Call-Out is the definitive collection of tales about early
mountain rescue in the Highlands of Scotland from Hamish
MacInnes - Everest pioneer and arguably the most famous Scottish
mountaineer of the twentieth century.
In the late 1960s, MacInnes led the Glencoe Mountain Rescue team and
together they developed innovative techniques and equipment in order to
save lives - often risking their own in the process - whether night or
day, and always at a moment's notice. He was a central figure in the
rescue during the 1963 New Year tragedy in the Cuillins on the Isle
of Skye, and led groundbreaking rescues on Buichaille Etive Mor,
Ben Nevis, Bidean nam Bian and many other legendary Scottish
mountains.
At the heart of the stories in Call-Out are the unique characters
in the team and wider Glencoe community who demonstrate faultless
camaraderie, and - by virtue of MacInnes's engaging storytelling -
inject an almost comical slant into these sometimes-grim accounts of
misadventure in the mountains.
The dark allure of the frozen Scottish peaks provides a foreboding
backdrop against which we learn of Hamish MacInnes's concern for human
life under even the most extreme conditions. Call-Out offers an
inspiring portrayal of responsible and dedicated mountaineering
practice, which is as pertinent today as ever.
