Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh
Encyclopedia
Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh is the highest summit on the northern half of the Black Cuillin
ridge. Like the rest of the range it is composed of gabbro
, a rock with excellent grip for mountaineering
.
This is one of the trickier main Black Cuillin
peaks to ascend. The simplest route ascends via the col of An Dorus (the Door), most easily reached from Glen Brittle; however, the immediate exit from An Dorus is a Grade 3 scramble and there is sustained scrambling of a lower grade on the north ridge leading to the summit. The south ridge leading towards Sgurr Thormaid is also Grade 3, with few opportunities to descend safely for some considerable distance. The mountain has two summits, separated by a knife-edged arete which is probably the finest in the British Isles. At the time of the first ascent, John Mackenzie was aged just 14. He had earlier repeated the ascent of Sgurr nan Gillean aged 10. Mackenzie became the first British mountain guide and perhaps the most prolific of the pioneers of mountaineering in the Cuillin.
Cuillin
This article is about the Cuillin of Skye. See Rùm for the Cuillin of Rùm.The Cuillin are a range of rocky mountains located on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The true Cuillin are also known as the Black Cuillin to distinguish them from the Red Hills across Glen Sligachan...
ridge. Like the rest of the range it is composed of gabbro
Gabbro
Gabbro refers to a large group of dark, coarse-grained, intrusive mafic igneous rocks chemically equivalent to basalt. The rocks are plutonic, formed when molten magma is trapped beneath the Earth's surface and cools into a crystalline mass....
, a rock with excellent grip for mountaineering
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
.
This is one of the trickier main Black Cuillin
Cuillin
This article is about the Cuillin of Skye. See Rùm for the Cuillin of Rùm.The Cuillin are a range of rocky mountains located on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The true Cuillin are also known as the Black Cuillin to distinguish them from the Red Hills across Glen Sligachan...
peaks to ascend. The simplest route ascends via the col of An Dorus (the Door), most easily reached from Glen Brittle; however, the immediate exit from An Dorus is a Grade 3 scramble and there is sustained scrambling of a lower grade on the north ridge leading to the summit. The south ridge leading towards Sgurr Thormaid is also Grade 3, with few opportunities to descend safely for some considerable distance. The mountain has two summits, separated by a knife-edged arete which is probably the finest in the British Isles. At the time of the first ascent, John Mackenzie was aged just 14. He had earlier repeated the ascent of Sgurr nan Gillean aged 10. Mackenzie became the first British mountain guide and perhaps the most prolific of the pioneers of mountaineering in the Cuillin.