Sandy Allan approaching the crux pitch of Cryogenic Corner (IV,4) on the West Face Aonach Beag. The route follows the corner for 20m, then climbs the overlap on ice 5m right of the corner, before continuing on iced slabs to rejoin the corner above. (Photo Andy Nisbet)
On Saturday (January 1), Andy Nisbet and Sandy Allan visited Aonach Beag and made the first ascent of the 150m-long Cryogenic Corner (IV,4), which lies 60m right of The Navigator on the West Face of the mountain.
The West Face of Aonach Beag is often very icy and was a good choice after the post-Christmas thaw. “We decided to miss The Bells and catch an early year route,” Andy explained. “The plan was that high is good and that the ice here might have survived the thaw. The main corner is only 60m but was very fine.”
