The Etive Slabs, at the foot of Glen Etive on Beinn Trilleachan, are Britain\'s most extensive friction slabs. Their granite lies at the crucial angle where one can just climb without holds. Surprisingly, the arrival of sticky rubber doesn\'t seem to have changed this, so the slabs still provide exhilarating routes. There are two overlap systems across the main slabs so while the slabby pitches are easy to second (with strong calves and a little trust), the overlaps make the routes unsuitable for lower grade climbers to second. The rock is smoother than most of the granite slabs in France or Switzerland, so less steep for the grade, but lack the bolts that pepper those crags. Many of the in-situ pegs have now gone but small wires and cams fit in the same cracks; 0 cams and smaller are particularly useful. The left side of the main face is slightly steeper but has two big corner systems which provide superb routes in a delicate layback style. The slabs catch the sun until mid-afternoon, after which midges can become troublesome. Some routes are prone to wet seeps from under the overlaps, quite serious on friction climbs, so the slabs are not a good choice after a spell of wet weather.
Grading is notoriously difficult and depends on experience of the style of climbing. The technical grades of the friction pitches in the SMC\'s comprehensive Glen Coe guide have been used for their consistency, whereas some of the overall grades have been reduced to a generally agreed level. The grades of the non-padding pitches are accepted by most.