IT was a tragic accident which saw a mountaineer and his two friends fall 2,000 feet to their deaths when climbing in Canada.
Now two years on, the family of Neil MacKenzie say they are continuing his legacy through helping people explore their own adventurous spirit.
In January 2015, Mr MacKenzie, an experienced climber, and friends Elena Cernicka and Stephanie Grothe fell on Joffre Peak in British Columbia. The 31-year-old, from Inverness, and the two women had split from a larger group when the incident happened.
A statement from the coroner said the climbers had fallen almost 2,000 ft down a passage on the mountain in the Pemberton area, which is north of Whistler.
Picture: Mr MacKenzie at Loch Coruisk on Skye
After donations poured in following his death, his family decided to set up a charitable trust in his name.
His father Angus, mother Margaret and sister Caroline established the Neil MacKenzie Trust to help people take part and train in outdoor activities in Scotland and elsewhere. The Trust also provides grants for outdoor skills training – though not for competitions – to people aged 14 and over.
Angus MacKenzie, 66, said: “We set it up in autumn 2015 and it helps funds things like ski training, mountain biking, winter mountain leadership training, canoeing, sailing.
“We also want to fund things like expeditions, Duke of Edinburgh, assist with things like that.”
Neil MacKenzie achieved a degree in virology from the University of Glasgow in 2005 and then moved to the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute to do a PhD, later becoming a member of the institute.
However, partly because of his love of the outdoors and mountaineering, he accepted a post at the University of British Columbia in 2013.
Angus MacKenzie, who lives in Strathnairn, Inverness-shire, said: “In British Columbia, Neil was an active member of the British Columbia Varsity Outdoor Club, called the VOC.
Picture: View from the front window of Bell’s bothy.
“We jointly established a grant scheme that enables VOC members to do expeditions, preferably in Scotland as we were quite keen to keep that Canadian link. Although Neil was only there for 18 months, he obviously loved it.
“After he died people were hugely helpful and giving, so we want to give something back.”
Closer to home, the Trust has also contributed £3,000 to kit out a mountain bothy at Camasunary on Skye.
Now called Bell’s Bothy in memory of Neil MacKenzie, whose nickname was Bell, it sits on Loch Scavaig below the munro of Bla Bheinn and is on the Skye Trail.
Picture: The new bothy at Camasunary sits next to Loch Scavaig.
Margaret MacKenzie, 64, said her son was a regular visitor to bothies in his favourite mountain areas.
“Skye, Cairngorm, Glencoe and the North West Highlands,” she said, “where he enjoyed a dram and the craic”.
Neil Stewart, from the Mountain Bothies Association said they were “delighted” with the reception of the bothy during its first year.
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