Cairngorm John

‘A fascinating account of a man of great humility and remarkable courage.’ – The Daily Record.

The Cairngorm mountains in Scotland are a magnet for climbers and walkers. John Allen spent more than thirty years in the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team saving the lost and injured, and in Cairngorm John he shares stories of life and death, alongside discussions of hypothermia, first aid, new technology and rescue dogs. Allen’s book is a must-read for anyone who spends time in the great outdoors, whether as a casual hillwalker or as part of a mountain rescue team. This latest edition includes additional photographs and new chapters discussing how mountain rescue has developed in the early years of the twenty-first century.

Author Biography

John Allen was born in 1942 in Knightswood, Glasgow. After graduating from Heriot-Watt University he spent the early part of his career in Edinburgh, in pharmacy. With his wife, Anne, and their two young children he moved to Strathspey in the Scottish Highlands to manage community pharmacies in Kingussie and Newtonmore. There John’s interest in mountains and mountaineering increased until, after the Cairngorm Plateau disaster of 1971, he joined the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team. He became team leader in 1989, remaining in post until retiring from the team in August 2007. He was closely involved in well over 1,000 rescues and received an MBE for services to mountain rescue in 2001. His book, Cairngorm John, was shortlisted for the 2009 Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature.