Skye Mountain Rescue Team: saving lives on the island peaks
Skye Mountain Rescue Team: saving lives on the island peaks
Covering the Isle of Skye, Raasay, and the renowned Cuillin mountains, Skye Mountain Rescue Team tackles some of the UK’s most challenging terrain. Averaging around 75 callouts a year – from cragfast climbers and benighted hillwalkers to walking slips and trips – they respond in all weathers to keep visitors and locals safe.
Here, the team tell the story of Skye MRT and the vital role they play in keeping people safe across the island peaks.
The team write;
Skye MRT has been in existence, in one guise or another, since the 1950s. Our territory covers the beautiful islands of Skye and Raasay on the Northwest Coast of Scotland. Occasionally, we are also drafted in to help out our neighbouring colleagues- Kintail MRT and Lochaber MRT. For example, last year we supported Lochaber MRT in a multi-day search for a missing hillwalker on the Isle of Rum.
Our toughest call-outs tend to be those in the Cuillins, arguably the most beautiful and challenging mountain range in the United Kingdom. However, our ‘bread and butter’ call-outs involve the tourist ‘hot spots’ of the Fairy Pools, Fairy Glen, the Quiraing and the Old Man of Storr: dealing with broken ankles tends to be our speciality. With some sources suggesting the Isle of Skye received one million tourists in 2024, we are kept busy, particularly between the months of March and October.
Last year we responded to 78 varied incidents. Our first incident of 2024 was a French gentleman who had got into trouble on steep ground whilst looking for his dog. He and his partner were married the week before and this visit to Skye was their honeymoon. Relieved and grateful after the rescue, the couple were later to drop off some of their wedding champagne for the Team at the police station. That reminds me- whatever happened to that Champagne?
Our Team currently has thirty-five members. Normally, we also take on three or four Aspirants at any one time. We are fortunate to have a great balance of young and old in our Team, the fitness of the youngsters offset by the experience of the oldsters. We are also fortunate to have a doctor, an advanced paramedic and two paramedics in our Team. This includes Ken Crossley, the Scottish Mountain Rescue Deputy Medical Officer. Naturally, one of our focuses has been in First Aid provision, and we currently have nine Remote Rescue Medical Technicians (RRMTs) within the Team. Occupations within our Team include mountain guides, tailors, builders, IT specialists, a plumber, a teacher and a potter.
Originally, we used a barn in Glenbrittle as a base. We also had a gear store at the back of Sligachan Hotel, which was later upgraded to a shipping container. Nowadays, with the generous support of The Priory of Scotland of the Order of St John, we have two bespoke bases located in Glenbrittle and Sligachan. These were built in 2003. However, with quite a substantial percentage of our call-outs being to other parts of the island, we also operate a Control Van. This acts as a mobile base, equipment carrier and food/drink provider. Later this year we hope to have completed a new vehicle shed and dry room in Portree.
We also operate two Toyota Hilux 4x4s. These are excellent for getting team members and kit to remote locations such as Camasunary in the south of the island. A few years back we were the excited and loving parents of a Polaris six-wheeler. However, quite quickly we realised the Polaris was not the vehicle for us, given the rugged terrain that we operate in. There is a story (or two) there, but I need to spare certain people’s blushes.
Like all MR Teams in Scotland, we are tasked to incidents by Police Scotland. We work hand-in-hand with HMCG, the Scottish Ambulance Service and the RNLI. We are immensely grateful to these organisations for the help that they provide. Primarily, our helicopter support is from R948 based in Stornoway. However, R151 from Inverness is sometimes tasked to us instead.
Financially, we are lucky to receive enough money from the Scottish Government and from donations to survive. From time to time though we establish a fundraising committee in order to supplement this income.
Find Skye MRT:
Facebook: Skye Mountain Rescue Team SCIO
Instagram: @skyemountainrescue
Twitter/X: @SkyeMRT
