Scottish mountain rescue team leaders have blasted legendary climber Sir Chris Bonington for suggesting their lifesaving is “a sport,” with volunteers vying to be the most spectacular saviours.

Sir Chris, the British mountaineer who became the oldest man to climb Everest in 1985, said he was not worried about unprepared climbers needing to be rescued.

He argued that, on the contrary, people should be encouraged to get out of doors and into the wild.

Asked at Cheltenham Literature Festival about unprepared climbers and an alleged over-reliance on technology to get them rescued, he said: “As far as this business of people relying on being rescued ... in actual fact, there’s quite an industry for rescuing people. In Britain, what is amazing is the mountain rescue teams are totally voluntary. They’re volunteers and they love doing it.

“Mountain rescue has almost become a sport in itself. I believe there has even been cases where there’s been a mountain rescue team from one valley and a team from another valley racing to get the person first. They’ve never quite got to fisticuffs but it’s got quite heated.”

But John Stevenson, leader of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team - Scotland’s busiest MRT which covers Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest peak - said in 36 years experience he had never known such competition between volunteers.

“The casualty comes first - we couldn’t care who gets to them first, as long as somebody does and gets them off the hill safely,” said Mr Stevenson.

“In searches for missing people we often work with many other teams and we are grateful - not resentful - for the help.

“It is all about good team work and we have always worked together. It is not a race. Mountain rescue has never been a sport - it is about putting the welfare of the casualty at the centre of everything. I just don’t know where or how Sir Chris has formed this view. It certainly has never happened in Scotland in my experience.”

Gerry Ackroyd, leader of Skye MRT, added: “We regularly work with other teams - sometimes up to four at a time. It has always been about co-operation not competition."

Meanwhile Aberdeen, Braemar and Tayside mountain rescue teams combined to rescue three missing walkers and their dogs in an overnight operation in Cairngorms National Park.

The teams were involved in the call-out to the Glenshee Hills, along with a helicopter.

The alarm was raised shortly after 8pm on Thursday and the group were found in the early hours of Friday.

Despite low cloud and high winds hampering the work, the teams made their way off the hill at around 3.30am.

Aberdeen Mountain Rescue Team said the search centred around Broad Cairn.

In a post on Facebook, they said: "Team members located and escorted the missing persons and their canine friends off the hill to the waiting vehicles.

"Great multi-team co-operation - Braemar Mountain Rescue, Tayside Mountain Rescue and MCA helicopter."

Braemar Mountain Rescue team said the operation involved a "full team call-out".

They wrote: "Walkers located in early hours of Friday morning on Broad Cairn and assisted to rescue vehicles."

The Tayside team confirmed on social media that they too were involved in the successful search.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "We received a call at about 8.10pm on Thursday to three adults who had lost their way.

"Mountain rescue was contacted and they were walked back down the hill."