The Alpine Club, the world’s first mountaineering club, was founded in 1857.  For over 150 years, members have been at the leading edge of worldwide mountaineering development and exploration. 

With membership, experienced and aspiring alpinists benefit from a varied meets programme, regional lectures with notable guest speakers, reduced rates at many alpine huts, opportunity to apply for grants to support expeditions, significant discounts at many UK retailers, extensive networking contacts, access to the AC Library and maps - and more! 

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Contribution to climbing in the Alps, the Greater Ranges and of course Scotland

Andy Nisbet, Lurchers Crag 2019 (Photo Sandy Allan)

It has been a week since the loss of two leading Scottish mountaineers in the same accident on Ben Hope on the 5th February 2019 that left the winter climbing community stunned. It appears likely that Steve Perry and Andy Nisbet fell from the upper section of a new route on the West Face of Ben Hope, while completing a new route together. 

Andy was President of the SMC from 2010 to 2012 and was awarded the prestigious Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture in 2014. He had an immense unbounded enthusiasm which is undoubtably helped greatly in him achieving over 1000 new Scottish winter routes.  Andy is well know as being synonymous with Scottish Winter climbing, however, not so well known was his contribution to alpine climbing.  He never joined the Alpine Club, although his wife Gill was, until she died in 2006 was a member and her obituary appeared in (AJ 2007 Gill Nisbet p398).  He climbed and indeed worked with many Alpine Club members, including Martin Moran and Sandy Allan and amongst his climbs in the Greater Ranges ascents in the Garhwal and Zanskar as well as an attempt in 1985 on the N.E. Ridge of Everest.  Some further details about Andy’s Greater Ranges ascents can be read in the piece by Martin, “Andy Nisbet – Unique and irreplaceable” www.moran-mountain.co.uk/blog

CLICK HERE to read a piece written by Andy and published in the 1984 Alpine Journal “Winter Climbing on the Peigne, Scottish Style”.  Andy was already pushing the boundaries of Scottish Winter Climbing in the Aiguilles des Cairngorms and clearly believed it was time to take the development of techniques of using modern ice-climbing equipment for climb steep mixed ground of both rock and ice to the Aiguilles of Chamonix. More details of Andy’s winter climbing can be found on the piece by Alpine Club member, Simon Richardson’s excellent website www.scottishwinter.com.