The Mountain People raise over £4,000 for the Youth Adventure Trust

“Those who face the most adversity are least likely to have the resources needed to build resilience.”

In September, three teams of our Mountain People took on the epic Hike Bike Paddle challenge in aid of the Youth Adventure Trust. Not only did they have to conquer a mighty triathlon, they had to face the wrath of Storm Agnes that was battering the west coast- and everyone else that was caught in its path.

What was your biggest challenge? “A 3.30am alarm, gale force winds, knee-deep bogs, bulls, wrong turns, bramble fights, soggy sandwiches, navigation mishaps, beached paddleboards, severe headwinds and getting stuck in wetsuits to name a few…”

The force of the storm hit on Wednesday evening as they arrived at CMC Adventure, with gale force winds and incessant rain, they were keen to get inside for the registration and safety briefing with the challenge marshals. A vegan curry got them all carb’ed up, and ready for an early night to prepare for the challenge ahead…

It was an early 3.30am alarm for our teams as they dashed to don all of their waterproof gear and pack all of their essentials (lashings of tea and coffee, and a LOT of flapjack).

Headtorches were required for the first section of the hike, with staggered start times from 5am the challengers were instantly plunged into darkness after departing from the Bryn y Moel start point.

The hiking route would take them on a steep ascent from Bryn y Moel towards Foel Ddu, eventually summiting Rhinog Fawr and descending back down to CMC Adventure- around 20km in total. Our challengers were met with very mixed terrain, with knee-high bogs claiming a few casualties and a lot of soaked feet.

Unfortunately they would see no sunrise on the way up to the summit- Storm Agnes made sure of that! And due to the high winds, were unable to fully summit Rhinog Fawr, climbing to the highest available point before having to turn back as advised by the marshals. Despite the weather- the views were still incredible over the Rhinogydd range.

Once back at base, there was only time for a quick bite to eat and a well earned cuppa before the cyclists were straight back out there for the second leg of the challenge, a 25km on/off road cycle (involving a lot of hill climbs!)

Bogs were still giving the teams trouble as they often had to dismount their bikes to complete the route, and occasionally when they ran into a few herds of cows… with a couple of angry bulls!

The challenge concluded with a 2km team stand up paddle board route to the finish line- which might not sound very far- but against the severe headwinds on the day, everyone also ended up with severe arm ache.

What was your highlight? It was so good to get out of the office and represent the brand for what it is known for ‘The Mountain People’. I loved the early hike and it was an opportunity to get to know colleagues in other departments which on a day to day you do not get chance to speak to. I also chatted to people from other brands, they said us ‘Northerners’ were super friendly and looked like we were having the most fun! Escaping a field of excited cows and a very big bull was definitely a highlight of the day and walking at least an extra 3km as map reading skills need improvement for next year!

The paddleboard was so much fun, great team building and would do again tomorrow! - Jenny Sumner, Import Merchandiser, Equip.

There was a great sense of achievement once everyone was back at base and out of their wetsuits. Everyone reconvened in the evening for a huge celebration (and a beer or two!), and came together for the awards evening celebrating the work of the Youth Adventure Trust and the incredible amount of money raised by all involved. Huge congratulations to our three teams of Mountain People for smashing the challenge, and raising over £4,000 for the Trust.

"Last week, Hike Bike Paddle 2023 took place in Snowdonia National Park, and we want to give a big shout out and heartfelt thanks to all those amazing teams who took part. They not only took on the challenge but also showed incredible resilience in the face of Storm Agnes!

Thanks to their incredible support, we can offer life changing opportunities to 280 vulnerable young people on an Activity Day, helping them build resilience, confidence, and setting them on the path to brighter futures." - the Youth Adventure Trust.

Who are the Youth Adventure Trust?

The Youth Adventure Trust uses outdoor adventure and one-to-one support to empower vulnerable young people, aged 11-16 from Wiltshire & Swindon, to fulfil their potential & lead positive lives in the future. They work with them to build resilience, develop confidence & learn skills that will last a lifetime, helping them to face the challenges in their lives.

The Youth Adventure Trust has been using outdoor adventure to inspire young lives for 30 years. Over that time they have helped 1,960 vulnerable young people aged 11-15 and we have facilitated more than 430,000 hours of activity participation. They broaden the horizons of young people who otherwise are unlikely to experience such valuable opportunities. There are no financial barriers to taking part as their programme is entirely free of charge to all the young people, their families and the organisations who nominate them to take part.

You can find out more about the Youth Adventure Trust and their work here.