Cuillin Ridge Traverse I Cuillin Scrambling & Climbing
The Cuillin Ridge on the Isle of Skye holds world-class scrambling and rock climbing; it really is a 'must visit' place for any budding mountaineer. There is such a huge range of climbs and scrambles available there is no surprise there are numerous guidebooks describing the variety of routes and days out on offer.
A traverse of the Cuillin Ridge is on the bucket-list of countless mountaineers, and it is quite rightly regarded as one of the greatest mountaineering challenges available in the UK. A full traverse of the ridge will see an individual take on 22 rocky peaks over a 12km distance continuously. This involves scrambling across all the grades, rock climbing and abseiling. We must not forget the walk in to the ridge and the walk back to the road at the end is added to this, so for most this the Cuillin Ridge is a 2 day expedition with a bivi on the ridge, and for some a single day, lightweight push.
An infamous feature of the Cuillin Ridge is of course the Inaccessible Pinnacle, a Munro which must be rock climbed to get to the top of. This feature makes a worthy day in itself, as do many other sections of the ridge in isolation.
Whether you fancy a day trip scrambling or climbing on the Cuillin Ridge, a single day attempt at the traverse or a 2 day expedition our mountaineering instructors can make it happen. What's more is we can help you get to the level required to complete the traverse by helping you progressively work through other mountaineering and fitness goals.
Waking up on the Cuillin Ridge - You could be lucky enough to experience this on a 2 day traverse attempt
Cuillin Ridge Traverse
A successful traverse of the Cuillin Ridge is likely to only happen for fit and competent mountaineers but with some goal setting it is certainly an achievable dream for most. Some main principles we'd recommend to guide you to success are:
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Get in touch with us to chat through your current levels of experience and fitness. If needs be, book a day of climbing or Grade 3 scrambling here in the Lake District so our guide can make a practical appraisal of your abilities.
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Plan in a trip to the Cuillin before your Traverse attempt to 'get a feel' for the place, and to appreciate the scale of the challenge.
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The longer you can plan in (and budget) for your traverse the greater your chance of success.
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A 1:1 traverse lends itself to a greater chance of success. If you want to do it as a pair pick your partner wisely. A difference in ability is likely to hinder success. Groups larger than 2 will require additional guides.
Prices & Conditions of a Traverse Attempt
All prices are on the basis of up to 2 people.
As a minimum a traverse attempt requires 3 days and undertaking members must be known to us from previous and similar days out.
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3 Day Window - £900
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4 Day Window - £1150
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5 Day Window - £1350
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6 Day Window - £1600
No time with us is wasted, whether that be waiting for a weather window or if the traverse can be completed towards the start of your window. Alternative climbs or scrambles will be completed to suit the weather. The weather could be suitable for individual days but not a successful traverse. No refunds will be given if a traverse is not attempted within your window, and for this reason we recommend taking out Cancellation and Curtailment Travel Insurance to cover the event of a 'no go'.
Equipment & Food Requirements
All our attempts involve a bivouac on the ridge. In some circumstances where appropriate the plan may be to bivouac at the start of the ridge and in the morning the camping kit is left behind and an 'All or Nothing' single push attempt is undertaken. A more likely scenario is to aim for the midway point on day one, finishing the ridge on day 2. This is the more likely scenario but skill, fitness and weather will all dictate.
LMG will / can provide all technical equipment however it is your responsibility to obtain equipment needed for the bivouac and the food required for the duration. Some bivouac kit is available to hire from us and full guidance in the form of a kit list will be provided upon enquiry or booking.
Climbing & Scrambling on the Isle of Skye
Climbing the Inaccessible Pinnacle, scrambling Pinnacle Ridge or enjoying some sea cliff climbing are all amazing adventure options on this fine island. The weather will be the biggest dictator as to what will be the finest objective for any given day, but if you've got something in mind then I'm sure we can help make it happen.
For those who would like to complete a full traverse of the ridge we highly recommend splitting it into four individual days as part of your training. This is an excellent way to get to know exactly what the ridge demands of you, and to have fun of course!
Due to our locality we can only run programmes of 2 days or more. Our prices for individual days are as follows. This is for up to two:
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2 Days - 1/2 People £550 3/4 People £650
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3 Days - 1/2 People £850 3/4 People 950
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4 Days - 1/2 People £1100 3/4 People £1300
Why Chose LMG as your guides for Skye?
Yes we're a Lake District based company but we have a very experienced group of instructors from all over the UK. We've hopefully portrayed the demands of the Cuillin Ridge and it is of course essential your guide has extensive experience of the ridge, along with the appropriate qualifications to help you enjoy your time and maximise success.
There is quite a high chance our resident Mountaineering Instructor James Gibson will be your guide on Skye. He has hundreds of hours on the Cuillin ridge 'under his belt', including summer and winter traverses. Come and get to know him in the Lake District beforehand and you'll see why he'd be excellent company on your Cuillin adventure.