Sgurr nan Gillean

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Sgurr nan Gillean
Sgurr nan Gillean and the Pinnacle Ridge from Basteir gorge
Elevation	964 m (3162 ft)
Location	Skye, Scotland
Range	Cuillin
Prominence	c. 204 m
Topo map	OS Landranger 32
First ascent	7 July 1836, by Duncan Macintyre and James Forbes
Easiest route	scramble
OS grid reference	NG471252
Listing	Munro, Marilyn
Translation	Peak of the young men (Gaelic)
Pronunciation	[skur nan gʲiʎən]

Sgurr nan Gillean is a mountain in the Cuillin range on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. With a height of 964 m (3162 feet) it is one of eleven Munros 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 west ridge, 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 from Am 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 of 1986/87, leaving only the base. The narrow section can be avoided by abseiling down (or climbing up) a gully, known as Nicholson's Chimney, on the north side of the ridge.