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Welsh 3 Peaks Challenge |
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Welsh 3 Peaks Challenge - 19th & 20th May 2012Help us find a cure for prostate cancer |
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Welsh 3 Peaks ChallengeThe minimum age for
taking part in the Snowdon 500 – Welsh 3 Peaks Challenge is 18. The Snowdon 500 – Welsh 3 Peaks Challenge involves climbing 3 of the most iconic mountains in Wales. The mountains are:-
The Challenge takes place
over the weekend of Saturday 19th May and Sunday 20th May. It starts
with an ascent of Pen Y Fan early on the Saturday and then moves on to
mid Wales to Climb Cadair Idris before arriving at Llanberis in North
Wales by late Saturday afternoon or early evening. After good nights
rest Mt Snowdon is tackled early on the Sunday morning and at this
point integrates with the traditional Snowdon 500 Challenge which will
have been taking place at the same time. What
Does the Challenge Involve
The cumulative effect of
2864m (9397 ft.) of ascent and descent and about 35km (20miles) of
walking plus 180 miles of driving makes this an extremely demanding
and arduous Challenge that should not be underestimated. Completing
the Challenge successfully will require participants to have a high
degree of confidence in their levels of personal and physical fitness
as well as the experience and knowledge to safely navigate both ascent
and descent routes on the mountains. Quite apart from
ascending and descending each mountain, participants will have to plan
their arrival at the start point for Pen Y Fan in the Brecon Beacons
and the onward driving routes to Cadair Idris and then to Llanberis.
The typical average driving time (without any major hold-ups) from
Cardiff to Pen Y Fan is about 1 hour and it´s sensible to allow 2.5
hours to reach Cadair Idris and a further 1.5 hours to arrive at
llanberis. So the total driving time from Cardiff to llanberis will be
around 5 hours. The Challenge is not a race and it´s important that
drivers do not exceed national speed limits at any stage and drive
carefully at all times. For most hill-walkers
fatigue will set in on the final stages of each mountain descent so it
is highly advisable that both individual participants and teams have
at least one non-climbing / support team member to undertake all the
driving duties and to organise refuelling, food and drink stops. This
allows the walker(s) to rest and recover between mountains. It is almost impossible to define “average” times for climbing the mountains because it depends so much on individual experience, and fitness as well as weather conditions on the day and these can vary from one mountain to another. But as a very rough guide, good times for fit walkers would be somewhere in the region of:-
Fit and determined
walkers may be able to achieve better times and others may take longer
than the average times quoted but for planning purposes these timings
are at least realistic. And of course it´s important to remember that
the Snowdon 500 – Welsh 3 Peaks Challenge is not a race – there
are no prizes for being the fastest. Support
and Information All participants in the
Snowdon 500 Welsh 3 Peaks Challenge will be provided with a
comprehensive Briefing Pack including durable laminated mapping for
each of the 3 peaks to aid navigation for ascent and descent routes.
We recommend that
participants take part as a team (we may be able to help with this if
you do not have any team members of your own) but individuals may also
take part providing they are fully confident in their fitness and
ability to solo this difficult and arduous Challenge If you are up for this
Challenge you can Register now by completing the
on line registration form and paying a non refundable registration
fee of £45. By taking part you must also undertake to raise
sponsorship funds for the Prostate Cancer Research Centre aiming to
raise at least £250 per person.
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