Skellig Michael South Peak, Ireland, August

[Norman_Clyde]

Howdy folks. Long time no post.

 

I am seeking a partner for a climb of the South Peak of Skellig Michael in Ireland.

 

[img:center]http://www.starwars7news.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Skellig-Michael.jpg[/img]

[img:center]http://famouswonders.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Skellig-Michael.jpg[/img]

 

Skellig Michael is a tiny island 10 miles off the Irish coast.

A group of intrepid monks built a monastery on the island's North Peak in the early Middle Ages and eked out an existence there for 600 more years. The site has been in the news since it was used as a filming location for the Star Wars reboot The Force Awakens. The drystone beehive huts built by the monks were tailor-made to stand in for an ancient Jedi temple. Skellig will get more screen time in the upcoming 2nd installment, The Last Jedi.

 

I visited Skellig in June of 2016. The experience was unforgettable. While I was there, I learned that there is an even more isolated hermitage on the island's steeper South Peak, a single hut and a series of narrow terraces set on cliffs. One needs basic mountaineering skills to reach it. This is the place I want to see.

 

Access to South Peak is granted by application and is tightly controlled. Solo climbs are strictly prohibited. The route is short, only a few hundred feet, nontechnical but exposed, similar to class 3 or 4 alpine routes in the Cascades or Olympics. Ropes are not allowed. It is assumed that a person who asks to climb South Peak can make the simple moves and can handle the exposure.

 

I plan to fly to Ireland just to go to the South Peak. Not for the climb so much as to stand in a place unique in human history.

 

If any of you find this objective intriguing, please reply or send me a PM. If you know any European climbers I can tap for it, please share their contact info with me if you are willing.

 

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Skellig Michael is a tiny island 10 miles off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland.