When banter during a gentle weekend’s hiking with friends last October threw up the idea of the Welsh 3000s challenge, two little words loomed large instantly in Dave Catherall’s mind: Crib Goch.
“I live in Mold, north Wales, so Snowdonia is on my doorstep,” says Catherall, 40. “I knew Crib Goch’s reputation well. It’s one of Snowdonia’s most treacherous mountains, basically a ridge, at 3,000ft (915m), sometimes only a foot wide, and which has a sheer drop of 1,000ft to one side and a near vertical slope plummeting 500ft to the other. I had already gone on record as saying ‘Never!’ to that climb. And the Welsh 3000s challenge is to climb all of Snowdonia’s 15 peaks over 3000ft, in three, two, or in some very energetic cases, one day. We were going to try to do all of them in two days.”
The beginnings of a plan came together among the weekend wanderers who had met on corporate team-building exercises staged by the Audit Commission for which they all worked. Although they are spread from Exeter to Cumbria, orienteering, rafting and muddy rambling so bonded 20 participants that they started to meet regularly for hiking weekends. “Distinctly leisurely ones,” Catherall qualifies. “Ten or eleven-mile walks were typical, generally pretty flat, in the Peak District, Snowdonia and, on that weekend, the Brecon Beacons. We all know how to use a map and compass, and we know to take the right kit. But none of us had done anything on this scale. We knew just enough to expect no walk in the park.”
Concentrated in a relatively small area, all the peaks and stretches between them can be tackled on foot, and the group’s most experienced mountaineer, Martin Flint, researched and planned a two-day route. Fitness regimens were ramped up: for Catherall, who keeps fit for his two passions, soccer and skiing, this meant visiting the gym four times a week for six months, raising the gradient on the treadmills and increasing cardiovascular workouts from an hour to 80 or 90 minutes to build extra stamina. The British Mountaineering Council advises a solid basic level of fitness incorporating eight or more hours of cardiovascular exercise a week.
A final line-up of six women and 11 men, ranging in age from 26 to 42, gathered on May 20 at a rented cottage in the village of Nant Peris, at the foot of Crib Goch. A cosy pub supper and a couple of pints did little to subdue that particular spectre for Catherall. “I barely slept that night. Crib Goch was the first mountain on our route and right until the last minute, at the very last fork in the path where you can change your mind, I nearly bottled it. I wasn’t the only one who was scared but we joked with each other through the approach.”
Catherall’s fears were entirely justified. “A brief hailstorm and then increasing mist greeted us as we climbed higher and for the 40 or 50 minutes that we were on that ridge, the moving clouds hiding, then revealing, then hiding the sheer drops, I was utterly terrified. I was the only one anxious enough to use a safety rope and harness and my heartfelt thanks go out to Steve and Martin for taking the rope’s ends.”
Universal elation at leaving Crib Goch behind was soon tempered by the unforeseen demands of the terrain, which ranged from straightforward hiking slopes to “grade one scrambling”, climbing steep scree slopes and short stretches of near-vertical rock face. The damage to their schedule was terminal. Seven hours into Day 1 and they were running three hours late. Aching thighs, tweaked knees, blisters and fatigue confirmed that the two-day deadline was no longer possible and the group huddled to review the situation.
Catherall was one of four still up for the original plan and, pushing on, they notched up two more peaks, and a 13-hour day, before dinner. Others, accepting that the challenge was out of reach, either opted to sit out the afternoon so as to give a Sunday session their all, or went thrill-seeking on more technical scrambling ascents. “Spirits stayed excellent,” Catherall says. “And though everybody was disappointed not to have made a success of the challenge, we all decided to get the best possible weekend out of it that we could.”
Day two saw another amicable split and while some sought out new slopes, Catherall and six others resumed the planned route, ticking off another six of the big 15 peaks. “Physically, I felt OK,” Catherall remembers. “Yes, my legs were aching and there were blisters under both of my feet but, with Crib Goch behind me, I felt strong enough for the rest. Some were limping by the end of the second day and some knees were sore, but there were no injuries and the muscle pain eased after three or four days.”
Seven challengers left on Sunday night as the nine-to-five week loomed. But for one of the ten who slept extremely soundly in Nant Peris that night, all was still to play for. “Living so close, I was able to stay for the Monday and try to climb the last three peaks,” Catherall says. Next morning, however, gusts of wind topping 55mph ruled out his final bid.
So far, anyway. “Would I do it again?” asks Catherall. “I’d have to give it serious thought, especially Crib Goch. But I said never once before. So I guess that means, er, probably.”
FANCY IT?
Though not regulated, the Welsh 3000s is a recognised challenge in the worlds of hiking and mountaineering. Routes are about 30 miles (48km) long, with an overall vertical ascent of over 11,500ft (3,500m). Participants can organise their own attempt or companies such as High Trek Snowdonia (www.hightrek.co.uk), Snowdonia Adventures (www.snowdonia-adventures.co.uk) and SerenVentures (www.serenventures.com) offer guiding-only or all-inclusive three-day itineraries from £ 150 to about £300.
Accommodation A good starting point for researching the many rental properties and hotels available is www.walesindex.co.uk
Route Various routes are available online: www.walksnowdonia.co.uk/snowdonia/threes.htm
Kit Apart from a safety rope and harness (about £65 for both from sports shops), maps and a compass, no specialist kit is required. Good hiking boots are crucial, as are a set of waterproofs and clothing layers for all conditions. A first-aid kit is a good idea.
Food Meals with plenty of carbs (bread, pasta, rice and potatoes) will give you the slow-burning energy for hiking. Sandwiches and snacks such as fruit and chocolate are useful boosters.
Training Visit the British Mountaineering Council’s website www.thebmc.co.uk for info.
Reading The Welsh Three Thousand Foot Challenges, by Roy Clayton and Ronald Turnbull (Grey Stone Books)
