Buachaille Etive Mòr

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Buachaille Etive Mòr (Stob Dearg)
Stob Dearg from Glen Etive
Elevation	1022 m (3352 ft)
Location	Glen Etive, Scotland
Prominence	533 m
Topo map	OS Landranger 41
OS grid reference	NN223543
Listing	Munro, Marilyn
Translation	Great Shepherd of Etive (Red Peak)^[1] (Gaelic)
Pronunciation	[buəxɪl etʲiv moːr]

Name	Grid ref	Height	Status
Listed summits of Buachaille Etive Mòr
Stob Dearg	NN223543	1022 m (3352 ft)	Munro, Marilyn
Stob na Doire	NN207532	1011 m (3317 ft)	Munro top
Stob na Bròige	NN190525	956 m (3136 ft)	Munro
Stob Coire Altruim	NN197530	941 m (3087 ft)	Munro top

Buachaille Etive Mòr (Scottish Gaelic: Buachaille Eite Mòr), generally known to climbers simply as The Buachaille, is a mountain at the head of Glen Etive in the Highlands of Scotland. Its almost perfect pyramidal form, as seen from the A82 road when travelling towards Glen Coe, makes it one of the most recognisable mountains in Scotland, and one of the most depicted on postcards and calendars.

Buachaille Etive Mòr takes the form of a ridge nearly five miles (8 km) in length, almost entirely encircled by the River Etive and its tributaries. The ridge contains four principal tops: from north-east to south-west these are Stob Dearg (1022 m), Stob na Doire (1011 m), Stob Coire Altruim (941 m) and Stob na Bròige (956 m). Stob Dearg and Stob na Bròige are both Munros; the latter was promoted to Munro status by the Scottish Mountaineering Club in 1997.

The steep, craggy north-eastern face of Stob Dearg forms the classic aspect of the mountain as seen from the Kings House Hotel, and constitutes the most direct route of ascent for climbers and scramblers. Crowberry Ridge, a classic rock climb graded severe, was first climbed direct – and photographed – in 1900 by the Abraham brothers with Messrs Puttrell and Baker. Immediately to the left is Curved Ridge, one of the most famous scrambling routes.

Alternatively there is a somewhat eroded path leading steeply up the Coire na Tulaich which allows walkers to ascend the peaks, reaching the ridge about half a kilometre west of Stob Dearg.

Buachaille Etive Mòr is separated from its sister mountain of Buachaille Etive Beag to the west by the valley of Lairig Gartain. To the east lies Glen Etive, which provides an alternative route of ascent, heading up steep grassy slopes to the summit of Stob na Bròige. Another route follows the Allt Coire Altruim from the Lairig Gartain, reaching the ridge about two thirds of the way along from the north. This route is often used as descent route in conjunction with an ascent via Coire na Tulaich, forming a circular route with a walk out along the Lairig Gartain.