UPDATE: 

We began on the evening of 23^rd April with the long drive from Southampton to Ben Nevis (some 524 miles) and arrived for the start of our attempt at around 4am. With the clock running we were able to ascend Ben Nevis in a time of 3 hours 45 minutes, our time vastly increased by the three feet of snow we battled through for the top third of the mountain. The snow did allow us to slide much of the way back down and we completed Ben Nevis in a total time of 5 hours 45 minutes.

Departing for Scafell Pike all seemed well apart from the sore muscles exacerbated by having 3 of us squeezed into the back of a Peugeot 306 until near Cockermouth we pulled over to examine the strange noises the car had been making. Testing the brakes we found that the driver’s side brake we found that it was no longer functional and after a call to the RAC and a two hour wait it transpire that the wheel bearing had collapsed and the wheel could have come off at any moment so we were thankful for the wisdom of Josh who pulled over to check it out. All seemed lost as we were told the car was unfixable until Monday morning when garages would be open again.

However when the recovery truck arrived we were told that we and the car would be transported by two or three different companies back to Southampton as it was such a long way and would we prefer the use of a courtesy car. They firm agreed that we could continue the challenge with this car so off we went to begin Scafell Pike.

Alas the four and half hour stop for the car situation meant we were way behind schedule and were left with less than an hour of daylight to climb Scafell Pike. We made good use of the daylight left and then a mixture of torch light and the bright moon to ascend in about two hours though we were getting really tired by now. Heading back down we lost our way a little and although we were always walking in the right direction we soon lost the path in the dark and we slow in our descent as we crisscrossed the valley searching for the path before finally finding it again right at the bottom and almost back at the car giving us a total time of 4 and a half hours for Scafell Pike.

Squeezed once again into the back of the car, the courtesy car being narrower than our original vehicle we set off for Snowdon in the dark knowing we would arrive in the dark. As we drove into Snowdonia National Park the rain really started coming down and the weather on the mountain was foul. Garbed in full waterproofs (as someone who hates waterproof trousers it really has to be raining for me to wear mine) we made great headway along the miners path before dawn broke and revealed nothing but thick cloud above us and no sign of the weather letting up. Although after time the rain stopped we were confronted with stronger and stronger winds as we ascended and the mist and cloud covering the mountain limited our visibility to a mere 10m or so causing us big navigational problems. We continued to struggle upwards in the face of 60mph winds when at about 800m having lost the path again and not knowing which way to turn to continue towards the summit we stopped to discuss our options. With no way to easily ascertain our location, real concern that fatigue was clouding our judgement and dangerous conditions we decided to turn back and accept that the weather had beaten us this time around. I think we were about 200m short of the top and may have made it but would have put ourselves in serious danger on the way down where most mountaineering accidents occur. Even getting back to the car from this point seemed problematic in the fog and indeed many groups we passed heading up as we headed down turned back themselves after confronting the worst of the weather.

Back at the car we all collapsed in total exhaustion for the drive back to Southampton. Last night I personally slept for some 11 hours, probably the longest continuous sleep of my life!

We were disappointed to have not reached the summit but are thankful of the wisdom we had to make the decision to turn back. We did the Three Peaks Challenge to raise money to save lives not to endanger more and we know that it was the right thing to do.

UPDATE: Due to adverse weather conditions of late we have decided to postpone our attempt at the Three Peaks challenge until late April.

Please do keep donating!

On the weekend of March 5th - 7th five men from Southampton will take on the immense task that is the "Three Peaks Challenge."

This will involve us ascending and descending the highest mountains of England, Scotland and Wales in quick succession.

We will begin with Ben Nevis in Scotland at a height of 1,344m before driving to Scafell Pike in the English Lake District, height 978m and finally onto Snowdon in North Wales where we will climb to a height of 1,085m.

In total will we cover over 26 miles on foot and 1200 miles by road.

The ultimate goal. Complete it in 24 hours.

While we will undoubtedly enjoy this challenge, we are hoping to raise sponsorship for a charity called the Haiti Hospital Appeal. Based in the North of Haiti, the Haiti Hospital Appeal is in the process of building a hospital to operate alongside the one regional government hospital in the hope of reducing the 800,000 or so people who rely on the single government facility for healthcare. This building project operates alongside an already established clinic and 4x4 ambulance all of which provide much needed assistance to the people of Haiti.

If this wasn't enough, the recent earthquake in Haiti has caused immeasurable damage to the country's infrastructure. The already struggling healthcare system has almost collapsed and charities are desperately scrambling to provide what assistance they can. The Haiti Hospital Appeal has already dispatched is ambulance to the south of the island where the damage is worst as well as begun to treat to growing tide of displaced persons from the south heading north in the hope of assistance.

This is a country in desperate need of help and unlike other organisations which provide short term relied, the Haiti Hospital Appeal is there for good.

Please donate as much as you feel capable to and perhaps consider adding a bonus amount to your donation if we complete the challenge in less than 24 hours.

Thanks

Alex, Ben, Iain, Josh & Josh