THREE climbers were rescued off a Skye mountain after being inspired to conquer it by Scottish stunt cyclist Danny MacAskill.
The rescue team leader who led the near nine-hour operation said the trio had “no idea” of what they were letting themselves in for.
Attempts to emulate MacAskill on his home island of Skye previously led to a warning from Gerry Ackroyd, leader of Skye Mountain Rescue Team.
Ten members of the team were called out just before 10pm on Friday after the three men - from Huddersfield and Dewsbury in Yorkshire - were lost and cold and wet on the Cuillin Ridge.
MacAskill famously rode along the ridge - a ride which has topped more than 52 million views on You Tube. The daredevil cyclist’s parents feared that he might kill himself with the 7.5 mile ride over the range.
But the fearless rider even took time out to pull stunts on top of infamous Inaccessible Pinnacle at the summit of Sgurr Dearg.
The three climbers - all aged 27 - came to grief while trying to reach the Inaccessible Pinacle.
After raising the alarm they were eventually escorted exhausted down by the mountain rescue team in an operation that lasted to around 6.30am on Saturday.
Mr Ackroyd said: “They said they were doing it after watching Danny Macaskill’s video, but they had no idea what they were letting themselves in for.The mist came down and then the rain. They found the pinnacle but could not climb it. They went all over the place and then decided to stick it out at about 2800 feet.
“They had a small garden tent and put it up. They had no map but one had a compass somewhere in his rucksack. They were working off Google maps. 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. We took them back to our base and warmed them up. They were eventually all ok.
“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.”
The Cuillin Ridge line is known as the greatest mountaineering challenge in the British Isles.
Other people have also been injured on Skye’s mountains trying to emulate MacAskill.
In April, a 30-year-old Swiss mountain biker was airlifted to hospital after breaking her leg following a fall near the waterfall at the same beauty spot that MacAskill rode up.
Mr Ackroyd believed the cyclist had been trying to replicate at Coire Laggan some of the stunts performed by Skye-born MacAskill.
He added: “We got a lot of mountain bikers after his stunts went viral. But he knows the place well and he picks his spots and what is feasible. Even he can’t ride a lot of the routes - or all of it.”
“The injured mountain biker must have seen his rides on YouTube and come to grief. It is a warning to not copy what you’ve seen and be careful. It is a free country - you can’t stop people, but they must be aware of the dangers.
“Mountain bikers have opened up a lot of trails. That’s fine as long as they understand that the ground they are going in to is not like forest trails.
“She had all the gear on - helmet and knee pads, thankfully. But I think the message for anyone heading up into the Cuillins is - don’t try to outdo Danny MacAskill!”
Macaskill, 31, first shot to fame when a display of bike handling skills in Edinburgh went viral online.
His trickery on his bike has taken him around the world, producing a series of amazing video clips, which have been viewed collectively over 150 million times on YouTube.
The daredevil from Dunvegan admitted his injuries left him struggling to walk and unable to ride his bike for nearly two years.
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