Hi, & thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

The Isle of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky Munro Challenge started last year & lets anyone climb any Munro they choose during the whole of September in order to raise funds for Scottish Mountain Rescue. MacLeod's (the makers of Isle of Skye whisky) are the sole sponsors & are running the event in partnership with Graham Tiso, the outdoor mountain clothing & climbing gear retailer.

I didn't take part in 2014 but since I've got back into walking the high hills over the last two years after many years' absence I thought I could combine a good day on the hill with raising some money for a really worthwhile cause. I was a Skye MRT member for  a number of years  so I know from a hands-on perspective just how important this completely voluntary service is. I have had a few close calls myself in the past & anyone, beginner or experienced, can be caught out despite the best preparations (my being avalanched just below Sgurr nan Gillean - the mountain I am proposing to climb for this challenge - many winters ago in the company of the then mountain rescue team leader whilst out on a snow climb just goes to show that MRT members aren't exempt from potentially needing the services of their own team. We didn't, in the end, need to call on our other team members to scoop me up so our blushes were spared, that time at least!).

Anyway, my chosen peak, as I say, is Sgurr nan Gillean, the sharp & jagged top seen on the left of the skyline in the classic view from Sligachan. Actually, I attempted an ascent via the narrow & exposed West Ridge two weeks ago on one of the rare dry & not-too-cold days we've had this year but my confidence level wasn't quite good enough to see me across a short section of hugely exposed pinnacles (despite having been across many times in the past) so, hopefully, my head will be in a better place for my ascent this month. I then plan to descend via the "Tourist" ridge, still very narrow but relatively straightforward (if I remember correctly). Now I just have to wait for a dry, clear & not too windy day - not too many of those this year!

Whilst any donation, through sponsoring me, to Scottish Mountain Rescue will be very much appreciated, anyone's decision not to will be respected every bit as much as anyone who does, so there should be no sense of obligation felt in any way whatsoever. Charities, especially some of the larger ones, have had a quite a bit of a bad press in recent years (deservedly so, in my opinion) with all too frequent revelations of financial mismanagement, exorbitant administration costs, salaries on a corporate executive scale etc, all leading to reduced funds for the end user & an increasing & understandable reticence on the part of the public to donate. Approximately 70% of all Mountain Rescue funds come from voluntary donations & charitable sources &, having been party to some of the inner workings of the organisation for some of the time I was with the Skye team, can absolutely vouch for Scottish Mountain Rescue's total integrity.

So, many thanks again for reading & I'll notify everyone after (hopefully!) I've stood atop Sgurr nan Gillean later this month & there should even be a selfie to prove it  (shock, horror!).

I'll just leave you with a bit of JustGiving blurb, & my best wishes,

Alan

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