An Ruadh-Stac

About An Ruadh-Stac

Sitting in the shadows of the Torridon giants, this striking Corbett is a pale cone of steep quartzite scree and sandstone. It offers a rugged, pathless ascent from the Bealach a' Choire Ghairbh, rewarding climbers with an intimate perspective of Maol Chean-dearg and the tiered terraces of the Coulin Forest.

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Did You Know?

• •The name translates from Gaelic as 'The Red Stack', though this is something of a geological trick; while its base is Torridonian sandstone, the summit cap is composed of pale Cambrian quartzite that often appears bright white or silver against the skyline.
• •It is most frequently climbed alongside its higher neighbour, Maol Chean-dearg, with the two hills linked by a high col that requires a steep, rough scramble over shifting scree and boulders.
• •The summit offers a unique angle on the Torridon hills, specifically looking directly into the back of the Triple Buttress of Coire Mhic Fhearchair on Beinn Eighe and the Great Gash of Beinn Bhan.
• •The approach from the south follows a well-engineered stalking path through the Coulin Forest, a remnant of the historical infrastructure used by estate workers and deer stalkers long before the area became a destination for recreational walkers.
• •Those misled by the name 'Red Stack' should prepare for a peak that is stubbornly grey; the mountain seems to have been named by someone looking at the bottom of it rather than the top.