Climbs 26
Rocktype Rhyolite
Altitude 967m a.s.l
Faces all
The river near The Clachaig Inn © JamesRoddie
The western of Aonach Eagach's two Munros, and commonly climbed as part of a full traverse of the ridge.
Forming the north wall of Glencoe the traverse of the Aonach Eagach ridge gives one of the finest mountaineering days on the mainland, a high-end grade 2 scramble in summer or a tough grade II in winter. It's well worth 3 stars. The buttresses and gullies flanking the ridge also give top class winter days with Blue Riband (V) an excellent 3-star water ice route.
DESCENT NOTES.
There are three potential descents from the Aonach Eagach Ridge when traversing from East to West.
1. Clachaig Gully path. This route is NOT RECOMMENDED, as it is exceedingly loose and dangerous. It has been the scene of many fatalities over the years, including experienced mountaineers.
2. Direct from Sgor nam Fiannaidh to Loch Achtriochtan, at first on scree until a good path is found. This is very steep and may not appeal in winter or darkness.
3. To the col near the Pap of Glencoe, then down to the minor road between the Clachaig and the village. This is the longest way down, but also the safest.
Approach from one of a number of small parking bays on the Glen Coe road.
I did the AE west to east last weekend with my 2 sons, having previously searched the multitude of personal accounts of the "normal" route that are accessible through Google. Nobody seems to have recorded the many advantages of doing it the other way: (1) a shorter descent when tired at the end, (2) a following wind (normally), (3) Chancellor scramble easier going up than down, (4) solitude - big herd of deer on way up, another on way down. Only drawback is having to pass everybody else whilst negotiating the Pinnacles, so be patient with delay. Type "West to East" into Google and see how little comes up !! ian shearer - 07/Nov/06 |
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