Page 26 - 1995 AMA Autumn

It was late May and the forecast was good. Skye was destined to be at its best and could not be missed. Ali, my wife, and I had planned to get up to Skye sometime in the spring, regardless of the weather, and at the very least capture some of the atmosphere of the island, while it was still an island!
W ith BBC assurances of a gleaming Saturday we set off, through the rain, for the ‘New Inn' in Carbost. for an entry in the ‘Good Pub Guide' it was surprisingly unsurprising; neat, tidy and functional with good ale and the Talisker distillery as the next door neighbour!
‘Knight’s Peak’. Some abseiled to the left and some to the right. We headed to the right and with the security of a sixteen foot sling I lowered Ali to the ground down half a rope length, on a not par­ ticularly comfortable Thompson knot!
(Improvised rope harness). I abseiled on an Italian Hitch into the snowy bealach leav­ ing the queues to grow behind us.
The initial pitch from the bealach was awkward to say the least; sloping ledges and a short, steep corner. I reached a large ledge and Ali came up only after a Fort William mountain instruc­ tor sporting great looking alpine glasses and a Colgate smile steamed past. In his wake and an obvious burden were two exhausted looking clients blowing steam from
We were up as early as could
be expected for a Saturday
morning and after a hearty,
full fat, cholesterol frenzy we
packed. The Cuillins were
cloudless and beckoning.
Our objective for the day was
the Pinnacle Ridge of Sgurr nan Gillean. first climbed in 1880 by the Pilkington brothers the ridge gives a good solid days moun­ taineering. The ridge is justifiably one of the most popular outings in Skye. Climbing rarely exceeds ‘Difficult’ although this grade appears out dated in one or two places. The Ridge contains four main pinnacles with the su mmit of Sgurr Nan Gillean being the fifth and final top.
We set off from the Sligachan Hotel at a respectable time, (the Victorians would have approved). The walk in was in clear, cool and midge free; although the earth was only days away from releas­ ing its airborne infestation, and we were to be honoured by its absence. There was still a considerable amount of snow in the high corries and with our traditional approach, (no harnesses or guide­ book) I began to question my wisdom. The fact that Ali had ‘Lowe Powerstretch’and not a long flowing dress put us one step ahead of the Victorians. Also the weather for the Pilkingtons in 1880 could not have been much better.
We arrived at the base of the ridge to the sound of snapping gates, clipping helmet straps and rattling racks. We all seemed to set off at the same time and in the same direction, them probably know­ ing where they were going and me guessing. We made it onto the rtdge via a damp and chilly chock stoned gully. In stark contrast the ridge was bathed in late morning sunshine and the clear air revealed northern Skye and the outer Hebridies.
Apparently until the top of the third pinnacle the route is Tittle more than a walk’. Does this therefore mean that it does not involve hands? What is the difference between an easy walk and an ‘easy’ rock climb? ... answers on a postcard. It was easy but most definitely not a walk, very enjoyable and sometimes exposed scrambling. Shortly before the top of the third pinnacle a narrow icy gully barred the way. Several last members of groups now looked worried and became separated from their friends. Much shouting and message passing almost clarified things! The gully was a slippery affair requiring a conscious lack of ethics. I belayed at the top and brought Ali up. The next hurdle was a descent ofthe
24
ARMY MOUNTAINEER
The ^ ull,n in June.
their ears and probably most other orifices. To gain the top ofnum­ ber four required the axe and cramponless ascent of a rather fine and crusty snow filled gully. Reasonable steps in the snow made things easier although yet another orphaned ‘climber’, (I hasten to use that term), had to be negotiated. Once I was belayed both clove hitched Tost soul’ and Ali made their way up. The descent into the next bealach before the final push whilst being exposed and cov­ ered by plenty of soggy snow was straight forward.
On looking up at the final section of the ridge it became fairly obvious that we had met our match. The climb to the summit was regularly shedding large lumps of ice and was still laden with deep soggy snow; no match for summer equipped mountaineers with minimal gear. We dropped into the west facing gully and I lowered Ali down a full rope length. The slope was not steep but if you have never been asked to arrest a fall with only a rigid index finger now was perhaps not the best time to learn. As I climbed off the bealay with a group above and below me the not unexpected, (sorry about the split infinitive), cry of “below’ rang out. I dodged the rock which struck a rather large, unhelmeted and very bald head. To my relief the rock on its erratic and unpredictable journey down the snow slope kindly chose not to pick off Ali for seconds.
Once on terra firma we joined the tourist route up the south west ridge. Although it was disappointing not to finish up the Pinnacle Ridge the summit views erased any feelings of dissatisfaction. The skies had remained clear all day with no breeze, a perfect spring day. The eye could wander from the Old Man of Storr to the north, to the Outer Isles and from Lochaber to Wester Ross. No photo­ graph or video can capture such views, its almost worth not both­ ering with them in the first place.
As we packed to leave the su mmit having exhausted our ‘vast’food supplies a Berghaus Goretex jacket revealed itself looking dejected and abandoned. With no one else on the summit it was helped into my rucksack and escorted off the mountain. I hope the owner reads “High” magazine. The descent down the south west ridge was pleasant scrambling then the path swung north and led us