The Three Peaks Challenge 2024 took place last week from 4th to 7th July where nine climbers bravely took on Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon in aid of the Trust.
The challenge started early on Thursday morning setting off to Scotland from the Respite Centre in Uckfield. Due to tough weather conditions, each climb took a little longer than expected and the team did not return to Sussex until 2 am Monday morning!
Day 1- Scotland: Ben Nevis, climb height 1,345m
The team experienced a very wet day in Fort William with cold temperatures and lots of fog. This made the challenge even harder however after nearly 3.5 hours the team made it to the summit. The climb is the largest of all three mountains at 1,345m high, with a distance of 16.5km, and a walking time of approximately 5.5 hours. The total climb with a few snack breaks took nearly 7.5 hours.
Day 2- England: Scafell Pike, climb height 978m
Day 2 was tough! The team were all amazing and took the challenges Scafell dealt them in their stride. The day started with fairly clear weather conditions but quickly turned to fog, followed by heavy rain and even hailstones! Everyone was wet and cold and had to take the descent slowly due to the slippery conditions. The rocky terrain makes Scafell Pike a tricky climb and an even tougher decent, totalling just over 9k. Again the route took about 7 hours.
Day 3- Wales: Mount Snowdon 1,085m
On the last leg of the challenge, the team battled the mighty Snowdon covering a distance of approximately 15.7km! At one point the team didn’t know whether they would be able to begin the climb due to the thunder and lightning forecast, however, the storms passed over and cleared for a short while. The climb took nearly 7 hours and the team again saw various weather conditions on the route- particularly lots of rain but thankfully, the descent was mainly in glorious sunshine, ending the challenge in the best way possible!
A huge well done to everyone involved including Emily from SLP Accountants alongside her husband Andy, Steve from Sparc Printing as well as his daughter Daisy and friend Tig plus Brooke from August Recognition and her sister-in-law Mandy. Gavin and Rachel attended from the Trust and supported the team with their climbs.
The Just Giving total has so far reached an incredible £5,300 (including offline donations) which is an amazing achievement for the group and will make a massive difference to our ability to care for disabled children and their families.
All the groups are still fundraising via their Just Giving pages here. Steve is also auctioning off a fantastic signed guitar from Eddie and the Hot Rods which you can be in the chance of winning by donating through the link contributing towards the final total.
A massive well done to everyone – the 2024 Three Peaks Challenge is complete!