3 peaks query for the mountain walkers.

[vernon]

Sorry for the diversion. Ive also been thinking about doing this for a while but I'm terrible with heights. Don't mind being high up but cannot bear being near any edges. Would I struggle with this?

You could ask to have the summits lowered for the day.

 

[Spinney]

It's the tick-tick-tick constant noise that irks me when people use them on level paths... but agree they are good for downhill when you're tiring.

Likewise (on the annoyingness of the tick-tick-tick).
My pole lives collapsed and strapped to the back of my rucksack most of the time, but is handy when I'm tired or have a long downhill.

 

[Hitchington]

Get fitted for decent boots, wear them on some fairly long practice walks (nice and hilly) and find out where any potential blister hotspots may be. Then get some zinc oxide tape before the 3 peak challenge and apply strips of it to your feet where your hotspots (if you discover any) are. Good luck!

 

[thom]

Scafell. No "r". !

More than enough has been said about preparation : while you need some, your aerobic base will be great.
South East London makes me think of Pilgrims way and the South Downs. You can walk for miles and go up and down a decent amount.
I think just getting a bit used to being out walking for a few hours is a good idea, wearing your boots in, finding the right socks etc. and getting your feet used to the repetitive impact and blister possibility. Marathon runners do long runs slowly to get used to the way the body changes how it accesses energy, not to practice going fast as such, so its likely worth going on a few long slow walks of 4 hours or so.

 

[PaulB]

There's no doubting that walking poles have extended my mountain-walking life considerably. I only wish I'd overcame my disdain for them a lot earlier. As well as easing the stresses on the lower joints, they have the additional advantage of giving the upper body a bit of a workout with the rhythmic pushing-back or pushing up motion required. One big and often overlooked benefit is the assistance they can provide when you are faced with a boggy section as they help you vault over the worst bits and help keep your feet a bit drier for longer. And lastly, they provide an excellent long tent-pole if needed to stretch the fabric out up top.

As for boots, I care nothing for fashion or looks or gimmicks; they'll soon be evil, festering life-forms of their own anyway. I have always gone for Brasher boots (not that poncey Gore-tex shoot - it's overpriced and doesn't work) as they feel like my feet are home when I put them on and they can be worn straight out of the box on the roughest terrain with no breaking-in period required.

 

[Spinney]

+1 for Brashers. The only pair of boots I ever had that was comfy from the off was a pair of Brashers. They didn't last as long as other boots, but that won't bother the OP.
(The main reason I don't wear them now is I want just one pair of boots, and they have to be able to take crampons, and Brashers are too bendy - which, of course, is why they are comfy!)

 

[swansonj]

Scafell. No "r". !

More than enough has been said about preparation : while you need some, your aerobic base will be great.
South East London makes me think of Pilgrims way and the South Downs. You can walk for miles and go up and down a decent amount.
I think just getting a bit used to being out walking for a few hours is a good idea, wearing your boots in, finding the right socks etc. and getting your feet used to the repetitive impact and blister possibility. Marathon runners do long runs slowly to get used to the way the body changes how it accesses energy, not to practice going fast as such, so its likely worth going on a few long slow walks of 4 hours or so.

When I needed to rebuild some strength in my leg after breaking it, I did the route of the Midsummer Monroe (google it). Half-marathon length, 13 miles, plus 3000 feet of climbing, achieved by basically walking up and down Box Hill ten times by pretty nearly every available path.

 

[thom]

When I needed to rebuild some strength in my leg after breaking it, I did the route of the Midsummer Monroe (google it). Half-marathon length, 13 miles, plus 3000 feet of climbing, achieved by basically walking up and down Box Hill ten times by pretty nearly every available path.

Oh yes - I did the Leith Hill 1/2 marathon also run by trionium, the same organisers. All their events tend to be pretty hilly but nice routes - goes to show, you can practice hills in the South Downs if you're hard enough.

 

[classic33]

For those that have done the Three Peaks, which did you find the harder.
The actual walking or the travelling between the three? For me it was the travelling between.

 

[PaulB]

For those that have done the Three Peaks, which did you find the harder.
The actual walking or the travelling between the three? For me it was the travelling between.

Scafell Pike was far and away the hardest. The travelling was a breeze and we did it between two of us, sharing the driving. If you go North to South, which we did, the Ben is climbed when you're at your strongest while Snowdon is very straightforward with no nasty surprises (if you do it from the Llanberis side and it's not too windy) while the Pike is hardest for navigation and steeper in sections than either of the others.

 

[classic33]

I started with Snowden & finished with Ben Nevis. Scafell was marred by acting as a "mule" when we came upon a group carrying an injured walker down. We took their rucksacks and helped with the carrying of the injured party, giving them a chance to get a slight rest.
Dismayed by the number of people who passed us by without even asking if help was required. So much for the hill walkers code.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

That's a tough day even by the relatively short and easy routes that you will do. A lot of travelling too.

With zero (?) mountain experience The Ben is enough for one day really.. The Tourist Track is a flog up and jarring descent down. Scafell Pike is rough going from Esk Hause onwards. You tend to build up to these mountains tbh. What you have committed to is a bit like a novice cyclist trying to do a '50' on their first day of riding not once but three times! You will probably be well and truly fed up with it all by the time you get off The Ben. Being honest I have no idea why the organisers let anyone with limited experience near these events. I question their judgement if I am being truthful.

There are big drops near the summit of Snowdon and Ben Nevis. You will have no need to stand on the edge of any of them. Your guide will take care of you.

Get some lightweight goretex lined boots by Salomon, Meindl, Merrell etc - do not buy leather. They are too heavy, they take a while to break in. Wear whatever boots you buy a lot before you go.

Re: fitness. I am the reverse, I have huge mountain stamina (I hike/climb in them 30-40 times a year) but find the cross-over to cycling uses very different muscle groups. I guess the reverse will apply to you.

***

Every 4 years my mate and I (plus my lovely dog in my avatar until he died) complete the Three Peaks but spread across the year, although we use much longer routes than the ones used for the usual challenge. They are lovely mountains - at least on a nice day! Have fun and stay safe.

 

[mmmmartin]

I've signed up for the 3 Peaks Challenge with work in 2 months time. Ben Nevis, Scarfell and Snowdon in 24 hours.

I suggest you try to wriggle out of it now, so you avoid spending a weekend in a minibus without sleep to walk up easy footpaths in a huge crowd. Going up Scafell Pike is not hard but the ascent is done in the middle of the night, which is why it takes place near to midsummer's day so the light lasts, and all the locals in Wadale utterly detest this noisy intrusion of minbus engines and loud people in the early hours of the night. Going up Snowdon is just a matter of following a path but most people who do this are so unfit that by that stage they are almost on their knees. The Ben is a big hill, and tougher, which is why all these events start there when the walkers are fresh. Your group will certainly not be the only one doing all these on the same night. The crowds will be large.
These mountains are worth going up, but not in groups of 50, not at the same time, not after a long minibus journey and not all in the same weekend. The best advice I can give is to walk 10 miles twice a week, so you get to know your footwear, and take two walking poles - cheap ones are as good as the pricey ones - because they make the descents much easier. But try to get out of it if you can.

 

[G3CWI]

I suggest you try to wriggle out of it now,

Agreed. The intrusion and environmental impact of these events is dreadful. I never ever sponsor anyone doing this kind of thing.

 

[classic33]

I started at 5am, at Snowden. Doing Scafell Pike that afternoon & starting up Ben Nevis in the early hours of the following morning.
Wonder if the people organising such events ever think about those whose help may be required if things go wrong.