A large and sprawling mountain with an extensive summit plateau and several ridges that enclose a number of deep corries. The finest of these is the north-east facing Coire Ardair, which lies 1km east of the summit. Over 3km long, and nearly 500m high, its mica schist cliffs are among the highest in Britain. The quality and scale of its winter climbing puts many of the climbs in Coire Ardair into the same class as the Ben Nevis classics; in particular, Creag Meagaidh is a great ice climbing venue.