INTREPID mountaineers will put their lives on the line to determine which of a Scottish Munro’s jagged twin peaks is the highest.
The climbers will scale Knightâs Peak on Skye to discover which of the peaks is the real summit – and whether either is actually above the 3,000ft needed to make it a Munro.
The measuring bid has been described as probably the most difficult of its kind ever conducted in the UK.
Knightâs Peak is currently listed as just two feet above the magic 3,000 but confused climbers reckon the âotherâ summit always looks either than the one they are standing on.
One peak is so narrow that there is only room for one person to stand on it at a time while the other is so sharp that climbers are advised not to stand on it at all.
Next month a team led by Myrddyn (corr) Phillips of G and J Surveys will conduct a survey to establish which peak is in fact the Munroâs summit.
The survey will also use the latest height measurement technology to verify that Knight’s Peak is a Munro.
Mr Phillips said: âIt is our aim to survey Knightâs Peak to determine an accurate height for the hill. This will probably be the most difficult mountain survey ever conducted in Britain.
âWe are conducting this survey in conjunction with The Scottish Mountaineering Club and The Munro Society.
âWe will have to wait to find out if Knightâs Peak will retain its magic height or will it prove to be lower than 3,000ft and no longer a munro.â
Knights Peak is listed as a Munro Top by the Scottish Mountaineering Club, at a height of 915 metres or 3,002ft.
The equipment the team will use will include GPS accurate to about two inches and a surveyorsâ automatic level.
To ascend the Munro climbers must use both climbing and abseiling skills. The most common way for climbers to make their way up Knightâs Peak is via Pinnacle Ridge.
The first recorded ascent of the Munro was in 1873 by W Knight. Before this it was referred to as the Needle, the Little Horn and the Fourth Pinnacle.
