options
3) www.dunvegancastle.com/glenbrittle/campsite - camping below the Cuillin
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Transport during the course is included if required and lift sharing is encouraged to reduce pressure on local roads and carparks, and minimise carbon footprint.
However, Skye is a big place – and a vehicle undoubtedly makes life easier to get around (fuel and electric charging points available in Broadford & Portree).
There are trains to Fort William and Kyle of Lochalsh from the South, and vehicles can be hired in both locations. Please let Summit Guides know if you need a pick up/drop off at the station in Kyle.
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Your instructor will meet you at 7pm at your accommodation on the night before your course starts, from where we will decide on a plan for the subsequent days.
For a traverse attempt, start times vary from 3am to 8am depending on whether we are walking in from Glen Brittle or taking the boat from Elgol.
For day hits on the ridge, flexibility of starting times ensures we use the best weather – so while a typical start may be 7-8.30am, it is not uncommon to start much earlier, particularly to get ahead of both incoming bad weather, or the crowds in the case of a day involving the Inaccessible Pinnacle.
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Trendall, A. Skye’s Cuillin Ridge Traverse. Cicerone Press, 2020.
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CUILLIN RIDGE TRAVERSE
Traverse the Cuillin Ridge - the most desirable mountaineering objective in the UK.
