old danensian wrote:Am Basteir had to be reserved for the big day. Having been repulsed twice before, it was a score to be settled as well as a worthwhile challenge.
I'm now left curious to know how many others might have finished there as well.
In terms of what I know (which I stress is a minimum figure), Am Basteir is middling in completion terms among the 12 Skye Munros - I know of 40 first rounds that have finished there (and one repeat), which puts it just behind Sgurr Alasdair - close enough that they're statistically equal given that there are lots of unknown finishes. Most years see at least one Am Basteir finish (and in relatively recent times these included one by someone closely linked to this site), and there have been little flurries of activity in some years, eg I know of six completions there in 2002 (these involved two couples, hence four actual "events"), and four in each of 2009 and 2013. First known finish there was by David Alexander, no.508 in the published list, in July 1986 - but there could well have been someone earlier than him.
The current known order for Cuillin completions is In Pinn - Bla Bheinn - Sgurr nan Gillean well clear, then a middle group of Alasdair - Am Basteir - Sgurr Dubh Mor - Bruach na Frithe (although this is quite a widely spaced group - Alasdair is twice BnF), followed by Eag - Ghreadaidh - Banachdich - Mhadaidh. As mentioned upthread, I think the Pinn could in due course - say by the end of this decade - be overtaken by Bla Bheinn. Am Basteir is an oddity, in that on the one hand it's become markedly harder but on the other hand it's now easier for a lot of people because they hire a guide. I've only been to the top once, in 1986, when the awkward step was a pretty simple downclimb that needed care (and I was glad of a friend below telling me where to put my feet) but no rope. I was back there a few years later and retreated because a significant chunk had fallen off, and there was subsequently a second rockfall - both these made it harder. You can sneak across on the ledges to the side, but this is seemingly quite hard to find and I've not done it (I had a quick look on my second visit, but the weather was closing in fast so it made sense to retreat).