MRTs need to stop calling our mountains, hills. No wonder people think they can walk up in trainers and cheap gear! It's irresponsible. Stop it!

They are not 'calling mountains hills'. They, like many others, use the term 'the hill' as general shorthand to refer to....well, it's obvious.
If you have evidence for your theory, maybe you should submit it to the MRT and I'm sure they'll take action.

I can see where 'Nindumvetus' is coming from; while remembering that to most Scots, Ben Nevis is just a big hill.

What may be more significant are the voluntary organisations, commercial organisations and the Government, through its agencies like sportscotland and others, that are enthusiastically encouraging people to take to the outdoors.

Have those organisations considered any unintended consequences. That encouragement (to go and do) far out weighs any plea, made by the same bodies, to 'take care', go on a course and learn skills before heading out.

The first obvious consequence is the pressure on 'voluntary' Mountain Rescue Team members.

I have no more evidence than you, but I'd say that no Scot believes the Ben is 'just a big hill'. He may say, after descending from it, that he's just come off the hill but, again, it's a non-specific term.

Evidence - "Have you been on the hill today?" was a common question when I lived in Lochaber, referring to the Ben.

Why can’t the Lake District fells be referred to as “fells” instead of the Scottish reference of “hill” I grew up in west Cumberland and we always used fells and only in later years have I heard “hill”

I can also see where Nondumvetus is coming from. Is someone said to a complete novice why don't you go for a walk up a hill in Winter they'd head off thinking it was going to be an easy walk. If they said why don't you go for a walk up a mountain in winter they might think twice.

Aside from whether they're called hills, mountains or fells, why couldn't those two fools just walk down. It would have been daylight at that time, from below Browncove Crags to the swirls isn't that far and looking at the photo, the conditions weren't bad enough to stop them walking even if they were cold and wet. In fact, walking might have warmed them up a bit.

Not best use of MRT (voluntary) time and effort

I really don't get this.
It's March, the weather's been far from wonderful, and these two ill-equipped young men, as it says, decide to have a go at wild camping on a mountain.
They get cold and wet in the night so what do they do, they call 999. It's as simple as that - get into problems, make a phone call, and someone is available to come and rescue you from your self-inflicted predicament. Better I suppose than a coroner's verdict of misadventure, but it wasn't cellphones they were lacking, it was brain cells.
There is so much good advice available online, when are people going to take heed of it?

I blame Paul Messner.

I agree entirely with the comments made by “Justin”.
At 6:15 am it would have been light, and the path from below Browncove Crags down to Swirls would be very easy to find.
If they weren’t injured, and with the short distance down to Swirls taken into consideration, then being cold and wet, (i.e somewhat uncomfortable at worst), is no last resort emergency, necessitating MRT assistance!

In the days before mobile phones, the calling out of a mountain rescue team, merely to act as “Mummy”, (i.e. feed me, dress me, hold my hand . . .), wasn’t an option.
In those days, if you were capable of walking, regardless of experience and equipment – (or lack thereof), and regardless of whether you were cold, wet and bedraggled, you just got on with it and got yourself back down.

From the ever increasing numbers of “non-injury – avoidable call-outs” we read about these days, it seems that no matter how insignificant the problem, and with the ever present mobile phone to hand – for many of today’s “fell-wanderers”, calling for the MRT is becoming the first choice – rather than the final option when all other possible courses of action have been properly considered.

Don't know about Paul Messner - but Reinhold Messner said:

"People should know before they set off that mountains, all mountains, are dangerous."

@James
Seriously? So if you'd been on the Grey Corries, you'd have said no?

Yakherd - the response to "Have you been on the hill?" might have been; yes, up the Ben or yes, on the Grey Corries or yes, Stob Ban etc.

Exactly - it's a general term.

Yes, a term that most Scots use to describe a Mountain, Fell etc.

Then why this nonsense?
'Evidence - "Have you been on the hill today?" was a common question when I lived in Lochaber, referring to the Ben.'

A cryptic description that clearly needed expansion - but I'm glad you've got it now.

Nope - was nonsense, still is.

You sound like someone out of Scandinavian folklore, therefore, I'll say goodbye.

Do you call everyone you quibble with a troll? Maybe stop being cryptic and brush up on specific vs general if you want to advise others on their use of language.

Does it matter if it’s referred to as a hill or a mountain if you’re going on a wild camp anywhere you should do your homework and be prepared. Hyperthermia can happen at any altitude.