Bus Drivers Battle 85mph winds to Help Heroes

21st Jun 2008

Folowing the diappointment of the cancellation of the Bus to Beijing project, Max Adventure Director, Mac Mackenney decided to offer the drivers a challange, so that they could put their new found expedition skills to good use.

Their challenge was to climb the 3 Peaks of Ben Nevis (Scotland) , Scafell Pike (England) and Snowdon (Wales) in under 24 hours - a feat of fitness and logistics. Most teams who do this hire a mini-bus to race the 450 miles between each mountain, but as these guys were bus drivers, there was clearly only one suitable form of transport - a red double-decker!

Calling themselves the 'The Routemasters'' and under the guidance of Max Adventure they have raised an incredible £22,367 in just 3 weeks for their chosen charity, Help for Heroes.

On a Thursday afternoon in June the suitably adorned red London bus left the centre of London. It collected various support personnel on the way and wound its way to Fort William, the drivers taking it in turns to drive around the clock.

After much repacking of equipment, safety checks and 'carbo loading' the challenge itself started at 5pm on the Friday. For mid-Summer, the weather on Ben Nevis was not kind with wind-chill temperatures down to -11C, but showed the value of having the right equipment. Off the hill as the sun set, the bus made its way to the Lake District overnight. Many other teams undertaking the challenge were using fast transport - but they just did not have the same style.

An early morning start saw the team, minus a few casualties head up Scafell to take on the bitterly cold rains. This turned out to be the best weather over the whole challenge!

As the day progressed the value of the non-climbing support team became evident. The food preparation, vehicle preparation and general motivation became very much appreciated.

Arrival at Snowdon in very poor weather showed that completing the task within the 24 hours was not going to happen but the team were determined to complete the challenge to raise the money.

The weather towards the top of Snowdon was spectacularly appalling, exacerbated by the wind as the summit ridge was reached - 85 mph with horizontal rain and thick fog! For safety purpose it was decided to use the railway as the descent route. This came as bit of surprise to the support crew who had to pack up in mid-meal preparation and drive right round the mountain in the dark - a long way on windy roads in a double-decker bus!

After climbing a combined height of 9,500' and driving 450 miles, the team finished at the foot of Snowdon 30 hours after leaving the base of Ben Nevis, cold, wet and tired, but proud of what they had achieved. Everyone was in one piece and good spirits.

Hot food and champagne all round!