Central Highlands
1NN080577 Park responsibly in Ballachulish (car park adjacent to tourist information centre) and walk south through the village. Follow the lane on the west side of the river to the end of the tarmac road, 150m beyond the primary school. Continue south along the track to reach a gate after 900m. The slender crest of Schoolhouse Ridge now dominates the view to the right.
2NN079569 Head south-west across open ground towards the broad base of the ridge. Depending upon the level of the snowline it may be possible to follow a faint track. The track takes a more or less direct line from the gate to the broad beginnings of the ridge, before zigzagging up the left flank of an initial mound to reach the first semblance of a crest. Continue easily up the ridge, picking a way over short, scrambly sections that present no real difficulty. As height is gained, the broken buttresses that rear up on both flanks create a very dramatic setting. On the final section of the ridge, two steep and exposed steps block the way ahead. It’s safe to say that in winter conditions these steps cannot easily be bypassed; their flanks, when snow-covered, are likely to be an even trickier proposition. Climbing the steps direct may be intimidating, but any difficulties are very short-lived. A bit of clearing will reveal helpful quartzite ledges hiding beneath the snow. The top of the second steep step ‘pops out’ onto the broad north-east spur of Sgorr Bhan, giving a sudden finish to Schoolhouse Ridge.
3NN064563 Ascend the easy north-east spur of Sgorr Bhan to its rocky summit and the first unobscured view of Sgorr Dhearg’s exquisite snow arête. Descend south-west over blocky ground to the flat bealach. A 400m stroll up one of the best snowy ridges in Scotland now follows!
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The natural continuation of this journey would be to descend the long and gently-angled north ridge, towards Loch Leven. However, the final 250m of height loss is through recently felled forestry plantation. This very unpleasant terrain isn’t something to look forward to at the end of a good day. Instead, head back down Sgorr Dhearg’s arête (just as good in reverse) and re-trace the approach route over Sgorr Bhan. When nearing the top of Schoolhouse Ridge, bear north-west before turning north-east to descend towards Beinn Bhan. In poor visibility, a large wind scoop (nearly always present) can cause confusion at this intersection, as it can easily be mistaken for a cornice (snow overhang).
5NN066572 Upon reaching the first significant flattening on the north-east ridge (at 580m), break right and head east, dropping into Coire Riabhach. Continue down either bank of the Allt a’ Choire Riabhaich to reconnect with the approach track leading to the primary school. A less steep descent continues down the north-east ridge to just beyond the 390m contour, before cutting back in a south-south-easterly direction into Coire Riabhach. This may be a more preferable route in heavy snow conditions.