The Magic Crack

One of the best 5.9 (HVS) climbs in the Cairngorms. This route also sees winter ascents as evidenced by the crampon scratches on the rock.

P1: Climb the corner up to a broad rib and then up to a belay on a comfortable platform. If you go up the face you end up making a traverse right to reach this platform.

P2: Go up and right from the platform and gain a crack system that leads up into some left-facing corners with a good handcrack. Climb the corners to a fixed belay. Further out right is a small ledge with two old, rusty fixed pins...don't belay there.

P3: Move right to the small ledge the around the corner further right to a beautiful finger crack. Head up the crack and then the small roof/overlap and finish up the broken face above.

Start at a large left-facing corner by a rather huge beak of rock. To the left the face is rather ledgey but provides an alternate start if the main corner is wet. If you're standing by the small pools in the valley it's more or less a scramble up and left through the grassy scree field.

Standard traditional rack. Fixed anchor in the corner below P2 and at the top. Two ropes necessary to rappel from the anchor on P2.