Central Buttress

The route used for the first ascent of the Sheila Face is still the standard route. The route begins close to the base of Fyfe’s Gut, on the right of a wide gully. Two grade 12 pitches take you onto the buttress which is followed on relatively easy, occasionally loose rock. The rib is wide and there are a number of alternatives. 200m below the summit, the rib meets a 50m flat ridge. Above here follow either the buttress of good rock, or if iced, move left into a couloir to reach the summit. Some quite quick ascents were recorded at different times in the 1980s by John Dale and Calum Hudson of around 3 hours.