Aberdeen Mountain Rescue Team is based in Westhill, in the North East of Scotland. The Team was formed in 1964 in response to a growing awareness that there was a need for a more structured approach to the problem of search and rescue operations in the Cairngorms and lower hills of Deeside and Donside. The Aberdeen Team has a long association with the Order of St John going back over fifty years and the Team’s current Base in Westhill was purpose built by the Order for the Team and provides both garaging for the Team’s vehicles and training facilities for Team Members.

The Team is a voluntary organisation and is on call 365 days of the year providing a highly professional resource capable of tackling the most demanding search and rescue operations. When undertaking mountain rescue incidents, the Team works in close collaboration with neighbouring rescue Teams and on occasion the Team supports Police Scotland in low land searches in what can be challenging terrain.

Team members are drawn from a wide variety of backgrounds, but all have in common a love of the mountains and in many cases have an exceptional knowledge of the Team’s operational area. The Team prides itself on its professional approach to mountain rescue and this is maintained through a rigorous and structured programme of training covering all aspects of mountain search and rescue. This ensures that Team Members are highly skilled and competent as both mountaineers and mountain rescuers.

The Team’s main operational area covers the Cairngorms and Lochnagar. This is an exceptionally large area with a wide variety of mountain environments and potential hazards, and of course contains several of the highest mountains in the United Kingdom. The Team has two forward Bases located at Derry Lodge on the Mar Lodge Estate and at the Spittal of Muick on the Balmoral Estate. These Bases provide accommodation for Team Members during callouts and training and are central to ensuring the ongoing activities of the Team.

As volunteers all Team Members give of their time freely and membership of the Team demands a significant level of commitment in order to maintain the high level of preparedness and the skill set essential to undertaking successful search and rescue operations in what is often the most challenging of situations. In order to ensure the Team’s ongoing effectiveness, the Team continues to develop in both its range of capabilities and its professional approach to mountain rescue. The continued and increasing demand for the services of the Team, and the fact that all Team Members are volunteers, creates a very special set of circumstances and the commitment, enthusiasm and energy of Team Members has been central to maintaining and developing a highly effective and capable organisation.