MacInnes Wins Mountain Award

Mountaineer and mountaineering inventor Hamish MacInnes is the winner of the inaugural Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture which forms part of the Fort William Mountain Festival.

MacInnes was a fine climber in his own right with hard ascents both in Scotland and abroad to his credit - he was part of Bonington's South West Face of Everest team for example - but his bent for innovation and invention has also made a lasting impact on mountaineering and mountain rescue in particular.

Stand-outs include the first metal-shafted ice axes, an idea triggered by the number of broken wooden shafts he encountered on mountain rescue duties in the Ben Nevis area and the MacInnes stretcher which is used by mountain rescue teams all over the world. He's also the author of the definitive mountain rescue handbook along with 20 other tomes.

The award will be presented as part of this year's Fort William Mountain Festival which runs from 15-23 February with the actual presentation taking place immediately before the 'Modern Face of Everest' talk at the Nevis Centre Festival Theatre on Saturday 23 February, 7pm.

The idea for the award comes from the Summit of Excellence award' introduced at the Banff Mountain Film Festival in 1987 and awarded to an individual who has made a significant contribution to mountain life in the Canadian Rockies.

Mike Pescod, Chairman of the Fort William Mountain Festival, said: 'With no other award like it, The Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture is of great importance to mountain culture in the UK.

'Mountains have always inspired artists, sportspeople, conservationists, musicians, photographers and writers. Those people in our mountain community never consciously strive for recognition of their talent and commitment. We feel that this award will not only celebrate their amazing achievements and contributions but will also represent the recognition of their peers.'

Deserved recognition for a man whose inventions have saved countless lives in the mountains.

More details of this year's Fort William Mountain Festival at www.mountainfestival.co.uk.