Following his great podcast on acro and the British Acrobatic Paragliding Academy, Alex Colbeck is looking to new adventures. In May / June this year, the Niviuk UK team pilot will try a challenge nobody has ever tried before. If successful, he will hike & fly into the record books. How? He is attempting is to hike & fly the three largest hills in the UK, as well as the three highest peaks in Yorkshire in 24 hours.
The National Three Peaks Challenge is legendary in the British running and cycling community. It involves climbing the highest mountains of England, Scotland and Wales within 24 hours. Hikers climb each peak in turn, and are driven from the foot of one mountain to the next. The three peaks are: Ben Nevis (1,344 m, Scotland), Scafell Pike (978 m, England) and Snowdon (1,085 m Wales). The total distance walked is estimated at 42 kilometres, with a total ascent of 3,000 m. If this wasn’t hard enough, Alex will also try to climb the three highest hills in Yorkshire: Whernside (736 m), Ingleborough (723 m) and Pen-y-ghent (694 m) – all within the same 24 hours!
This means he will have to climb 5000m, hike 27km, drive for at least 11 hours. The current record for just driving and hiking the challenge is 33 hours 17 minutes, so flying down from each hill will allow Alex to save some time and hopefully complete the task in 24 hours.
He’ll be supported by the smallest possible team, driving him between mountains, providing food, rehydration and safety assistance. He is hoping to raise money for good causes and is collecting money for two charities which are both close to his heart: the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the British Tinnitus Association.
This is a huge challenge and we wish Alex good luck – especially good weather! If you would like to support Alex in this adventure, you can donate via his JustGiving page.