Many thanks to all those walkers who braved the elements and took part in this year’s Three Peaks Trial. The snow caused additional (unwanted!) challenges for both walkers and organisers but with the advice, guidance and support of the fantastic Longtown Mountain Rescue Team we managed to put on an albeit modified event of the Silver and Bronze routes.
We’d been advised on the Thursday evening, that with deep snow above 500m, we should revise all the routes. So we identified revised locations for lower checkpoints on Blorenge, Sugar Loaf and Skirrid. However for the linear Platinum Route it wasn’t possible to relocate checkpoints below 500m without adding significant mileage so we had to cancel that route. Then on the Saturday morning the forecast showed further significant snowfall in the evening so in order to ensure everyone got home safely we also had to cancel the Gold Route.
It was the first time we've ever had to cancel Platinum and we were very disappointed we couldn’t run the full event but people’s safety is the primary concern and, of course, nothing can take priority over that. Cardiff Outdoor Group, the organizers, would like to thank all the participants for your patience and understanding in this matter.
Also by coincidence the Gold Route, which mostly follows the original event held in 1963, had to be postponed when the event was first held in the 'big freeze' of 1963. On that occasion Chris Barber, the event founder, took those who turned up caving on Blorenge. It was suggested we could have asked Chris to have done the same this year, the 50th Anniversary!
