Sgurr nan Gillean, Am Bhasteir and Bruach na Firthe, September 2022
Club Member, Brian Kermath recounts his day on the Skye Cuillin with fellow club members, Wendell Martin and Stuart Kennedy.
The previous weekend, Wendell had sent me the following email regarding our upcoming trip to Skye: “Hi Brian. Long range forecast is really good. Hope it stays that way. So Friday I was hoping to do Bruach na Frithe 958M. I’m sure it will be a short walk. If the weather is favourable, we could do it in a reasonable time.”
By midweek, Stuart had been in touch, and after I had relayed Wendell’s plan for Friday, he promptly came back with the following suggestion: “Pinnacle Ridge to Sgurr nan Gillean then on to Am Bhasteir, abb off the tooth and then on to Bruach na Firthe sounds like a more interesting way to get up Bruach na Frithe…You should suggest the new plan to Wendell (smiley face emoji)”
He followed this up with another email: “I did this route in 2016 with two relative novices. There are 3 or 4 abseils from memory, possibly 5 if you don’t fancy the short down climb on the way to the summit of Am Bhastier.”
Now, at this point in proceedings, my knowledge of the Cuillin Ridge was practically nil. Of course, I had seen photos of the ridge and had listened to many people talking about it, but I had only once previously been up there. That excursion had quickly been abandoned due to being unable to see more than a few metres or so in front of my nose courtesy of the mist. I came away from that trip without a proper appreciation for the scale of the ridge - yes, it was steep, and the terrain was trickier than most hills I had ascended in the past – but that was about it. Therefore, I didn’t give any further thought to Stuart’s ‘new plan’ but, instead, duly emailed Wendell, suggesting this ‘more interesting way to get up Bruach na Frithe’. Wendell approved – job done!
So, yes, I was oblivious to what lay ahead as I stood admiring the views from the layby. I was relaxed and looking forward to the day ahead. Thinking back, Wendell’s serious demeanour as he got his gear ready should have been a warning sign. But it didn’t even register. The fact I was asked to stuff a climbing harness and various other bits of climbing kit into my rucksack, and to take a helmet, should have started alarms bells ringing – possibly even brought on a little bit of anxiety. Nope, I just did as I was asked without question or feeling.
Motoring along the good path that winds its way in a southerly direction from the roadside, we soon gained height. Pinnacle Ridge and Am Basteir towered above us. Coire a’ Bhasteir opened up, showing off its dramatic cliffs, rockfalls and scree slopes. It felt like the Cuillin hills were drawing us in to their clutches.
Colourful ant-size figures moved about slowly near the bottom of the route up to Pinnacle Ridge, lending scale to the task ahead of us. It turned out these figures were members of the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club.
Harnesses and helmets were fitted, and climbing gear sorted through. The scrambling was about to begin. Looking up as Wendell and Stuart got themselves ready, I suddenly appreciated that I was about to experience a significant degree of danger. If it hadn’t been for the fact that there was a group ahead of us on the route, I think I may have questioned Stuart and Wendell’s sanity. Neither of them seemed phased or concerned. Both are experienced climbers and I did actually trust their judgement.
Stuart led the way, Wendell following, and myself bringing up the rear. Despite the obvious danger, it was great fun. Certainly, this was the most serious scrambling I had ever attempted but the rock offered excellent grip, which boosted my confidence. Soon we were over the first pinnacle, then the second before passing the group from the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club as they made their way up the third pinnacle. Stuart seemed to be in a hurry to get past the ladies and it was only when we reached the top of the third pinnacle that I realised why – you need to abseil off the third pinnacle to be able to continue on to Sgurr nan Gillean, and Stuart was determined not to get stuck in a queue.
Roped-up, Stuart dropped over the edge, disappearing from view. It seemed to take an age for him to shout up to us that he was ready for me to abseil down but it was actually only a few minutes. Wendell made sure I was safely attached to the rope, whilst several pairs of eyes looked on. I was nervous. I didn’t want fear to show through and did my best to at least look confident. Standing on the edge, I peered down at Stuart – it definitely seemed a long way down. I leaned back slightly then started to descend. Bumping my way down, I came face-to-face with the rock on more than one occasion. I am not sure what was going through Stuart’s mind at this point but I am certain it was not this – ‘I’m impressed, Brian actually has excellent abseiling technique’. But at least I got down in one piece. Wendell was next on the rope and made it look so easy.
After ascending a short exposed ramp below Knight’s Peak, we stopped to consider the route ahead. It is now my understanding that, at this point, the normal route is to go up and over Knight’s Peak, but we ended up on a not very well trodden and extremely narrow by-pass path that skirts round Knight’s Peak. There was no room for error as we teetered along the path, trying to ignore the precipitous drop to our right. I found it exhilarating – Wendell’s face told a different story.
Reaching the gap in the ridge between Knight’s Peak and Sgurr nan Gillean, Stuart ascended what he referred to as ‘technical ground’, before setting up a rope for Wendell and I, to assist with our ascent of this section. It was then a shortish scramble up to the summit of Sgurr nan Gillean. We stopped for a bite to eat and to take in the views. The weather was beginning to deteriorate. The cloud base dropped down to envelope the highest tops and a light drizzle started. Wendell pointed out the route ahead to Am Basteir.
The drizzle turned to rain as we made our way down from Sgurr nan Gillean and along the West Ridge. Like much of the route thus far, there was a considerable degree of exposure, and the now wet rock had to be treated with care and respect. There was no conversation as we concentrated on where we placed both our hands and feet. Stuart, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped – we had reached our second abseil point. Stuart set up the rope, abseiled down and shouted for me to go next. Wendell offered some tips on technique as I got myself ready. I set off, determined to improve on my previous abseil. Wendell came down next. Unclipping himself from the rope, Wendell turned to me with a cheeky smile on his face and commented on the sight of my white knuckles as I had abseiled down. More practice required!
It was at this point that Stuart uttered the phrase ‘Bad Step’ – to me, a phrase that normally gives rise to a rush of adrenaline and a slight feeling of fear. The ‘short down climb’ referred to in his email earlier in the week had somehow morphed into a ‘Bad Step’. Reaching this point on ridge, I could immediately see the problem. Thankfully we had a rope, and were able to get ourselves past this obstacle and onto the final slippery slopes of Am Basteir.
I am sure Am Basteir is a fantastic viewpoint on a clear day, but today there was a 360 degree wall of whiteness.
A discussion ensued between Wendell and Stuart as to how get down off this summit. Decision made, Stuart once again set up the rope and we made our way down to the final abseil of the day. Getting to this abseil involved dropping through a gap between rocks, squeezing through a narrow tunnel and popping out into a cave-like hole in the rock face. This was to be the longest and, for me, the trickiest abseil of the day. Undoubtedly, the whites of my knuckles will have been on show but I didn’t bother to ask Wendell when he joined us at the bottom – the grin on his face as he turned to me said it all!
A short walk and we were on the summit of Bruach na Frithe, but again there was no view. We didn’t hang about.
Descending the north-west ridge of Bruach na Frithe, we eventually came out from the cloud and the views opened up. It became warmer as we made our way down the ridge so we stopped to remove some layers of clothing. It was at this point that, having escaped his clutches, Wendell’s rucksack decided it was time to make a bid for freedom. Initially, its pace was leisurely, but the steepening slope helped speed things up. Wendell eyed his bag disbelievingly; Stuart set off in pursuit; I got out my camera to capture the event on video; the rucksack just kept going.
Stuart’s attempt at stopping the bag was ultimately futile. Only an immovable object was going to bring the escape attempt to a premature end. Luckily, Wendell had closed his rucksack just before it had set off in motion, so no kit was left strewn over the hillside.
The bag lost momentum as the slope eased and eventually came to a halt. Once it was established that no damage had been done, I felt safe enough to burst out laughing. The video clip is hilarious and I’ve sent off a copy to Harry Hill at ‘Freepost: You’ve Been Framed” – I’m now just waiting for the £100 cheque to arrive!
It was a long walk back to the roadside. For me, it had been a fantastic and memorable day.
Brian Kermath