Sgurr Mhor

M162 | 986 m. | 3235 ft.
Translation: Possibly jewelled hill
Pronuncation: skoor mor - byn alligin

1991 1st Munro ever. Wolfgang and i did the complete traverse from Tom na Gruagaich to Sgurr Mhor. Since we were that inexperienced we missed the steep pull first – we thought that it was too steep but we stood corrected later. I recalled that we walked in shorts and in 1991 the Tom wasn’t a Munro yet. Thanks to SMC that happened 1997 when they decided to remeasure. Black Cleft is really a dramatic gully just before Sgurr Mhor. We bypassed the Horns … as we would 2 years later. I still wonder why.

Well that was my 1st Munro ever. This was how it started.

1993 Complete traverse of Beinn Alligin from Sgurr Mhor to Tom na Gruagaich. Bypass of the Horns. Good visibility. Cleft directly after the Sgurr quite impressing. First DH (Doppelhorror).

Description This beautiful mountain, one of the three great Torridonian giants, stands at the head of Loch Torridon and forms a crescent-shaped ridge enclosing a big corrie, the Toll a' Mhadaidh. There are two Munros, Sgurr Mhor in the northern half of this ridge, and Tom na Gruagaich in the southern half. The northern end of the ridge to the east of Sgurr Mhor is a narrow rocky crest with three lower tops, the Horns of Alligin or Na Rathanan to give them their Gaelic name. Other impressive features of Beinn Alligin are the south face of Sgurr Mhor, split by a great gully, the Eag Dhubh (black cleft), directly below the summit, and the east face of Tom na Gruagaich whose terraced sandstone cliffs overlook the Toll a' Mhadaidh.The traverse of the Beinn Alligin ridge over the two Munros is a fine expedition with, in summer, some easy scrambling. In winter the difficulty may be much greater. To do this traverse in an anti-clockwise direction go up the path in Coire Mhic Nobuil on the south side of the stream for 1½ kilometres and after crossing it climb north on the path which heads directly towards the Horns. Traverse these with some mild scrambling and descend to a col before the steep but easy climb to Sgurr Mhor. The next section of the ridge is broad and easy down to a col, but from there the climb to Tom na Gruagaich is steep and rocky and has one or two short bits of easy scrambling. The summit of Tom na Gruagaich is right on the edge of the great east cliff. The descent goes down Coir' nan Laogh and across the rough moor to the road at the foot of Coire Mhic Nobuil.