Climbers rescued as bid to copy mountain stunt fails

‘It’s not like it is on the TV’

THREE climbers had to be rescued off a mountain in Skye after using Google maps to follow in the footsteps of stunt cyclist Danny MacAskill.

The rescue team leader who led the near nine-hour operation said the trio had ‘no idea’ what they were letting themselves in for.

Attempts to emulate MacAskill on his home island of Skye previously led to a warning from Skye Mountain Rescue Team leader Gerry Ackroyd.

Ten members of the team were called out just before 10pm on Friday after the three men – from Huddersfield and Dewsbury in Yorkshire – got lost in the cold and wet on the Cuillin Ridge.

MacAskill famously rode along the ridge and did a stunt on top of the Inaccessible Pinnacle at the summit of Sgurr Dearg, a feat attracting more than 2million views on YouTube. But the three climbers, all aged 27, came to grief while attempting to reach the Inaccessible Pinnacle.

After raising the alarm they were eventually escorted down by the mountain rescue team on Saturday morning.

‘The mist came down and then the rain,’ said Mr Ackroyd. ‘They found the pinnacle but could not climb it. They went all over the place and then decided to stick it out at about 2,800 feet. They had a small garden tent and put it up.

‘They were totally unaware of what they were coming to and would encounter. ‘When we reached them they were mildly hypothermic, shattered from a lack of sleep and one was shivering badly – he was in a bad way.

‘But my message is do your homework before trying this. It is not like it is on TV with Danny. Do not treat the Scottish mountains lightly – and especially those on Skye.’