- Sgurr nan Gillean
Infobox Mountain
Name = Sgurr nan Gillean
Photo = Pinnacle_ridge&gillean2.jpg
Caption = Sgurr nan Gillean and the Pinnacle Ridge from Basteir gorge
Elevation = 964 m (3162 ft)
Location = Skye,Scotland
Range =Cuillin
Prominence = "c." 204 m
Parent peak =Sgurr Alasdair
Topographic
OS "Landranger" 32
First ascent =7 July 1836 , by Duncan Macintyre and James Forbes
Easiest route = scramble
Grid_ref_UK = NG471252
Listing =Munro , Marilyn
Translation = Peak of the young men
Language = Gaelic
Pronunciation = s̪kuːrˠ nəŋ ˈkʲiʎənSgurr nan Gillean is a mountain in the
Cuillin range on theIsle of Skye inScotland . With a height of 964 m (3162 feet) it is one of elevenMunro s on the Cuillin ridge.Sgurr nan Gillean is the mountain closest to
Sligachan , and its impressive triangular profile is visible behind the Sligachan hotel, making it perhaps the most recognised peak in the Cuillin range. The summit is a small and airy platform offering magnificent views.The most popular route of ascent, misleadingly known as the "Tourist Route", follows a path leading south, crossing a burn known the Allt Dearg Beag (small red burn). The route continues up in to a corrie, the Coire Rhiabhach. The final sections, from the head of the corrie and along the southeast ridge to the summit are extremely exposed, and call for
scrambling ability. Alternative routes to the summit include the westridge , which is a very narrow wall of rock, and the north ridge of the mountain, known as "Pinnacle Ridge", both of which require an even higher scrambling ability.The west ridge leads down to a
bealach separating Sgurr nan Gillean fromAm Basteir . About two-thirds of the way down, there is a particularly narrow and exposed section, which forms the remains of a large upright rock, known as the "Gendarme" which broke away due to the effects of frost shatter during the winter of1986 /87, leaving only the base. The narrow section can be avoided byabseil ing down (or climbing up) a gully, known as "Nicholson's Chimney", on the north side of the ridge.
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