The Phil Love Trophy

Andy Nisbet: One of Scotland’s Finest Mountaineers

Andy Nisbet (1958 -71), who had devoted his life to climbing and had become one of Scotland’s finest and best known mountaineers, died in February 2019 as the result of a tragic climbing accident on Ben Hope, Scotland’s most northerly Munro. The news of Andy’s death was received with great sadness by his family and friends and by the whole of the Scottish mountaineering community.

A factual account of Andy’s life appears in the Obituary Section of this Magazine. In this article, three former pupils of the School who had climbed with Andy pay tribute to him as a mountaineer, mountain guide and personal friend. Firstly Greg Strange (196366), a well-known North East climber, guidebook writer and climbing historian, describes the outstanding contribution which Andy made to Scottish climbing and to the Scottish Mountaineering Club. Then Robin Grant (1955-68), who became the 90th Munroist in 1969 after climbing all the Munros, pays tribute to Andy as a mountain guide and describes some classic rock climbs which he did in his company. Finally Alfie Robertson (1961-70), who was one of Andy’s first climbing partners and had walked and climbed with Andy for very nearly fifty years, recalls some early memories of times spent with Andy and pays tribute to him both as a climber and as a close personal friend.

Greg Strange writes:

Andy was six years younger than me and would have been in primary seven when I left school. We actually first met in the early seventies when he was at University and climbing with the Lairig Club. He had found my wrist watch at Souter Head and handed it in to the police at Lodge Walk. Already he had formed a strong partnership (the first of many) with his friend Alfie Robertson and they were beginning to make their mark on the North-east climbing scene. At first there was a degree of rivalry with established activists (mainly from the Etchachan Club) but as usual in these situations, actions speak louder than words and the quiet lad with the red beard soon demonstrated he had a steely determination.

Andy and Alfie soon mastered the recently developed technique of ‘front pointing’ steep ice and frozen vegetation using two curved axes and sharp front pointed crampons. They became particularly keen winter climbers, going out every weekend in all weathers, working their way through the classic winter routes on Lochnagar including the famous Eagle Ridge. The year 1977 was an important milestone in what Andy later described as his ‘irreversible process of addiction’. Early in that very snowy year they made the first winter ascent of The Dagger in Coire Etchachan. Then, in the dark days of the following December, they climbed Vertigo Wall on the great cliff of Creag an Dubh-loch at the head of Glen Muick. It took two days, including an 18- hour bitterly cold bivouac on the wall. Climbing these well-known difficult mountain rock routes under snow and ice conditions brought the young Aberdonians to the forefront of Scottish mountaineering.

In that same year Andy joined the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC). He had been encouraged to do so by Bill Brooker (1938-50), who had just finished his stint as Club President and was now editor of the Club Journal. Andy went on to become a Club Stalwart, writing many articles for the Journal, usually recounting his recent cutting-edge activities. Since its formation in 1889 the SMC has maintained publication of walking and climbing guides for the whole of Scotland. It also keeps a national database of all recorded