Orion M.C.

Craig and I went to Skye on Thursday evening. After heavy rain overnight the Cuillin were covered in mist on Friday morning it didn't look like it was going to be a good day. However after climbing Sgurr nan Eag we dropped into An Garbh-choire and the cloud started to lift.




After a spot of sunbathing next Loch Coruisk



we started up the Dubhs Ridge


After reaching the summit of Sgurr Dubh Beag we abseiled to the col


We then continued over Sgurr Dubh Mor and Sgurr Dubh na Da Bheinn and descended into Coir' a' Ghrunnda to return to Glen Brittle



Some more photos on Flickr

Looks like you had a good 'un Neil...I'm jealous as hell

I'll have to get myself sorted and "do the dubhs" sometime this summer.

How many hours did that take Neil

Sgurr Dubh Mor was my last Munro.Weather was pretty dull though compared to yours...

13 hours. I was still knackered on Tuesday.

I can`t even count to 13

Neil/Craig I hope your sun burn is still hurting - you did not deserve all that sun, you have have shared some with others!!

Neil in his usual modesty has not really done the day justice.
The forecast we were working on was the same one that had been around all week-pouring rain with even snow on the tops.
This obviously blew out an attempt at the Cuillin ridge traverse which I had been looking forward to.
So we set out to do the Dubhs as Neil had done everything else and I hadn't. I foolishly wasn't fully paying attention when he outlined the quickest way to get to Loch Coruisk and the base of the ridge.
We started virtually at sea level and climbed 3000 feet up Sgurr nan Eag as I'd never been up it. We then dropped 3000 feet to the shore of the loch and the sun unbelievably came out.
By the foot of the ridge we had already done 5 hours worth.
The Dubhs Ridge was absolutely brilliant and we climbed warm grippy gabbro slabs in perfect weather which got hotter and hotter as the day went on. Having set off in the cold and damp/overcast morning, I had only taken 3/4 litres of juice for the day, and we had no sun-block, sun glasses or hats. By the time we had climbed back up 3000 feet to the summit we were absolutely knackered and dehydrated. We dropped back down to Loch Coir' a' Ghrunnda and Neil drank out the outflow. The walk back down the boilerplate slabs was a little hairy as we had been walking for 12 hours by that point. We got back to the tents after 10pm and neither of us could be bothered to cook a full dinner after 7600 feet of ascent and descent and 12 miles walking. I heated up some supernoodles and was horrified to find out that they were low fat and only had about 300 calories if I eat both packs. Neil gorged himself on cous cous (150 calories) and had the sense to chop up some sausage into it.
We could barely stay awake to wait for the arrival of Gordon and Dom and as Neil says above we were knackered for the rest of the weekend.
Though the weather on the following days was atrocious, the day on the ridge easily made up for it as I had no idea it would be so spectacular. It comes recommended to anyone, but not perhaps by the method above!!