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Countless years and ice ages have eroded the hills of Lochaber
to their present rough and craggy shapes. The ancient rocks are
especially appealing to the rock climber. Granite, gabbro, schist,
rhyolite, andesite, limestone, quartzite and gneiss are all available
making for a huge variety of venues and styles of climb. Bouldering,
roadside crags, mountain routes and Alpine scale climbs are all
found in Lochaber.
There is a very strong tradition of naturally protected climbs.
Only one crag in Lochaber offers sports routes, Creag a’Bhancair
in Glen Coe. Here you’ll find a few, hard, bolted climbs
starting at F7b. The crag is a great evening venue and stays dry
in all but the heaviest rain. All other climbs rely on leader placed
protection demanding a high level of experience and competence.
Full details of climbs are found in the many guide books to the
area. There are also Mountain Guides and Instructors who can show
you the best routes and coach you in all the skills you need to
climb them.
Glen Nevis
The many mica-schist buttresses scattered
in amongst the trees that go to make up Polldubh in Glen Nevis
provide Scotland’s
best roadside cragging. All the buttresses offer slabby south facing
front faces and steep left sides. The rock, although very slick
when wet, dries out extremely quickly and is lovely to climb on
with generally good protection. The closer buttresses to the road
are the most popular but don’t necessarily have the best
climbing. Search out the higher crags and you’ll find fewer
people and better views.
Suggested routes
• The Gutter (Difficult) – a superb
introductory route
• Flying Dutchman (Severe) – brilliant, exposed climbing
• Secretaries’ Direct (Severe) – delightful slab climbing
on quartz holds
• Resurrection (VS 4c) – a Polldubh classic
• Storm (HVS) – exciting positions and well protected climbing
• Travellin’ Man (E2 5c) – perfect rock and an outstanding
climb
• Edgehog (E3 5c) – the best arête in the area
Ben Nevis
Although not as well known as a summer climbing venue
as it is in winter, Ben Nevis is home to some of the best mountain
rock
climbs in the country. The great ridges – Castle Ridge (Moderate),
Tower Ridge (Difficult), Observatory Ridge (V Diff) and North East
Buttress (V Diff) – are renowned classics of Alpine scale
and grandeur. Carn Dearg Buttress, at 250m high, is of a similar
scale and is home to a surprisingly wide spectrum of standards
of climb. Given several days of dry weather the climbs are second
to none.
Suggested routes
• Route II Direct (Severe) – amenable
climbing in awesome surroundings
• The Long Climb (VS) –a definite mountain route that finishes
on the summit
• Centurion (HVS 5a) – the great corner of Carn Dearg Buttress
• Minus One Direct (E1 5b) – the magnificent rib on the Minus
Face
• Torro (E2 5b) – stunning climbing with a real stinger of
a last pitch
• The Bat (E2 5b) – the classic corner, strenuous and exposed
• Titan’s Wall (E3 5c) – strenuous and sustained climbing
Buachaille Etive Mor
Dominating the heads of Glen Coe and Glen
Etive and looking out over Rannoch Moor, “The Buachaille” is
home to a vast array of brilliant climbs at all grades. Some of
the best climbing
in Scotland is found here in a unique sense of space and grandeur.
Deep chasms, sun drenched slabs, intimidating walls and fine ridges
are all found on the one hill. The rock is volcanic rhyolite which
in places has fractured along sharp corners offering positive edges
and ledges to the climber. Such good holds make climbs possible
in the wet up to quite respectable grades but when Slime Wall dries
out there are few more dramatic places to climb extreme routes.
Suggested routes
• Agag’s Groove (V Diff) – superb
corner climbing in ever more exposed positions
• Crowberry Ridge Direct Route (Severe) – a fine historical
climb
• Grooved Arete (VS 4b) – fantastic open grooves and corners
• May Crack (VS 5a) – short but very good
• Bludger’s Revelation (HVS 5a) – complex and superb
climbing
• Shibboleth (E2 5c) – an intimidating and prestigious classic
Glen Coe
Glen Coe is world renowned for its high standard mountain
rock climbing but there are excellent climbs of all grades to be
found
here. All the crags are on the south side of the glen on the hills
around Bidean nam Bian and are composed of rhyolite. Being mountain
crags, expect them to take a little longer to dry out. Also expect
them to leave a lasting memory with you for their brilliance.
Suggested routes
• Quiver Rib (Difficult) – good rock
and amenable climbing
• Crypt Route (V Diff) – atmospheric and sometimes subterranean
climbing!
• Archer Ridge (Severe) – great climbing but not so well protected
• Spider Right Hand (VS 4c) – slow to dry but superb crack
climbing
• The Big Top (E1 5a) – sustained and exciting
• Yo Yo (E1 5b) – another outstanding classic
• King Pin (E3 6a) – one of the best high mountain climbs in
Britain
• Freak-Out (E4 6a) – strenuous, technical and well protected
crack climbing
Glen Etive
The Trilleachan Slabs form a crag with a very different
feel and style of climbing to anything else in the country. This
is friction
heaven, the slab climbers’ dream! At an average angle of
only 40° the slabs are broken by corners and arcing overlaps.
The rock is very compact granite and cracks are rare leading to
inevitably long run-outs and bold leads. Faith in the stickiness
of your shoes is an absolute pre-requisite and a gentle introduction
to this unique crag is recommended!
Suggested routes
• Spartan Slab (VS 5a) – the most
amenable climb and a good starting point
• Hammer (HVS 5a) – the magnificent corner at the left end
of the crag
• The Long Reach (E2 5b) – venturing out onto the open slabs
with bold pitches
• The Pinch Direct (E3 5c) – a British classic
Ardnamurchan
The wild westerly point of Ardnamurchan is a magical
landscape of volcanic rocks and rugged hills. Perfect gabbro crags
in remote
settings make it worth the long drive along single track roads.
There is a calm and relaxed feel to the place that is impossible
not to be affected by. Being so far west the crags here can remain
dry when the rest of Lochaber is being rained on. Even if it is
damp, the incredibly rough texture of the rock makes it possible
to climb whatever the weather.
Suggested routes
• Yir (VS) – brilliant crack and
groove climbing, a must for everyone
• Return of the Jedi (E2 5c) – immaculate slab climbing
• Bondi Breach (E2 5b) – short but perfectly formed arête
Garbh Bheinn
Across the water in Ardgour, Garbh Bheinn lives up
to its name – “Rough
Mountain”. The rocks here are of the roughest gneiss, beautifully
striped and rippled with black and grey. The choice for the approach
is between long and beautiful, and short and brutal! Either way
gets you to a wonderful arena of rock and stunning situations looking
back across at Glen Coe.
Suggested routes
• Great Ridge (Difficult) – a classic
ridge climb but awkward to locate the start
• Butterknife (VS 4b) – low in the grade, a classic
• Excalibur (HVS 5a) – varied and exposed climbing
Ardverikie
On the south side of Binnein Shuas in the Ardverikie
Estate lie sun baked slabs and walls of micro-granite. The crag
overlooks
lochs and empty hills making it feel a wild and remote place. The
rock is clean and rough, a very textured form of granite. Cycling
is recommended to ease the approach along estate roads so the day
can be capped with a flying freewheel back to the car.
Suggested routes
• Ardverikie Wall (HS) – the best
of its grade in the country!
• Fortress Direct (HVS) – sustained crack climbing
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