
5am start,
Met the group at the PYG carpark at the top of pen-y-pass.
I was guiding alongside Anthony Eccles during this section for the group of 8 and joined by Warren from Altitude Trekking.
The group were suitably briefed at the start and we'd set off ready to get to Crib Goch in the dark.
As we reached the ridge the sky lit.
Anthony and Keith had peeled off at this point to get down to Nant Peris to help setup the rest station at the bottom and get in some rest before the handover.
I'd continued with the group up and over to Snowdon Summit.
From this point it was evident that some of the group members were having difficulties, in particular with knees which taken a lot of time to come down from the summit.
We walked down the Llanberis path, peeled off the tracks and down to Llechog down to Nant Peris.
This section taken up to 9 hours for the group members to complete.
From here we had 5 of the group members pull out as the realisation of the challenge that was ahead.
Anothony joined by Keith continued over the Glyders section with the 3 members that fought on through the challenge.
Warren and I helped the 5 group members who'd bailed to their accommodation and driven around the valley to Ogwen ready to support the challengers.
The group had been walking for another 5 hours over the Glyders section.
When I asked the group if they were prepared to continue they'd all confirmed that they'd had enough after walking for almost 15 hours on their feet.
This was a great learning opportunity for myself as I'd taken on many valuable lessons.
Firstly, if you're offering a large undertaking challenge, it is worth doing practice days with the group so that they have a understanding of the challenge that is to come.
Also, communicate a lot with the group prior so that they have very realistic expectations of what is to come.
If I am to put on a Welsh 3000s attempt I will definitely consider putting it together in multiple days to increase the likelihood of success.
Area :
Snowdon Massif
Snowdon (Welsh: Yr Wyddfa) is the highest mountain in Wales, at an altitude of 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri) in Gwynedd, and has been described as "the busiest mountain in Britain". It is designated as a national nature reserve for its rare flora and fauna.