Description
The Cuillin traverse is a 12km long, technical (up to Very Difficult in the British rating system, or lower 5th class in the US system) ridge traverse with about 3000m of ascent. In an informative article on www.ukclimbing.com local climbing instructor Jon Jones called it "the most challenging mountaineering journey in the United Kingdom". More information is available from www.summitpost.org.
Traverses of the ridge go back over 100 years to the first continuous traverse by local climbing experts Leslie Shabolt and Alastair McLaren on June 10, 1911. They made the trip from south to north in a little over 12 hours.
According to the 'rules' set by longstanding record holder Andy Hyslop the traverse between the two end summits takes in all 11 main ridge Munros over about 11km of relentless rocky ground, with around 3000m of ascent/descent, sustained exposed scrambling and key climbing pitches on the TD Gap, King's Chimney, the Inaccessible Pinnacle and Naismith's Route on the Basteir Tooth. Time is from the first to the last summit.
This route on the old FKT site
