UKH

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-36129116

the Lochaber and Skye police comment made me chuckle

In reply to buzby:

Is that actually on Bla Bheinn? I've been struggling to make it fit but best guess is it's actually the col between Garbh-bheinn and Sgurr nan Each to the north. How the hell did he get there?!

In reply to Jamie B:

by using a hopeful attitude according to the Skye police. :>))

In reply to Jamie B:

I wondered about that. I've only been up Bla Bheinn once but I don't remember it having that kind of ground on it.

In reply to buzby:

climbers!, what are they like?

In reply to buzby:

I really don't agree with the way this social media mountain rescue commenting is going.

I don't like teams feeding the news media with judgemental comments on an individual. I thought that was the job of the Daily Mail.

I go out very often with a "hopeful attitude" and I do use the map on my smartphone quite a lot, should I feel bad about that?

This media feeding didn't happen pre Facebook and online media.
James.

In reply to James Edwards:

not sure if your referring to the police or people on here.
if its the police then I guess they are just raising awareness that's its not a good idea to go into big hills unprepared , if its people on here then its a discussion group, people are going to discuss things, its kind of the main idea.

In reply to Jamie B:


I agree re location. Perhaps after having climbed Garbh-bheinn or the Sgurr. So why didn't he just descend the easy scree slope below his feet down to the Allt Aigeinn and the road (which he would have been able to see from the bealach)? Or reverse his ascent? Surely easier to do that than call MR?

So much for "it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive"

In reply to buzby: good weather, he looks alright, why didn't they just leave him there - sort yourself out mate - would probably have taught him more.

In reply to James Edwards:
I totally agree with your point, although it does seem to have been the Police making the media statement which is perfectly fine in my view.

On a similar note, I'm a member of an MRT and do despair at the over use of social media sometimes. Yes, we absolutely need to maintain an awareness of what we do - at least in part due to a need for donations - but this idea of 'CALLOUT:...' and overtly criticising casualties makes me feel a little uncomfortable. What happened to just getting out there, doing the job and getting back for a pint?!

In reply to Calski:

Because in certain situations, people need making an example of in order for them AND others to learn. The Police, not MRT are the people to do this IMO.

Being chastised is a whole lot better than being dead.

In reply to buzby:
Nice report with Heli pics in todays P&J about this incident.

Its the Police who are criticising him on their media/twitter site. & rightly so IMHO.

He just went up the mountain as he liked the look of, then when it time was 6pm & he didn't know 100% where he was, didn't even know the name to give to the MRT over the phone, the only reason they found him was because the MRT had a good "guess" & he had an orange (rain?) cover to place on his rucsac to increase visibility. & he though he was ok with google maps on his phone, until it ran out of charge....DOUBLE FACE PALM

Again another muppet who basically phoned up MRT all because he did not go out PREPARED!, no compass, no paper map etc, seriously what is it with people? I was taught map, compass, headtorch, first aid kit, food, SAK, waterproof, as minimum equipment.

More & more people are having this slack attitude (it will never happen to them/it's only a short walk) & who picks up the pieces? Police & MRT which costs time & money & they could be better spent & in some cases they need to prioritise for the more genuine emergences!

In reply to Calski:

It's nice that MRT are not doing the criticism.

But why are the police criticising people who needed rescuing? Although this is a clear cut case of muppetry, in general mountains are quite a way outside of their expertise. I know they co-ordinate rescue services, but it's really MRT who know what's going on. I can imagine "It's irresponsible to go into the mountains when the avalanche risk is considerable" also being a perfectly "reasonable" line for the police to take.

In reply to Snowdave:

So what happens when the next muppet does something similar, gets into trouble, takes his phone out to summon rescue - but remembers the public criticism he's likely to receive as a result, decides to find his own way back instead, and heads off in the wrong direction...

In reply to Simon Caldwell:


The same thing that used to happen before we all had mobile phones...

Maybe people ought to stop relying 100% on the technology to pick up the slack for not using your head!

In reply to Snowdave:


You mean back in the days when muppets were given a ticking off in private rather than via press release?

What I don't quite understand about this story is how his phone supposedly ran out of charge, yet he called MRT.

I also don't understand why he couldn't just turn round and return the way he came. The visibility was good and he didn't appear to have climbed up anything irreversible.

In reply to Simon Caldwell:


They will probably have a little adventure and end up a bit the wiser for the experience.

In reply to Snowdave:


But what does it actually achieve? Are the next batch of potential casualties avidly following the Skye and Lochalsh Polis Twitter feed for hillwalking guidance? Probably not....

In reply to buzby:

Calski - Police have 'hands on' involvement with Mountain Rescue in parts of Scotland.

The practice of Mountain Rescue Teams not criticising comes from the days when (in the main) those needing assistance were fellow climbers.

Now almost everyone and their granny seem to think (through vigorous commercialisation) that they can head off up a hill and call for help when life gets difficult, just like the RAC for the mountains.