The East Ridge of the Innaccessible Pinnacle, Sgurr
Dearg, Skye
Moderate
Perhaps the most problematic peak for walkers completing a round of the
Munros is the Innaccessible Pinnacle on Skye. The mountain is Sgurr Dearg
and it's the only mountain in the British Isles that requires rock
climbing skills to get to the top. The mountain itself is a typical Skye
mix of Gabbro and Basalt with a craggy west face which makes up part of
the Skye ridge and sticking out on top is the bizarre landform of the Inn
Pinn. Many walkers leave it to the end and do it as their last Munro and
it is certainly a great place to finish your round of Munros; standing on
top of this huge tooth with drops on all sides. Unless you don't like
heights - in which case you might want to choose something more relaxing.
There are plenty of ways up to the Inn Pinn which vary enormously.
However, they all have one thing in common - you will generally walk/climb
from sea level to 3000 feet before you even set foot on the thing. An easy
day this is not! The most straightforward approach starts from the
Memorial Hut in Glen Brittle. Walk up to pass the waterfall at Eas Mor and
then spot the large south-west ridge of Sgurr Dearg in front. The bottom
part of the ridge is hard work on scree but soon you pick up a small path
which makes the going easier. A brown dyke offers some pleasant easy
scrambling at the top before reaching a flattening at 800m. From here
ascend steeper ground to the summit of Sgurr Dearg Beag where (hopefully)
the route is obvious to Sgurr Dearg and the Inn Pinn. In poor visibility
go left around the head of Coire na Banachdich until the Inn Pinn is
reached. A popular alternative is to begin up Window
Buttress which is a great route and finishes at the 800m flattening.
Whilst this probably takes longer, it does avoid the Sron Dearg scree.
The first view most people get of the Inn Pinn is as they walk along
the ridge from the south. From here, the Inn Pinn is a pretty awesome
sight. A sheer-sided fin of rock projecting upwards and topped with a cube
of rock which perches precariously on the top. Skye specialises in bizarre
rock formations and this is one of the most peculiar. Whilst there are
many routes to the summit of the Inn Pinn, only two are popular; the east
ridge and the west ridge. The east ridge route has easier climbing but is
longer. The west ridge offers a short, gymnastic challenge which although
graded VDiff, feels harder than that.
For the east ridge, scramble down shelving rock on the Coire an Lochain
side to reach the base of the ridge. Someone has thoughlfully provided a
shelter where you can sit and watch other climbers on the route. The route
up the east ridge is done in two pitches and the climbing is very
enjoyable. There's really nothing difficult about the route but most will
be shocked by the exposure. As you climb higher you really start to feel
the exposure on both sides. On your right is a huge drop down into Coire
Ruadha and on your left the ground drops away very steeply indeed. Because
it is a ridge and you're traversing just as much as you're climbing up
it's a good idea to place plenty of gear to protect your second. The
stance requires a good eye for gear and care but once happy bring up
number two who is likely to arrive somewhat unnerved. Things ease off a
bit for the final climb to the top and there are plenty of good anchors to
be had at the bottom of the 'bolster stone'.
Attention will probably quickly turn to the getting off bit. Walking
round to the west side of the bolster stone there is likely to be a metal
strop in place to abseil from. A 50m rope will easily see you to the
ground before pulling your ropes. Congratulations...you've done possibly
the most complicated moderate rock climb in the UK.
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