The route takes the steep and shady underside of the Cioch itself, following the line of a faint seam running above roofs which leads to a lonely spike in the middle of the wall. The meat of the route (up to the spike) has no protection and sustained 6b a long way above the very hard Cioch slabs below. However, the climbing is awesome - crimping the pock-marked texture of the rock. I top roped the route in 2002 but couldn't return for the lead due to bad weather. This time I had it wired again in an hour and led before the weather had a chance to intervene again. The route is called The Gathering and is about E8 6b (7b+ climbing with a 40 foot fall straight onto the slabs if you fall). The biggest problem for the lead was the slightly scrittly nature of the pocks and smears; there was a tendency for tiny crystals to crumble beneath your feet/fingers as you moved. This happened on the crucial final pocket from which you reach the spike holds. I started the move but a crystal broke, making me wobble slightly. I locked off and blew on the pocket, rechalked and regained composure and kept going. All a bit scary. Hardest route in the Cuillin and on Skye.
Climb up to a ramp, turn left to cracks towards the fault, which is overpassed via a jammed block. Use a flake to go left and up to a second flake. Overcome a series of bulges and a scoop. Traverse right into a hard groove and jugs to finish.
