Snowy on the In Pinn and Sgurr Mhic Choinnich
After considering conditions quite carefully, I was happy that Ed and I could enjoy an adventurous yet safe day on the In Pinn and Sgurr Mhic Choinnich in the Black Cuillins on Skye today.
We ascended the West Ridge of Sgurr Dearg, which was largely snow-free, however, from there on, we had to be fairly careful, as there was quite a bit of soft snow sitting on the ledges. The East Ridge of the In Pinn was fine, with just a bit of additional care required from time to time. We then took Murray's By-Pass, to avoid the upper section of the Brown Ramp that cuts beneath An Stac and made our way over to Sgurr Mhic Choinnich.
The ascent of Sgurr Mhic Choinnich was largely as per usual, but the final slabs and ridge required a bit more care than usual. As we descended into Coire Lagan, the sun came out and gave us a nice end to a productive day.
Nice one Ken. I take it the ‘Brown Ramp’ is that section of smooth rock to the west of the Pinn and An Stac that feels as if it’s overlaid with ballbearings? I’ve never heard of Murray’s bypass though and wondering where it goes.
Hi, thanks for the comment! Yep, I can’t even remember where I first saw the name ‘Brown Ramp’ as it’s called the SE Flank in the Skye Scrambles guidebook. Murray’s By-pass takes a devious line from Sgurr Dearg to part-way down the Brown Ramp and therefore avoids the steep top half. A few of us have coined the name Murray’s By-pass as it was a friend of ours, Iain Murray, who introduced us to it. The line it takes can be found here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/suPzXig21GFoZQJK8.
Many thanks for that Ken, I’ll keep that in mind for my return to Skye next spring. I hope you have an enjoyable winter season.