Scotland
Sgurr Alasdair
992M
3255FT
About Sgurr Alasdair
Commanding the skyline of the Black Cuillin, this is the highest peak on any Scottish island. Reaching the summit usually involves a grueling haul up the shifting scree of the Great Stone Chute, but the reward is a perch on rough, grippy gabbro with an unparalleled view across the ridge’s jagged teeth.
Key Statistics
Rank
1st Highest in Region
Parent Range
The Isle of Skye
Prominence
?
992m
Nearest Town
Data coming soon
Geology
You are walking on dark, rugged volcanic rocks formed from cooling magma. These tough layers of basalt and microgabbro represent the heart of an ancient volcano.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NG450207
Latitude
57.2066°N
Longitude
6.2241°W
Did You Know?
- •The peak is named after Sheriff Alexander Nicolson, a Gaelic scholar and mountaineer who recorded the first ascent in 1873. Before this, local residents knew it as Sgùrr Biorach, meaning 'Sharp Peak'. It remains one of the few Munros named after a specific person.
- •Most walkers approach via the Great Stone Chute from the shores of the lochan in Coire Lagan. It is a notorious test of patience consisting of thousands of tons of loose scree; however, the summit itself offers a dramatic perspective of the Inaccessible Pinnacle on neighbouring Sgùrr Dearg.
- •Like much of the range, the mountain is composed of gabbro. This coarse-grained volcanic rock provides legendary grip for boots, though its high magnetic content is known to occasionally interfere with compass readings, making navigation in mist particularly tricky.
- •From the cramped, rocky summit, the view south-west extends over the Sea of the Hebrides to the sharp profiles of the Small Isles—Rum, Eigg, and Canna—and on exceptionally clear days, the entire chain of the Outer Hebrides is visible on the horizon.
- •The Great Stone Chute offers a rare geological phenomenon: it is the only place in Scotland where you can expend the energy required for a 1,500-metre climb while only actually ascending 992 metres, thanks to the 'two steps up, one step back' nature of the scree.
