Walks | North-East
Fiacaill Ridge
Start: Cairngorm Ski Centre
Description: Climb one of the few ridges in the Cairngorms - easy scramble
OS Map: #36, Grantown & Aviemore
Multimap: Online Map
This is a fairly straightforward scramble on one of the few ridges in the Cairngorms. The worst parts can be avoided, so it's only a Grade 1 - 2 if all obstacles taken head on. It can be awkward in fresh snow. The route can be completed in around 2 - 3 hours.
Start by leaving the Car Park by the ski station and heading South-West on a good path towards Coire an Lochain. Once round the first shoulder of the Coire you begin to see the nose of the ridge across Coire an t-Sneachda.Where the path splits, take the left hand option into the mouth of the Coire. Soon after a series of large stepping stones bound across the peat towards the burn, head upstream to find a good place to cross.
Head up onto the nose of the ridge, and follow it up through the rock, following obvious boot tracks up the centre of the ridge. As the slope eases the rock becomes a bit more fun to clamber over - there's plenty of easy little lines to play about on. The views down to the left are pretty severe, about 1000 feet straight down!
After a short saddle, the buttress looms above. To the Coire an Lochain side there are plenty of broken areas to avoid the steeper sections, but the short chimney is pretty obvious and easy to climb with plenty of holds. The top opens stright onto the Cairngom plateau with - if you're lucky - views to Cairn Gorm to the East, or Ben MacDui to the South-West. Look for the well trodden path, and then decide to drop into Coire an t-Sneachda by the Goat Track, or follow the path high around the Coire towards the Ski slopes and down via Coire Cas.
Note - the plateau is pretty featureless, so navigations skills are a must on the tops in cloud and poor weather!