Rescuers practise their medical skills
More than 80 rescuers gathered in the Cairngorms at the weekend to polish up their knowledge and skills.
The annual training conference was organised by Scottish Mountain Rescue, the umbrella body for 23 of the 27 teams that operate north of the border.
The event took place at Scotland’s National Outdoor Training Centre at Glenmore Lodge near Aviemore.
An SMR spokesperson said: “The weekend began with a presentation from the Met Office.
“Speaking to a packed lecture theatre the Met Office spoke about what is a forecast, how they forecast and how they collect their data.
“The training conference was a very positive weekend of learning, looking at new techniques and equipment, bringing together team members from all across Scotland to share ideas and knowledge.
“An MR team member said: ‘The weekend has been excellent. We have learnt new skills and made new contacts. The atmosphere of everyone being together has been brilliant – I really hope to be back next year’.”
Off-road 4x4 driving skills were among the subjects at the conference
Workshops included avalanche management, mountain skills, 4×4 off-road driving, medical, rigging and social media.
The conference was supported by the UK Training Fund, Glenmore Lodge, Keela, Tiso, Mountain Equipment, Blizzard Survival, Bridge Systems, Páramo, Lyon Work & Rescue and the Outdoor Company.
Mountain rescue in Scotland is carried out by about 1,000 skilled volunteers organised in local rescue teams that cover the whole of the country. There are also three police teams and one RAF team.
Funding relies heavily on donations from the public. Scottish Mountain Rescue is itself a registered charity, and is the representative body working nationally in Scotland to support the teams. Work includes national fundraising, organisation and delivery of national training courses and events, provision of insurance and supply of equipment, liaising with Police Scotland and Scottish Government and international rescue organisations and co-ordinating good practice.
