Sgùrr na Ciste Duibhe's south face is one of the steepest and highest grassy mountainsides in Scotland as it drops almost 1000 metres in a distance of 1.5 kilometres to the valley bottom in Glen Shiel. The average angle of this hillside is 34 degrees, with a maximum of around 40 degrees. The mountain's northern flank falls in crags into Coire Domhain (Deep Corrie) while to the west a ridge connects to the adjoining Munro of Sgùrr na Carnach. The ridge continues to the east going down to the Bealach an Lapain (The Easy Pass) before climbing to the adjacent Munro of Sàileag.