My ego was relieved yesterday when I saw he'd only broken it by a modest margin (2.5 minutes), but this morning I see the record should perhaps stand nearly 5 minutes faster again! 'Then some racing on rough terrain like Ben Nevis or Glen Rosa Horseshoe. Over 4000m (13,000feet) of ascen… Access to a year's subscription to Rockfax Digital. It’s not the technical climbing that makes traversing the 22 peaks such a legendary challenge, although the 20-mile round crosses plenty of grade 3+ territory and takes in three (avoidable) Severe grade climbing pitches. The weather didn't improve but as I was making good time I kept going. Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com . Its all about moving fast in the mountains - which is what I enjoy! On Sunday 16 June, Finlay set an impressive time of 3:14:58 - coming in just under Es Tresidder's 2007 record of 3:17:28. Skye Mountain Rescue leader revisits dramatic Cuillin mission 1 December 2020 1 December 2020 The leader of the Skye Mountain Rescue team has commended team members for going “the extra mile” during a dramatic nine-hour evacuation on the Cuillin Ridge earlier this year. Es Tresidder has been helpful with discussion and info – very sporting given that I was chasing his record. Only about 13 hours quicker than my traverse yonks ago... :-). © UKClimbing Limited. So it was that I returned on Saturday night for an optimist's weather window Sunday morning. 'I thought about bailing at the top of the TD downclimb as it felt a bit 'grubby' (for want of a better expression! The Cuillin Ridge, Skye Britain’s premier mountaineering challenge! Please help UKClimbing continue to provide varied and free content by becoming an official UKC Supporter. All rights reserved. O n Saturday 12th October Finlay Wild broke the speed record for the Cuillin Ridge traverse for the second time in a year, knocking a hefty 15 minutes from his previous record to log the first sub-three-hour completion of Britain's greatest mountaineering route. On Monday, 24-year-old Uisdean Hawthorn trotted across Skye's iconic Cuillin Ridge in 4 hours 57 minutes, knocking more than 1 hour 15 minutes off the previous winter record, set by Finlay Wild and Tim Gomersall in February 2016. Uisdean Hawthorn. That record held until Andy Hyslop bested it by five minutes in 1984; Hyslop lost the lead in 1986, but regained it in 1994 with a time of 3:32. On May 4 Edinburgh-based mountaineer and runner, Es Tresidder, scrambled—in record time—one of Britain's proud mountaineering feats: the Cuillin Ridge Traverse (primarily Class III and steeper, with four sections of 5.6, ca. says Finlay. Though I could never come near his standard. I admire Es for this achievement, as the ridge was/is one of my favourite places in the world. Es Tresidder scrambling off Sgurr Mhic Choinnich with the In Pinn in the background, Cuillin Ridge, Isle of Skye, Scotland. In 1967 Eric Beard ran the ridge in four hours and nine minutes. Share. The record I set for Skye’s Cuillin ridge back in 2007 has been broken at last. Andy Hyslop's guide is also really helpful as a starting point.'. The site will continue to be mainly funded by a subtle level of outdoor-only advertising but we now need extra support to ensure we can continue to provide the UKC that we all know and love. ', 'I knew I had the strength for it having done it a week before, so it was the weather that played on my mind really. On Sunday conditions were far from ideal too, with mist and damp rock to hinder his progress. Here's what to do. Skye Trail - Aimed at more adventurous walkers, this 80-mile route takes in part of the Trotternish Ridge and passes benrath the Cuillin. Brilliant! "It was like running in heaven.". Share. At a time where accurate information about Covid-19 was vital to our community, this was the right decision – even though it meant a drop in our income. Finlay has a solid climbing background too - experience that's arguably essential to any runner on the ridge. For his successful attempt Finlay had no support on the ridge, which meant soloing all the graded pitches. I remember you both coming past me 10 years ago on my first (failed!) Cuillin experts reckon that perhaps only 10% of climbers succeed on their first attempt. If FW can do 3.10 then chunks of several minutes are still coming off the record, so you'd think there was no question it'll go under three hours in the reasonably foreseeable future. Despite the lack of earlier human presence in the hills themselves, there is much evidence of historic settlement in the surrounding glens, with prehistoric hut circles found in Glenbrittle, and a stone circle identified in Glen Sligachan. Due to such a lot of recent time on the ridge the route finding went very well, except for an error descending Sgurr na Banachdich. Since then I've not taken any climbing gear - but yes I do have a lot of climbing experience behind that.' Over the past six years I’ve often wondered who would break it and when. ', 'I've really enjoyed watching Fin's progress towards the record, wondering if he would break it and how much by. Tressider, a climber and mountain runner from Edinburgh, completed the seven-mile route in 3 hours 17 minutes 28 seconds, about 15 minutes faster than the previous best. Sarah Stirling interviews the Scot, who can see Skye from his house. Jump to: navigation, search. Finlay Wild at the Fairy Pools after his traverse© Suzy Devey, Inaccessible Pinnacle / Sgurr Dearg 1.24.08, Bidein Druim nan Ramh (Central Peak) 2.28.50. 12km long, 3000m of ascent, 11 Munros (peaks over 914m or 3000ft), over 30 summits and technical rock climbing up to Very Difficult (if the easiest line is taken) makes the Cuillin ridge traverse the most challenging mountaineering journey in the United Kingdom. This dawned on me slowly and horribly while walking down from the ridge, so later that day I made the tired journey back from Glen Brittle to Sgurr Mhic Choinnich to consider what had happened – unfortunately this confirmed I had made a 5 second important omission. On May 4 Edinburgh-based mountaineer and runner, Es Tresidder, scrambled—in record time—one of Britain's proud mountaineering feats: the Cuillin Ridge Traverse (primarily Class III and steeper, with four sections of 5.6, ca. So how much faster could times for the route get in future? I gradually dropped behind my own split times from a week ago, and at Bidein was 4 minutes behind. I left Gars-bheinn at 5am, expecting the cloud to lift and the temperature to shoot up. A handful of short rock climbs are encountered along the route but these are not a problem compared to the physical and mental effort required. You can show your support in one of two ways; both come with rewards, and one includes discounted products from Rockfax. So far, all we've asked of you is that you visit and interact with the site but we are in uncertain times. The victim was left in a critical condition after Friday’s incident on the Cuillin Ridge on the Isle of Skye. Skye MRT's previous record was 52 incidents in 2015. The length is around 12km with some 3000m of ascent. We need to look at ways to keep the site moving forward whilst maintaining our key aim of allowing free access to everyone to our main content. Approaches and descents to the Ridge take a total of 6 hours. Two friends were stationed at the In Pinn and on Bruach Na Frithe to help him refuel and rehydrate. 16th February, 2016. The adventure has long been considered one of Britain's greatest alpine challenges and has a forty-year history of speed ascents. Awesome and humbling!'. 'A friend has done it onsight in 7hrs which is fantastic. This can be in a small way or in a larger package that includes discounted products from our sister-publishing company Rockfax. He first did a Cuillin traverse about 10 years ago, and has since spent a lot of time learning the ins and outs of the range in all weathers. This is just brilliant. I hoped the ridge would dry out nicely overnight, and in the morning a beautiful cloud inversion below us boded well. He downclimbed the spots that are usually abseiled. The next week was lived in a sort of limbo of checking weather forecasts and mental preparation for the next run. 'Sub-three hours would be great, wouldn't it!' Early on Friday morning Es Tresidder set off from his bivy at the south end of the Cuillin ridge. Amazingly, Finlay ran a time of 3:10:30 the week previously - but in an impressive show of discipline decided it didn't count because he'd failed to touch the summit cairn of Sgurr Mhic Choinnich, despite passing 10 metres from it. Due to the rocky nature of the Cuillin they have historically been of little use for agriculture: this contrasts with the majority of the highlands, where the hills were used to provide seasonal grazing for cattle and sheep. On Sunday 14th Feb Finlay Wild and Tim Gomersall pulled off probably the fastest ever traverse of the Cuillin main ridge … It had been raining heavily overnight and everywhere there were bright cables of white torrents flowing down from the dark rock, glimpsed through the mist - that felt very special.'. ', 'It's so intricate that even the best runner/climber in the world couldn't just turn up and break it onsight. Finlay Wild on Gars-bheinn the night before a recent Traverse. Matt Hardy was our body double for Finlay Wild, record holder for the Cuillin Ridge traverse and the subject of our capture in a couple of days time. Spreads on when this will go under three hours?! Inn pin downclimb. It is an Alpine-style rock climbing route with scrambling over exposed terrain of grades I, II and III. What advice would he offer to anyone hoping to do a traverse? 12 kilometers), Isle of Skye, Northern Scotland. Tresidder broke the ridge traverse record on May 4 with a time of 3:17:28, fifteen minutes faster than the previous best. Finlay Wild has set a new speed record for the Cuillin Main Ridge Traverse, shaving about 2.5 minutes from the previous fastest time, despite misty and damp conditions on the day. Some experienced mountaineers might pull off the 12km feat, with 3000m of ascent and descent, in … At one point coming off Am Bhasteir, Tresidder lost his way in the fog but regained familiar rock to finish on Sgurr nan Gillean. Tresidder downclimbing the venerable In Pinn above Scottish mist. © Rob Beaumont. He brought a small pack with a liter of energy drink, energy gels and Jelly Babies candies. Its stand-out feature is the Inaccessible Pinnacle, or In Pinn, a 20-meter spire on Sgurr Dearg that most protect and rappel with a rope. Cuillin ridge record! This has been read 26,343 times. The words above may read familiar to those who have attempted the Cuillin traverse. Describing the Cuillin Ridge as a scramble would be like billing K2 as an exciting mountaineering route – true, but fatally understated. The Cuillin Ridge seems to be a never-ending source of interest. At the start of the pandemic in March we took the decision to make online access to our news free of charge by taking down our paywall. Every time you go up you learn new wee bits and it all adds up to make time savings. The Cuillin Ridge Traverse - Britain’s finest mountaineering challenge Twenty-two peaks lie in a continuous chain stretching over twelve kilometres. This takes approximately 9-15 hours to complete in ideal weather conditions. Scottish Hill Runners Long Distance Records - the long distance section contains a brief overview of the Cuillin Round in the context of previous Cuillin challenges. Although I fell behind them I knew I was in with a good shout by the time I got to Bidein.'. By the time you get to Naismith's there's this fantastic feeling of flow and reaching over for the good hold just feels instinctive! Starting Gars-bheinn and finishing on Sgurr nan Gillean). There is then 12km of continuous scrambling mostly along a narrow crest with concentration required on every step. You can help us by becoming a UKC Supporter. 28th February 2018 New Cuillin Ridge Winter Traverse Record by Uisdean Hawthorn. From ScottishClimbs. Skye is the largest and northernmost of the Inner Hebridean islands and its deeply indented nature gives it 400 miles of scenic coastline. After descending back to Glen Brittle I had a relaxing time on the beach and a fantastic meal at Sligachan – by now the cloud had cleared a bit and I spent a lot of time looking up at the Cuillin, repeatedly. A week before Tresidder broke the thirteen-year record, he ran the ridge, more circuitously than necessary and without enough water, in 3:59. New Cuillin Ridge winter traverse record by Uisdean Hawthorn On Monday 26th of February 24 Year old Scot Uisdean Hawthorn set a new record for a winter traverse of Skye’s iconic Cuillin Ridge with his time of 4 hours, 57 minutes and 7 seconds knocking more than an hour and a … "Near the end, I knew I was going to break the record by a long way. Taking advantage of an extended spell of excellent weather in the United Kingdom, Es Tressider smashed the record for traversing the Cuillin Ridge on Scotland’s Isle of Skye on May 4. Probable Cuillin Winter Record for Wild and Gomersall . ), but I know it well so just took my time. As it turned out, the majority of the traverse was done in misty and slightly damp conditions. Wild has the fastest known time for the Cuillin Ridge traverse on the Isle of Skye, completing the crossing in 2:59:22 in 2013. On Monday, February 26, 2018, Uisdean Hawthorn set a new record for a winter traverse of Skye’s iconic Cuillin Ridge with a time of 4 hours 57 minutes 7 seconds. 'I would say I know the main traverse route very well now' Finlay reckons. The person I admire most however, is Eric for starting it all off and of course The Skye Challenge will take some beating. Four recipients selected for 2019 Kyle Dempster Solo Adventure Award, Scotland Winter Climbs Wrap-Up: Ben Nevis, Stob Coire Nan Lochan & The Cobbler, Scottish Mixed Blast: One Difficult Repeat and a Cutting-Edge First Ascent, Luka Lindic and Ines Papert find big new routes close to home in Austria, Fixe Ultralight Alien Revolution cams: Otherworldly friends to have on your rack, Black Diamond Vision MIPS Helmet: Head protection that's as light and effective as ever, Emily Harrington becomes first woman to send El Capitan's Golden Gate in a day. [Photo] Esmond Tresidder. So you sit there as record-holder knowing that in order to break your record someone will have to put a lot of effort in, and that in doing so they too will have some amazing experiences that you can re-live vicariously. The Cuillin Traverse record is set on a ridge from first summit of Gars-bheinn to the final summit of Sgurr nan Gillean. Login with your username and password below. 12 kilometers), Isle of Skye, Northern Scotland. Skye Ridge Mini Guide, Andy Hyslop A guide to running the ridge, overcoming the various obstacles, short cuts etc. The last section is super exposed, so you don't want to rush it because you're really tired." Scottish Highlands based GP, Finlay Wild, has broken his own Cuillin Ridge speed record. He's also run with a GBR vest in the Dolomites. Setting a new Cuillin Traverse record It takes the average walker two days, a mountain guide, good climbing skills and a great deal of guts to traverse the Cuillin Ridge on the Isle of Skye. A clip posted on social media shows the heart stopping moment three daredevil BASE jumpers leap from the Cuillin Ridge on the Isle of Skye. The times for speed attempts are measured from  Gars-bheinn to  Sgurr nan Gillean, the southernmost to the northernmost summit on the ridge, and the 'rules' include doing all the main climbing pitches on the Traverse. UKClimbing is a vibrant web site with rich content and an amazing community. He arrived at Sgurr nan Gillean 3 hours, 17 minutes and 28 seconds later - a time which eclipsed the previous best by some 15 minutes. The horseshoe-shaped ridge spans a number of peaks, eleven of them Munros (3,000'+ peaks), beginning at Gars-bheinn and ending at Sgurr nan Gillean. But during the run you're so focussed on the route and what your hands and feet are doing that you don't really have time to think about being tired. ', 'To start with I wondered about getting running shoes re-soled with climbing rubber, but actually I found that well worn-in Walshes were perfect. We think he's joking. Congratulations. He's won the Ben Nevis Race for the past three years, and got the Glamaig Hill Race record last year (44m27). Show your support UKC Supporter badge on your profile and forum posts. Tresidder finished the traverse cautiously and was rewarded with a "broken specter" at the top, where his shadow was cast onto the lower-lying clouds. ', 'It was really good to have my own splits to try and keep to. New User? Later on, from Bidein there are quite a lot of slabby parts where the margin for error was narrower in the wet and definitely slowed me up a bit. On Monday 26 th of February 24 Year old Scot Uisdean Hawthorn set a new record for a winter traverse of Skye’s iconic Cuillin Ridge with his time of 4 hours, 57 minutes and 7 seconds knocking more than an hour and a quarter off the previous quickest ascent. 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