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Sgùrr Dearg

Sgùrr Dearg (Scottish Gaelic for 'red rocky peak') is a mountain in the Cuillin on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. It is topped by the Inaccessible Pinnacle (or An Stac in Gaelic),[2] a fin of rock measuring 50 metres (160 ft) along its longest edge. The top of the Pinnacle stands at 985.8 m (3,234 ft) above sea level, making Sgùrr Dearg the only Munro with a peak that can only be reached by rock climbing. This makes it the biggest hurdle for many Munro baggers.

Sgùrr Dearg
Sgùrr Dearg and the Inaccessible Pinnacle
Highest point
Elevation985.8 m (3,234 ft)[1]
Prominence187 m (614 ft)
Parent peakSgùrr Alasdair
ListingMunro, Marilyn
Naming
English translationred rocky peak
Language of nameGaelic
PronunciationScottish Gaelic: [ˈs̪kuːrˠ ˈtʲɛɾɛk]
Geography
LocationSkye, Scotland
Parent rangeCuillin
OS gridNG444215
Topo mapOS Landranger 32
Climbing
First ascent1880, by Charles and Lawrence Pilkington
Easiest routerock climb (Moderate)

First climbed by Charles and Lawrence Pilkington in 1880, the Pinnacle was never climbed by Sir Hugh Munro himself. Because of its status as the most difficult of the Munros it has now spawned a cottage industry for the local guides, who are often seen escorting parties of novice climbers. Unlike much of the Cuillin, the pinnacle is basalt, not gabbro, and thus is somewhat slippery in the wet.

Geography edit

Sgùrr Dearg lies on the main Cuillin ridge at the junction of Coire Lagan, Coire na Banachdich and Coir'-uisg. It is the second highest peak in the Cuillin, and faces the highest, Sgùrr Alasdair, across Coire Lagan.

Although the name Sgùrr Dearg refers to the mountain as a whole, references to the "summit" of Sgùrr Dearg are, unless otherwise qualified, generally taken to indicate the 978-metre (3,209 ft) top immediately below the Inaccessible Pinnacle on the north-western side.[3] For reasons that remain unclear, this summit was listed as a Munro in the first (1891) edition of Munro's Tables, while the higher Pinnacle was listed as a subsidiary top; this situation was reversed in the first revision of the tables in 1921.[4]

Ascents edit

 
The Inaccessible Pinnacle, taken from near the (lower) top of Sgùrr Dearg

Approach edit

While the Inaccessible Pinnacle is the hardest of the Cuillin's summits to reach, the approach to its base is relatively simple by Cuillin standards. Most walkers and climbers start from Glen Brittle, from where the easiest route involves following the faint path to the Bealach Coire na Banachdich via the corrie of the same name; from here the top of Sgùrr Dearg may be gained via a tedious scree slope interspersed with some easy scrambling. A more interesting ascent may be achieved by ascending the screes of Sron Dearg, which leads to Sgùrr Dearg's narrow and rocky south-west ridge, a grade 1/2 scramble.

Many climbers tackle the mountain as part of a circuit of the Coire Lagan skyline, or a traverse of the main Cuillin ridge, approaching it along the ridge from Sgùrr MhicChoinnich to the south-east (Grade 2). In this case the top of Sgùrr Dearg can be reached direct by scrambling up the broad flank to the left of An Stac and the Inaccessible Pinnacle.

The Inaccessible Pinnacle edit

The Inaccessible Pinnacle (An Stac in Gaelic), colloquially called the 'In Pin' or 'In Pinn' by mountaineers, was first climbed in 1880 by a pair of Lancashire brothers, Charles and Lawrence Pilkington. They were guided to the foot of the climb from Sligachan via Coruisk and Bealach Coire na Banachdich by a local shepherd called John Mackenzie. They climbed it by the east ridge, and had to throw down a lot of loose rock as they climbed.[5]

The usual ascent of the Inaccessible Pinnacle itself is by its long east ridge, a climb of 50 m (160 ft) vertically involving two roped 30 m (98 ft) pitches. Although graded Moderate (the lowest grade now in use in the British grading system), with good holds, the ridge is narrow and exceptionally exposed. This route was described by an early climber as "a knife-edged ridge, with an overhanging and infinite drop on one side, and a drop on the other side even steeper and longer".[6] Some climbers prefer to tackle the much shorter west ridge (20 m (66 ft)), graded Very Difficult. It is usual to descend from the summit of the Pinnacle by abseiling off the west end, and a permanent anchor is sited on the summit for this purpose.

In 2014 cyclist Danny MacAskill climbed Sgùrr Dearg without safety ropes, while carrying a mountain bike on his back.[7] The video was viewed over 14 million times in the week following its launch on 2 October 2014[8] and has been watched over 79.5 million times (as of July 2023).

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ "Inaccessible Pinnacle (Sgùrr Dearg)". Hill Bagging - the online version of the Database of British and Irish Hills (DoBIH). 2019. from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  2. ^ "The Inaccessible Pinnacle". Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba: Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland.
  3. ^ For example, Noel Williams states that the Pinnacle "outstrips Sgùrr Dearg by 8 m and must therefore be regarded as the true summit of the mountain". Skye Scrambles, p. 163.
  4. ^ The Munros and Tops 1891-1997. 2018-08-05 at the Wayback Machine Spreadsheet with details of revisions to Munro's Tables.
  5. ^ Williams, Noel. Skye Scrambles. Scottish Mountaineering Trust, 2000, pp.32-33
  6. ^ Quoted in Murray, W.H. (1997) [1947]. Mountaineering in Scotland. Baton Wicks. ISBN 1-898573-23-9.
  7. ^ Swarbrick, Susan (5 October 2014). "TV: Virtuoso cyclist Danny MacAskill's Riding the Ridge". The Herald.
  8. ^ "Danny Macaskill: The Ridge". YouTube.

References edit

Williams, Noel (2000). Skye Scrambles. Scottish Mountaineering Trust. ISBN 0-907521-55-X.

External links edit

  • Sgùrr Dearg & In Pinn - details of route of ascent including free downloadable OS map.
  • "Seachd - The Inaccessible Pinnacle" - official site of the film, featuring the mountain

57°12′46″N 6°14′05″W / 57.21270°N 6.23484°W / 57.21270; -6.23484

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Sgurr Dearg Scottish Gaelic for red rocky peak is a mountain in the Cuillin on the Isle of Skye Scotland It is topped by the Inaccessible Pinnacle or An Stac in Gaelic 2 a fin of rock measuring 50 metres 160 ft along its longest edge The top of the Pinnacle stands at 985 8 m 3 234 ft above sea level making Sgurr Dearg the only Munro with a peak that can only be reached by rock climbing This makes it the biggest hurdle for many Munro baggers Sgurr DeargSgurr Dearg and the Inaccessible PinnacleHighest pointElevation985 8 m 3 234 ft 1 Prominence187 m 614 ft Parent peakSgurr AlasdairListingMunro MarilynNamingEnglish translationred rocky peakLanguage of nameGaelicPronunciationScottish Gaelic ˈs kuːrˠ ˈtʲɛɾɛk GeographyLocationSkye ScotlandParent rangeCuillinOS gridNG444215Topo mapOS Landranger 32ClimbingFirst ascent1880 by Charles and Lawrence PilkingtonEasiest routerock climb Moderate First climbed by Charles and Lawrence Pilkington in 1880 the Pinnacle was never climbed by Sir Hugh Munro himself Because of its status as the most difficult of the Munros it has now spawned a cottage industry for the local guides who are often seen escorting parties of novice climbers Unlike much of the Cuillin the pinnacle is basalt not gabbro and thus is somewhat slippery in the wet Contents 1 Geography 2 Ascents 2 1 Approach 2 2 The Inaccessible Pinnacle 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksGeography editSgurr Dearg lies on the main Cuillin ridge at the junction of Coire Lagan Coire na Banachdich and Coir uisg It is the second highest peak in the Cuillin and faces the highest Sgurr Alasdair across Coire Lagan Although the name Sgurr Dearg refers to the mountain as a whole references to the summit of Sgurr Dearg are unless otherwise qualified generally taken to indicate the 978 metre 3 209 ft top immediately below the Inaccessible Pinnacle on the north western side 3 For reasons that remain unclear this summit was listed as a Munro in the first 1891 edition of Munro s Tables while the higher Pinnacle was listed as a subsidiary top this situation was reversed in the first revision of the tables in 1921 4 Ascents edit nbsp The Inaccessible Pinnacle taken from near the lower top of Sgurr DeargApproach edit While the Inaccessible Pinnacle is the hardest of the Cuillin s summits to reach the approach to its base is relatively simple by Cuillin standards Most walkers and climbers start from Glen Brittle from where the easiest route involves following the faint path to the Bealach Coire na Banachdich via the corrie of the same name from here the top of Sgurr Dearg may be gained via a tedious scree slope interspersed with some easy scrambling A more interesting ascent may be achieved by ascending the screes of Sron Dearg which leads to Sgurr Dearg s narrow and rocky south west ridge a grade 1 2 scramble Many climbers tackle the mountain as part of a circuit of the Coire Lagan skyline or a traverse of the main Cuillin ridge approaching it along the ridge from Sgurr MhicChoinnich to the south east Grade 2 In this case the top of Sgurr Dearg can be reached direct by scrambling up the broad flank to the left of An Stac and the Inaccessible Pinnacle The Inaccessible Pinnacle edit The Inaccessible Pinnacle An Stac in Gaelic colloquially called the In Pin or In Pinn by mountaineers was first climbed in 1880 by a pair of Lancashire brothers Charles and Lawrence Pilkington They were guided to the foot of the climb from Sligachan via Coruisk and Bealach Coire na Banachdich by a local shepherd called John Mackenzie They climbed it by the east ridge and had to throw down a lot of loose rock as they climbed 5 The usual ascent of the Inaccessible Pinnacle itself is by its long east ridge a climb of 50 m 160 ft vertically involving two roped 30 m 98 ft pitches Although graded Moderate the lowest grade now in use in the British grading system with good holds the ridge is narrow and exceptionally exposed This route was described by an early climber as a knife edged ridge with an overhanging and infinite drop on one side and a drop on the other side even steeper and longer 6 Some climbers prefer to tackle the much shorter west ridge 20 m 66 ft graded Very Difficult It is usual to descend from the summit of the Pinnacle by abseiling off the west end and a permanent anchor is sited on the summit for this purpose In 2014 cyclist Danny MacAskill climbed Sgurr Dearg without safety ropes while carrying a mountain bike on his back 7 The video was viewed over 14 million times in the week following its launch on 2 October 2014 8 and has been watched over 79 5 million times as of July 2023 See also editSeachd The Inaccessible PinnacleNotes edit Inaccessible Pinnacle Sgurr Dearg Hill Bagging the online version of the Database of British and Irish Hills DoBIH 2019 Archived from the original on 1 October 2020 Retrieved 19 June 2019 The Inaccessible Pinnacle Ainmean Aite na h Alba Gaelic Place Names of Scotland For example Noel Williams states that the Pinnacle outstrips Sgurr Dearg by 8 m and must therefore be regarded as the true summit of the mountain Skye Scrambles p 163 The Munros and Tops 1891 1997 Archived 2018 08 05 at the Wayback Machine Spreadsheet with details of revisions to Munro s Tables Williams Noel Skye Scrambles Scottish Mountaineering Trust 2000 pp 32 33 Quoted in Murray W H 1997 1947 Mountaineering in Scotland Baton Wicks ISBN 1 898573 23 9 Swarbrick Susan 5 October 2014 TV Virtuoso cyclist Danny MacAskill s Riding the Ridge The Herald Danny Macaskill The Ridge YouTube References editWilliams Noel 2000 Skye Scrambles Scottish Mountaineering Trust ISBN 0 907521 55 X External links editSgurr Dearg amp In Pinn details of route of ascent including free downloadable OS map Seachd The Inaccessible Pinnacle official site of the film featuring the mountain 57 12 46 N 6 14 05 W 57 21270 N 6 23484 W 57 21270 6 23484 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sgurr Dearg amp oldid 1167717310, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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