alistair

Some of us from the office are planning to do the 3 peaks challence this year. Anyone done it and have any advice ?

Based in London, so we're thinking of flying one way and doing a one way car rental the other (probably Luton - Inverness).

zoog

yes: did it in August ?98.

the folowing schedule is a hazy recollection - at home I ve got it all written down.

Drove from London to Ben Nevis Friday night in a hired Previa with 4 mates. Arrived at foot about 5.30 am and went up and down by mid morning.

Drove to Scaffell.The 2 least fit dsecided to miss it out! Must have started late afternoon, down by bout 8 .30 - 9 pm.

Drove to Snowdon, slept in car park, started up at ? 4am got down at 8am.

It is bloody knackering! I had severe anterior knee pain descending Scaffell and Snowdon. Couldn't walk hardly for 3 days afterwards

I paced myself badly - raced to the summit of Ben Nevis in 2 hrs flat and I never really got over it.

It is fantastic fun though...you will have very fond memories. I trained up for it in the local gym doing climbing,rowing and treadmill work on the way home from work most evenings and was the fittest I have ever been, but still it was really punishing.

The lack of sleep is a big factor but being doctors we were used to that.

A warning about the fatigue and the driving though: i can see how that guy went off the road and caused the train crash, if doing it again I would want to perhaps have a dedicated non-climber driving who could have sleep.

youll need loads od suitable food too.

Best of luck!!

zoog

I would fly and hire from Inverness as you say. The drive up was a mistake inretrospect, although added to the sheer epic nature of the whole thing.

zoog

Wear proper boots too - I started in trainers and ended up buying boots in Fort William after Ben Nevis when I realised my folly.

Me and one other guy missed a path off the main track on Snowdon and ended up scaling a rather sheer wet crumbly shale face to get up to the top which was a killer, and easily done when you're so tired. The routes need more careful planning than we did.

Maxwell Straker

Did this a few years back for 'Charidy'.

Although I will admit I was was one of two dedicated drivers...we had a team of 12in two Previas.

Being in North Wales we decided to do the recverse routs and start at Snowdon. The actual start and finish lines are touching the water in Caernarfon Bay and the same at Fort William within 24 hours.

Started at 10am on the Saturday at Caernarfon Bay drove to Snowdon. This is a bit of a stroll in the park and we were away by about 14:30 and off to Scafell Pike. The key to this is to go up one side and decend the other, it saves loads of driving time. We moved the vans to the other side whilst they were climbing.

With this completed we then drove off to Fort William getting to Ben Nevis at 1:00am. Fantastic full moon so started up straight away. I went with them, we were on the top for 4:30am to see the sunrise throwing snowballs at each other in early June (there was even a guy asleep in the hut on the top). Down and touching the water for 7am.

Great experience but extremely tiring and hard work....worth the effort though.

Chris L

Done it twice - must be mad Fastest time was just over 19 hours Some of the Army teams do it in around 15

It is very tiring - make sure you have a dedicated driver (in some teams, everyone climbs - bad idea, as you are so tired it makes driving dangerous IMHO)

Make sure you have proper gear - walking shows, breathable, layered waterproof clothing - don't even think about doing it in jeans

Get lots of high energy food and drink you'll need it.

Make sure that your driver sleeps while you are climbing - being up for 24 hours, even if you are 'only' driving is still very tiring.

Also try and get some sponorship - we did well over a 1000 miles on the last trip and the petrol alone will add up!!

Good fun, but I'm not sure I would do it again

Chris

zoog

Chris

The new boots were not much cop - not leather and luckily were soft so the blisters were not too severe, but provided bugger all ankle support.

I cant believe I thought trainers would suffice - I guess I though it was summer or something.

alistair

Thanks guys - you've not quite put me off, but I guess I need to take it seriously !

ariel

Depends on your level of fitness I think. We did it on midsummers day so had the longest daylight hours. Starting at dawn and were up and down Nevis by 9.30 including the stop for chocolate cake on the top. Scafell was a breeze but is a lot longer than you think due to the way it dips part way. Snowden in the dark not too bad but make sure you know the way, (we used the Pyg track), murder on the knees coming down. Bacon snadwiches in the car park were lovely! If you do it in summer I think good trainers are fine and would never try it in boots! I hope you are as lucky as we were with the weather and we did it in 16hours40.
Wish I could still do it.

MatthewC

This is one of those things, like the Marathon, that I would quite fancy doing, and would like to ***THINK*** I could manage OK, but never quite get my brain in gear to really go for it

There is a VERY good write-up somewhere on the web from some guys who did it maybe 3 years ago. They weren't mega-fit, so it gave a good perspective. (I think they had a 3-man team, ALL climbers, sharing the driving, in quite a small car - they said they would change all of these factors "the next time"). Well worth tracking down.

I've noticed that there seem to be some differing criteria for completion here. Is it supposed to be a strict inside 24hr job? Do you have to start/stop each climb at sea level, and/or the same place?

ChrisB

Not the best time to break in a set of new boots!

I've done Scafel Pike and Snowden as seperate climbs (Snowden twice). Although they are well walked, you really need proper equipment like boots, multiple clothing layers, waterproofs, etc.

Number of times I've seen people trying to go up decent sized hills in trainers with bugger all kit is quite worrying.

The 24hr challenge is something I fancy a crack at - anyone up for a ScoobyNet team with a charity target?

Chris.

[Edited by ChrisB - 1/7/2002 12:04:37 PM]