Climbers say that the Cuillin Ridge traverse is the most challenging mountaineering journey in the United Kingdom. Also known as the Black Cuillin Ridge, this ridge is not easily conquered. Located on the Isle of Skye in Western Scotland, the elevation of these peaks is modest but don’t be fooled! You'll be running low on calories up there. There are few mountains in the world to match the Cuillin for rough rock and tough scrambling. The whole traverse is 12km long with 3000m of ascent, and crosses 11 peaks over 914m or 3000ft along with difficult route finding, rock climbs and unremitting exposure. Many climbers think it's wise to use a local guide for this expedition.
The Cuillin mountains offer hundreds of fantastic mountaineering routes in a stunning island setting.Volcanic Gabbro, a very rough black igneous rock, provides a superb grip for climbers, but there are also bands of lava and basalt, which, on the other hand, can be very slippery when wet. The first continuous traverse of the Cuillin Ridge was made in 1911 by two local mountaineers Leslie Shabolt and Alastair McLaren and since then the ridge has become a Mecca for climbers, scramblers and walkers alike.
Cuillin Traverse - The TD (IV+) the hardest pitch on the Ridge
November 4, 2023 – Val Verzasca, Switzerland – The Verzasca Dam, an engineering marvel nestled in the picturesque Val Verzasca of Switzerland that stands 220 meters tall, became the stage for the climbing elite. Red Bull Dual Ascent, now in its
second edition, attracted 24 of the world's best…
Cuillin Traverse - grade IV rock on the Bhasteir Tooth
Cuillin Traverse - Sgurr nan Gillean - the final peak
One of the mountain guiding businesses of the area, Moran Mountain Ltd, has a 30 year tradition in providing an adventurous programme of guiding and courses and is run by the experienced and dedicated IFMGA mountain guide Martin Moran. Martin is well-known as the first person to complete a round of all 280 Munros in a single winter and at one time held the record for running across the Cuillin Traverse in a time 3hr 33min. We got in touch with Martin to find out what's on offer:
"Our philosophy is to enable our customers to confront and master the mountains by their own skills and efforts. We have always chosen remote and beautiful mountain ranges for our expeditions. The North-West Highlands are the perfect mountains to have as our “home ground” – wild, beautiful and subject to turbulent weather. Our winter courses explore the ice gullies, ridges and buttresses of the Torridon peaks. We rarely see other climbers from one week to the next. That means we must break the trail and make all decisions ourselves. Our students can learn self-reliance and gain confidence to be out on their own."
Martin Moran
"In spring we tackle the rock peaks of the Cuillin Ridge on the Island of Skye, which are just an hour away from our base in Strathcarron. The traverse of the Cuillin Ridge takes 18 hours, often with a bivouac, and is the finest mountaineering challenge in the British mountains – harder than the Matterhorn and comparable a long alpine ridge but perched directly above the sea.”
Apart from the Cuillin Ridge, Martin and his guides also take rock climbers out to climb the famous sea stacks around the coast of northern Scotland, including the 135 metre-high Old Man of Hoy, a world-famous climb televised on several occasions.
The Old Man of Hoy
In addition to the local climbs, the courses in Scotland feed directly into the ice climbing season in Western Norway, trips to the peaks of Arctic Norway and to our Himalayan expeditions in India. Many of Martin's clients begin their career with them in Scotland and progress to making pioneering Himalayan ascents on 6000 metre peaks.
If you like what Martin and co have to offer, visit their website for more.
Adam Ondra dominated the bouldering scene again and won a gold medal in the second World Cup competition in Salt Lake City. He took second place in the qualification and proceeded to the finals from the same position. This time, he was surprised by the victory and admits that a little luck was…
Adam Ondra completed today's finals in Meiringen, Switzerland, and won a gold medal in the first competition of this year's World Cup. He kept first place in bouldering continuously from the qualification until the very exciting finals. He was satisfied with his excellent form and appreciated a…
