Comment 15 by Billy Sands

In terms of mountain rescue teams (in Scotland anyway) the members are volunteers who climb themselves. I know a few who say they do it because they like to think there would be some who would do it for them. I was once told a story regarding the Glen coe MRT. Apparently the person they rescued most often was the leader of the Glen coe MRT.

As someone who's been up most of the mountains in England, Scotland, and Wales, I've seen many a rescue...though fortunately never had to be rescued myself. Truth is, one can come unstuck in almost any situation and its not necessarily always the danger spots where the callouts occur. I can recall on one ocassion proudly standing at Red Tarn having done Striding Edge and Swirral Edge......only to seriously twist my ankle on a dead flat surface a minute later while heading back from the mountain.

That's life. More people die falling down the stairs at home than on all the mountains of Britain every year.