Just Dubh it: Iconic Slabs are a scrambler’s delight
How to tackle one of the UK’s longest and most rewarding rock climbs
People, usually those not into hillwalking, often ask me: what is your favourite Munro?
It’s a hard question to answer, and I used to mumble something about how it depended on the weather, time of year, the company, your mood...and then I climbed Sgurr Dubh Mor in the Skye Cuillin.
As a single Munro, it’s my absolute favourite. Partly because conditions were about as good as you could wish for – a dry, sunny day in mid-May. No midges, no wind. And the company was great – my good friend Alex MacLennan, with whom I’ve enjoyed countless days in the hills.
Mostly it’s because the whole day was such a fun adventure, starting with a high-speed boat ride from Elgol to Loch Coruisk and all the while surrounded by the most dramatic and exciting mountain terrain in the UK. A few years previously we’d traversed the main Cuillin ridge – probably my favourite multi-Munro trip – but we’d left out Sgurr Dubh Mor.
It’s out on a spur, off the main ridge between Sgurr nan Eag and Sgurr Alasdair, and would have added potentially one and a half hours to an already mammoth undertaking.
It also gave us an excuse to return to claim our final Skye Munro via a route known as the Dubh Slabs – the longest graded rock climb in the UK. I hesitated for a long time before making a technical route – “doing the Dubhs”, as it’s known to climbers – my recommendation for Sgurr Dubh Mor but I have done so for several reasons. Firstly, it’s the only route by which I’ve climbed the Munro, so I can’t really recommend another.
Secondly, we traversed the hill from Loch Coruisk, crossed the main ridge and finished down at Glen Brittle. So our route of descent could be used in ascent. Thirdly, although graded a “moderate” climb, very experienced, competent and confident scramblers should cope fine. Use of a rope might not even be necessary but one should be carried just in case. A few nuts, hexes and abseil gear are all that’s required. At the top of the slabs, on Sgurr Dubh Beag, is an abseil to a bealach. This can apparently be avoided by descending a grassy ledge – but we couldn’t see it.
Lastly, the Dubh Slabs is a real Scottish classic – it’s hugely enjoyable. However you ascend Sgurr Dubh Mor, you’ll be faced with Grade 2/3 scrambling, considerable drops and complex, rocky terrain requiring very careful route finding. If in doubt, do not hesitate to hire a guide from one of the many excellent providers on Skye.