The mountain is located on one of the two long ridges which radiate south from Ben Macdhui; it reaches a height of 1037 metres (3402 feet) and along with Macdhui and Derry Cairngorm forms the central body of the Cairngorms that lie between the two major passes of the Lairig Ghru and the Lairig an Laoigh. The mountain is notable in that it has the only ridge walk of any significance in the Cairngorms range. Its name translates from the Gaelic as Cairn of the large rounded hill, when viewed from the south it does appear as rounded, although in reality the mountain is a north-south oriented ridge. Another possible meaning of the name is Hill of the Pass derived from mam or mhaim, meaning pass. The mountain stands at the entrance of the Lairig Ghru pass, so this meaning is a possibility.