The Inaccessible Pinnacle

Sgùrr Dearg (Scottish Gaelic for 'red rocky peak') is a mountain in the Cuillin on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. It is topped by the Inaccessible Pinnacle (or An Stac in Gaelic), a fin of rock measuring 50 metres (160 ft) along its longest edge. The top of the Pinnacle stands at 985.8 m (3,234 ft) above sea level, making Sgùrr Dearg the only Munro with a peak that can only be reached by rock climbing. This makes it the biggest hurdle for many Munro baggers. First climbed by Charles and Lawrence Pilkington in 1880, the Pinnacle was never climbed by Sir Hugh Munro himself. Because of its status as the most difficult of the Munros it has now spawned a cottage industry for the local guides, who are often seen escorting parties of novice climbers. Unlike much of the Cuillin, the pinnacle is basalt, not gabbro, and thus is somewhat slippery when wet.