I just had to share Ken Jones' post-Event report
Friday 18th January 2013 (eve of the now infamous Fan Dance Winter 2013 edition)
Avalanche Endurance Events HQ -Elan Valley, Wales:
As I sipped a hot brew and stared out at the wilderness of white through the kitchen window the words of a good friend resonated from deep within: "You promised an authentic Special Forces Test March and SAS experience to all those people who not only committed to the Fan Dance but also dedicated their time and energy to prepare physically and mentally for it. Just because there is a rare severe red weather warning, all the other events are cancelled and the TV weathermen and radio stations are telling everyone to stay at home, you have to set yourself apart and rise to the challenge that mother nature has thrown at you. For you and the DS it is your own personal Fan Dance to make sure it happens."
Fast forward to Friday 17th January 2014...
The DS and I already knew that Selection had started but when Jason and I drove past the Storey Arms Centre en route to RV2, a fleet of civilian off road vehicles and the iconic TWAT wagon (Test Week Administration Team) parked opposite the centre gave a strong indicator that the actual Fan Dance march was taking place. A couple of hours later after carrying out the day's early tasks we sat watching as the last of the soldiers come down off the mountain carrying their SLR rifles and checking in with the DS to have their name recorded. It was an intriguing spectacle that brought alive many memories of our own time on the course as well as an immense sense of relief that we would never have to go through it again!
After handing over the Storey Arms Centre to the base camp team Jason and I set out to climb Pen y Fan for a final recce and to mark out the route as far as Jacob's Ladder. Timing our departure with the arrival of the last Selection candidate, we pulled on our bergens and set off. There were still a lot of activity in the area with attached unit personnel such as medical staff, signalers, drivers and chefs more or less indistinguishable from the Directing Staff. Upon reaching the old red phone and about to climb the gate I caught the eyes of one of the staff who quickly looked away and carried on with his business. After a few steps it suddenly triggered where I had seen the face before and at the same time he returned his glance in our direction. ''Where you the Chief Instructor back in 2***''? I asked him, adding that I was on his Selection course when he confirmed he was. He told me he had since left but was now attached to the unit through L Detachment which was the very passage by which I had attempted Selection myself all those years ago. The exchange was brief but pleasant and I wasn't without noticing how utterly exhausted he looked. The rest of the day as we marked out the route Jason and I were filled with a strong sense of nostalgia at seeing the Chief and the desperate efforts of the last soaking wet, mud splattered troops coming down off Pen y Fan on the official Fan Dance.
By the end of the day my own struggle had caught up with me and the cumulative effects of nearly 3 days and as many nights without sleep began to tell. As I began to chase the cold side of the pillow in my desperate bid to find sleep I had a strong sense of why my former Chief Instructor's face had looked so haggard down at the old red phone box: 2013 experienced the deaths of three reserve soldiers on Selection and one regular soldier training for it, and the knock on effect for myself and the DS is one of increased pressure and extra scrutiny when it comes to mountain safety. It's one thing to know you have done enough but it can never be underestimated what the Brecon Beacon mountains and its volatile weather system can throw at you, especially so deep into the winter.
Although the DS had put in a provisional request for snow it seemed that the higher authority had prioritised variety and something new over what we had initially hoped for. On the day we experienced torrential rain, shrieking 60mph summit winds, biting cold, mud logged paths and reduced visibility, which in the words of Jason and Matt were perfect conditions. Indeed they were, and I echo the sentiment because what you faced on Saturday was quintessential Selection weather of the kind synonymous with the course since its post World War II inauguration.
As organisers you never fully know what you'll get on race day with regards to attendance and with the prior evening registration slot effecting our ability to gauge numbers, we wouldn't fully know until the vital moments prior to announcing assembly at the red phone box on Saturday. We usually receive an electronic bombardment of withdrawals on the days preceding the event, and with such adverse weather conditions anticipated, we had a vision of about 200 -250 total for both categories combined actually making it to the start line. The serious nature of the calibre of Fan Dancers became evident as early as 06:00hrs on Saturday morning when the DS became temporarily fixed to the weigh stations without even time for a quick brew.
The full scale of those willing to take on the winter Fan Dance only fully became apparent at 08:30 when close to 250 load bearers clambered over the gate, (and 150 clean fatigue at 09:30hrs) and braced themselves for the safety brief and the stand by signal. (Regarding the safety brief, for those of you requesting confirmation on what exactly a cake and ass party is, I'm advised it is a term best reserved for the company of Royal Marines or Paras, so will say no more other than it is something the DS don't wish to be taking place at the RV points.)
As you are all aware, the DS role is predominantly a static one on race day unless there is an emergency; therefore, the best accounts and stories are brought down off the mountain by the participants and we play no real part in your glory or achievements. It wouldn't be right for us as DS to submit an entry into what really took place that day as it was your Fan Dance and could only ever be as good as the people taking part. As Race Director I will go out on a limb and say that conditions were far tougher than those I faced on my own Selection Fan Dance march, and although in a different way, it was possibly comparable to the extreme alpine winter wonderland challenge faced by those at the inaugural winter edition of 2013. The only ones who can rightfully contest that debate are those who completed both, but whatever any veteran of both campaigns lean towards nobody can take away the sheer unpleasantness of what you experienced on Saturday 18th January 2014. Winter 2014 was an utterly brutal, hard as nails and downright SF march and anyone who completed it has made a profound statement as to their physical and mental resilience in the face of extremely demanding conditions. You should all be rightly impressed with yourselves and carry with you an enormous sense of pride and achievement. Not to mention, you are all that much more experienced and unbreakable than you were before your encounter with the Pen y Fan on Saturday.To recapture your memories a number of great blogs, accounts, videos and photos of Fan Dance Winter 2014 have been posted on our facebook page and twitter feed. We wholeheartedly recommend you visit the page for your own enjoyment and to pay testament to those who made the entry and also to appreciate what you achieved collectively and also as individuals.
Some highlights
True Grit:
For us as DS there were some stand out moments that are worthy of mention. The most prominent observation is the number of voluntary withdrawals and DS withdrawn participants in relation to the actual number of participants. There are far easier events than the Fan Dance that have a much higher attrition rate. The statistics we have are astonishing because out of 400 odd participants there were no more than 6 Voluntary Withdrawals and as many DS elected withdrawals. The extremely low percentage I believe is in great part attributed to the nature of the event, the history it represents, the calibre of individual it seems to attract and the respect participants show towards the challenge. The DS observed large numbers of participants teetering on the very edge of a withdrawal but some deep rooted sense of pride to not give in and to honour the grander history of the men who have gone before them remained firmly fixed in their mindset and they cracked on to the finish line when their body was screaming at them to stop. The Fan Dance takes dedication and a high level of physical preparation, but beyond that there is a battle of the mind which will only become real on the pivotal day. To see so many of you dig out and fight your way around the course was truly incredible, that so many of you earned a finisher's patch even more so. It was a true honour to hand over every single patch and an even greater privilege to have contributed to having given life to the famous route that would otherwise be dormant save twice a year on Selection. For those of you who didn't make it around the course, chin up and best foot forward, Pen y Fan and the Fan Dance isn't going anywhere anytime soon and there will always be the summer Fan Dance or Old Faithful to get back on track.
Category Champions:
Although we will address the overall category winners in a separate message we have to give high praise to Jonathan Albon for his astonishing performance. We have to carry out some DS snow underfoot calculations from last winter, and there won't be much in it, but his time looks to be very close or even under that of the Winter 2013 champion from New Zealand. What's more, we've rarely had such a modest and humble champion.
Brothers at arms:
A special mention goes out to the boys from the USMC and USAF who were stationed in Germany and had made the overseas trip to Wales just to take part. I had the good fortune of meeting a number of our American brothers at arms in the Storey Arms Centre on Friday evening and again post march. Their infectious optimism, sense of humour I was accustomed so to from the other side of the Atlantic and level of confidence was extremely warming and brought about a pleasant reminder of my own time on exchange with the USMC , 82nd Airborne and Delta Force. This merry band seemed totally unfazed by the challenge facing them and they seemed to be determined to have a good time no matter what the weather. More inspiring still, they were having a whale of a time post march, getting stuck into the Fan Dance beer and looked like they could go out and do it all over again. The highlight of my encounter with these boys came when I was pulled up on an oversight or lack of attention to detail in my SOP kit list. They pointed out that I had instructed everyone to bring a flask, and that I had neglected to observe that a flask means something entirely different across the pond. They then all preceded to pull out hip flasks full of whiskey. I stand corrected but it was the most I had laughed all day. Cheers boys!
Serving and former serving personnel:
As a number of you may know Winter 2014 was the final opportunity to qualify for Point to Point. Not only were the DS looking at qualification times but observations and notes were kept on most finishers for their level of alertness and potential to continue. One thing that stood out, and it was something the DS felt immensely proud of, was the state of current and former serving soldiers. Although our troops weren't the fastest on the day, many of them arrived at the red phone box with their clothing and kit in good,clean order, they were fresh faced, verbally coherent, vigilant, focused and sure of step. You can see it in someone's eyes if they are fit to continue and we know that if we had done as DS do on Selection and chucked in a sickener and informed them that the finish line was now ten miles down the road they would march on without showing the slightest signs of cracking. It was an honour to have you with us boys!
International:
I would like to say how incredible it was to have had so many international participants join us on Saturday. Just off the top of my head, and forgive me if I have omitted anyone, we had Fan Dancers from Mongolia, India, South Africa, Fiji, USA, Germany, Holland, Italy,Portugal, Sweden,Poland,Ireland and Scotland. One of our DS made the journey from Japan to be there!
Unfortunate Incidents:
As organisers our aim is to put together a good crew and to run a tight ship. What we strive for as DS is to maintain a low profile and to only speak or get involved in the march when absolutely necessary. I had the unfortunate experience of being told by a small number of participants that they were hugely disappointed by their Fan Dance experience because they had been turned back and told to return to the old red phone box by other participants. I would like to reinforce the policy that has been clear from the outset, that the only persons cleared to issue such an order are the Directing Staff. On Saturday that would have been myself, Jason at RV 2, Matt at RV 1- Fan summit, Kieran at Windy Gap or Nick who roamed ghost like and anonymously but wore an Avalanche issue DS jersey beneath his smock for identification purposes. Some of you will have noticed that the Directing Staff had assistants for mountain safety reasons, but even they had no authorIsation to withdraw or turn back any participants and were instructed not to. Although the DS did withdraw a small number of participants, we can only surmise that these individuals somehow interpreted the order to turn back as applying to everyone and passed the message on to those they encountered en route. We are extremely unsatisfied at this loss of opportunity experienced by the participants in question but reiterate that it is the DS only who retain absolute charge of all march protocol and mountain safety matters on the day. If any of you encounter a similar experience or command in a future Avalanche event you are to continue as you were and request confirmation from the DS at the next RV.
Sleeping bags. We had a few naughty participants whose priority was reducing the size of their load and had packed rubbish sleeping bags or bivi bags. In future the DS will be carrying out a visual inspection at the start line. Time penalties have been added to those who have infringed the regulations.
Now to our final piece of bad news; It is with regret that we announce that the photo opportunities were limited this time around so the usual albums won't exist. In each of our previous events we have complimentary finisher's photo of every participant which we upload and share electronically. Owed to the weather conditions and demands of the day it proved an unrealistic ambition as even our photographer was tasked to take near hypothermic participants into the Storey Arms and issue them a warm towel and clothing change among other important jobs. Our attempt to erect a poncho as a photographer's shelter next to the old red phone box proved futile as it was ravaged by the wind and provided zero protection from the rain. We will share what we have in due course and promise to resume normal service at the next edition.
Lost Property:
Please search your kit and if you have any missing items please contact the admin team with as full a possible description as you can give.
Future challenges:
The rumour mill has been turning at full force and we have been bombarded with email enquiries about Point to Point. We advise you that due to the extremely demanding nature of this march only qualified persons or Fan Dance participants who have met the undisclosed DS criteria will be permitted to take part. A degree of navigation will be involved in this test so if you think you might have made the grade but can't navigate, you should begin your search to group yourselves with a navigator. Point to Point is one of the six Test Week marches faced on the final week of the four week Selection process, and for many, it is the hardest and one that breaks so many. Point to Point presents an incredible challenge and is a completely different animal to the Fan Dance; the weight goes up, the slopes get steeper, the terrain becomes more hazardous and the will to survive is ever more prevalent. Point to Point is my own personal favorite of all the Test Week marches and the DS are lookIng forward to it more than any other of our planned events. Firstly, due to the serious nature of the march and the reassuring factor that all participants will be vetted, we will be in the fortunate position to run the event in true military fashion and according to the exact Standard Operating Procedure employed by the DS on Selection. There will be no Ken Jones PR on this one, I will happily join my colleagues in assuming a full DS role so that those taking part can experience the absolute closest to Selection that we can possibly give. I know that this will be the best show that we will ever put on and the most demanding and enjoyable event you will ever undertake.
Merchandise:
Before I close we would like inform those who left disappointed that we ran out of their tee shirt or sweatshirt size, we will be putting in another order shortly along with the long awaited Winter 2013 design. We will try and price favourably to counter in the postage costs and will do our best to meet all requests. You should expect an email update on this within the next few days. Before I move away from the topic, I would like to clarify a little point. It was mentioned to the base camp team that only SAS sandy tees and sweats would suffice as the SBS didn't do Selection or the Fan Dance. I would like to correct this inaccuracy. I had the good fortune to serve wth the SBS for a short time and can assure you that they do indeed undertake the Fan Dance. In fact, since 1997 the Selection process has been a joint one with SAS and SBS taking the same Selection course at the same time. Prior to that, the SBS had their own Selection course that was every bit as horrible as anything undertaken by the SAS. In fact, as far as unpleasantness goes, the most brutal course in the British military system is ran by the SBS. It is a simple five day course modestly termed the Poole Aquaint Cadre designed to select the best marines to be allowed on the actual Selection course. I've never witnessed anything so horrendously tough in my entire military career and that is coming from someone who has been on the receiving end of some life changing thrashings! So those of you wearing a commando green BY STRENGTH AND GUILE tee or sweat, you can be safe in the knowledge that it is worthy and proper Fan Dance merchandise. We also still have a healthy supply waiting for a worthy home! Fan Dancers only need apply.
Close:
My final words are to congratulate all of you on an incredible Fan Dance performance on a day where many questions were asked of you. As I said on my welcome speech, the ultimate fitting tribute was that the Selection Fan Dance had taken place only one day before and in less brutal conditions than those you faced. You did yourselves and those who marched before you proud and that is something that should stay with you for the rest of your lives. The Fan Dance means a lot to me, it was my first challenge after learning to walk again and it was a true honour for me to share something so sacred to me with so many worthy and special people. Thank you for making this special journey with me, I am deeply humbled.
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible throughout the remainder of 2014.
WHO DARES WINS
Race Director,
Ken Jones
Avalanche Endurance Events HQ -Elan Valley, Wales:
As I sipped a hot brew and stared out at the wilderness of white through the kitchen window the words of a good friend resonated from deep within: "You promised an authentic Special Forces Test March and SAS experience to all those people who not only committed to the Fan Dance but also dedicated their time and energy to prepare physically and mentally for it. Just because there is a rare severe red weather warning, all the other events are cancelled and the TV weathermen and radio stations are telling everyone to stay at home, you have to set yourself apart and rise to the challenge that mother nature has thrown at you. For you and the DS it is your own personal Fan Dance to make sure it happens."
Fast forward to Friday 17th January 2014...
The DS and I already knew that Selection had started but when Jason and I drove past the Storey Arms Centre en route to RV2, a fleet of civilian off road vehicles and the iconic TWAT wagon (Test Week Administration Team) parked opposite the centre gave a strong indicator that the actual Fan Dance march was taking place. A couple of hours later after carrying out the day's early tasks we sat watching as the last of the soldiers come down off the mountain carrying their SLR rifles and checking in with the DS to have their name recorded. It was an intriguing spectacle that brought alive many memories of our own time on the course as well as an immense sense of relief that we would never have to go through it again!
After handing over the Storey Arms Centre to the base camp team Jason and I set out to climb Pen y Fan for a final recce and to mark out the route as far as Jacob's Ladder. Timing our departure with the arrival of the last Selection candidate, we pulled on our bergens and set off. There were still a lot of activity in the area with attached unit personnel such as medical staff, signalers, drivers and chefs more or less indistinguishable from the Directing Staff. Upon reaching the old red phone and about to climb the gate I caught the eyes of one of the staff who quickly looked away and carried on with his business. After a few steps it suddenly triggered where I had seen the face before and at the same time he returned his glance in our direction. ''Where you the Chief Instructor back in 2***''? I asked him, adding that I was on his Selection course when he confirmed he was. He told me he had since left but was now attached to the unit through L Detachment which was the very passage by which I had attempted Selection myself all those years ago. The exchange was brief but pleasant and I wasn't without noticing how utterly exhausted he looked. The rest of the day as we marked out the route Jason and I were filled with a strong sense of nostalgia at seeing the Chief and the desperate efforts of the last soaking wet, mud splattered troops coming down off Pen y Fan on the official Fan Dance.
By the end of the day my own struggle had caught up with me and the cumulative effects of nearly 3 days and as many nights without sleep began to tell. As I began to chase the cold side of the pillow in my desperate bid to find sleep I had a strong sense of why my former Chief Instructor's face had looked so haggard down at the old red phone box: 2013 experienced the deaths of three reserve soldiers on Selection and one regular soldier training for it, and the knock on effect for myself and the DS is one of increased pressure and extra scrutiny when it comes to mountain safety. It's one thing to know you have done enough but it can never be underestimated what the Brecon Beacon mountains and its volatile weather system can throw at you, especially so deep into the winter.
Although the DS had put in a provisional request for snow it seemed that the higher authority had prioritised variety and something new over what we had initially hoped for. On the day we experienced torrential rain, shrieking 60mph summit winds, biting cold, mud logged paths and reduced visibility, which in the words of Jason and Matt were perfect conditions. Indeed they were, and I echo the sentiment because what you faced on Saturday was quintessential Selection weather of the kind synonymous with the course since its post World War II inauguration.
As organisers you never fully know what you'll get on race day with regards to attendance and with the prior evening registration slot effecting our ability to gauge numbers, we wouldn't fully know until the vital moments prior to announcing assembly at the red phone box on Saturday. We usually receive an electronic bombardment of withdrawals on the days preceding the event, and with such adverse weather conditions anticipated, we had a vision of about 200 -250 total for both categories combined actually making it to the start line. The serious nature of the calibre of Fan Dancers became evident as early as 06:00hrs on Saturday morning when the DS became temporarily fixed to the weigh stations without even time for a quick brew.
The full scale of those willing to take on the winter Fan Dance only fully became apparent at 08:30 when close to 250 load bearers clambered over the gate, (and 150 clean fatigue at 09:30hrs) and braced themselves for the safety brief and the stand by signal. (Regarding the safety brief, for those of you requesting confirmation on what exactly a cake and ass party is, I'm advised it is a term best reserved for the company of Royal Marines or Paras, so will say no more other than it is something the DS don't wish to be taking place at the RV points.)
As you are all aware, the DS role is predominantly a static one on race day unless there is an emergency; therefore, the best accounts and stories are brought down off the mountain by the participants and we play no real part in your glory or achievements. It wouldn't be right for us as DS to submit an entry into what really took place that day as it was your Fan Dance and could only ever be as good as the people taking part. As Race Director I will go out on a limb and say that conditions were far tougher than those I faced on my own Selection Fan Dance march, and although in a different way, it was possibly comparable to the extreme alpine winter wonderland challenge faced by those at the inaugural winter edition of 2013. The only ones who can rightfully contest that debate are those who completed both, but whatever any veteran of both campaigns lean towards nobody can take away the sheer unpleasantness of what you experienced on Saturday 18th January 2014. Winter 2014 was an utterly brutal, hard as nails and downright SF march and anyone who completed it has made a profound statement as to their physical and mental resilience in the face of extremely demanding conditions. You should all be rightly impressed with yourselves and carry with you an enormous sense of pride and achievement. Not to mention, you are all that much more experienced and unbreakable than you were before your encounter with the Pen y Fan on Saturday.To recapture your memories a number of great blogs, accounts, videos and photos of Fan Dance Winter 2014 have been posted on our facebook page and twitter feed. We wholeheartedly recommend you visit the page for your own enjoyment and to pay testament to those who made the entry and also to appreciate what you achieved collectively and also as individuals.
Some highlights
True Grit:
For us as DS there were some stand out moments that are worthy of mention. The most prominent observation is the number of voluntary withdrawals and DS withdrawn participants in relation to the actual number of participants. There are far easier events than the Fan Dance that have a much higher attrition rate. The statistics we have are astonishing because out of 400 odd participants there were no more than 6 Voluntary Withdrawals and as many DS elected withdrawals. The extremely low percentage I believe is in great part attributed to the nature of the event, the history it represents, the calibre of individual it seems to attract and the respect participants show towards the challenge. The DS observed large numbers of participants teetering on the very edge of a withdrawal but some deep rooted sense of pride to not give in and to honour the grander history of the men who have gone before them remained firmly fixed in their mindset and they cracked on to the finish line when their body was screaming at them to stop. The Fan Dance takes dedication and a high level of physical preparation, but beyond that there is a battle of the mind which will only become real on the pivotal day. To see so many of you dig out and fight your way around the course was truly incredible, that so many of you earned a finisher's patch even more so. It was a true honour to hand over every single patch and an even greater privilege to have contributed to having given life to the famous route that would otherwise be dormant save twice a year on Selection. For those of you who didn't make it around the course, chin up and best foot forward, Pen y Fan and the Fan Dance isn't going anywhere anytime soon and there will always be the summer Fan Dance or Old Faithful to get back on track.
Category Champions:
Although we will address the overall category winners in a separate message we have to give high praise to Jonathan Albon for his astonishing performance. We have to carry out some DS snow underfoot calculations from last winter, and there won't be much in it, but his time looks to be very close or even under that of the Winter 2013 champion from New Zealand. What's more, we've rarely had such a modest and humble champion.
Brothers at arms:
A special mention goes out to the boys from the USMC and USAF who were stationed in Germany and had made the overseas trip to Wales just to take part. I had the good fortune of meeting a number of our American brothers at arms in the Storey Arms Centre on Friday evening and again post march. Their infectious optimism, sense of humour I was accustomed so to from the other side of the Atlantic and level of confidence was extremely warming and brought about a pleasant reminder of my own time on exchange with the USMC , 82nd Airborne and Delta Force. This merry band seemed totally unfazed by the challenge facing them and they seemed to be determined to have a good time no matter what the weather. More inspiring still, they were having a whale of a time post march, getting stuck into the Fan Dance beer and looked like they could go out and do it all over again. The highlight of my encounter with these boys came when I was pulled up on an oversight or lack of attention to detail in my SOP kit list. They pointed out that I had instructed everyone to bring a flask, and that I had neglected to observe that a flask means something entirely different across the pond. They then all preceded to pull out hip flasks full of whiskey. I stand corrected but it was the most I had laughed all day. Cheers boys!
Serving and former serving personnel:
As a number of you may know Winter 2014 was the final opportunity to qualify for Point to Point. Not only were the DS looking at qualification times but observations and notes were kept on most finishers for their level of alertness and potential to continue. One thing that stood out, and it was something the DS felt immensely proud of, was the state of current and former serving soldiers. Although our troops weren't the fastest on the day, many of them arrived at the red phone box with their clothing and kit in good,clean order, they were fresh faced, verbally coherent, vigilant, focused and sure of step. You can see it in someone's eyes if they are fit to continue and we know that if we had done as DS do on Selection and chucked in a sickener and informed them that the finish line was now ten miles down the road they would march on without showing the slightest signs of cracking. It was an honour to have you with us boys!
International:
I would like to say how incredible it was to have had so many international participants join us on Saturday. Just off the top of my head, and forgive me if I have omitted anyone, we had Fan Dancers from Mongolia, India, South Africa, Fiji, USA, Germany, Holland, Italy,Portugal, Sweden,Poland,Ireland and Scotland. One of our DS made the journey from Japan to be there!
Unfortunate Incidents:
As organisers our aim is to put together a good crew and to run a tight ship. What we strive for as DS is to maintain a low profile and to only speak or get involved in the march when absolutely necessary. I had the unfortunate experience of being told by a small number of participants that they were hugely disappointed by their Fan Dance experience because they had been turned back and told to return to the old red phone box by other participants. I would like to reinforce the policy that has been clear from the outset, that the only persons cleared to issue such an order are the Directing Staff. On Saturday that would have been myself, Jason at RV 2, Matt at RV 1- Fan summit, Kieran at Windy Gap or Nick who roamed ghost like and anonymously but wore an Avalanche issue DS jersey beneath his smock for identification purposes. Some of you will have noticed that the Directing Staff had assistants for mountain safety reasons, but even they had no authorIsation to withdraw or turn back any participants and were instructed not to. Although the DS did withdraw a small number of participants, we can only surmise that these individuals somehow interpreted the order to turn back as applying to everyone and passed the message on to those they encountered en route. We are extremely unsatisfied at this loss of opportunity experienced by the participants in question but reiterate that it is the DS only who retain absolute charge of all march protocol and mountain safety matters on the day. If any of you encounter a similar experience or command in a future Avalanche event you are to continue as you were and request confirmation from the DS at the next RV.
Sleeping bags. We had a few naughty participants whose priority was reducing the size of their load and had packed rubbish sleeping bags or bivi bags. In future the DS will be carrying out a visual inspection at the start line. Time penalties have been added to those who have infringed the regulations.
Now to our final piece of bad news; It is with regret that we announce that the photo opportunities were limited this time around so the usual albums won't exist. In each of our previous events we have complimentary finisher's photo of every participant which we upload and share electronically. Owed to the weather conditions and demands of the day it proved an unrealistic ambition as even our photographer was tasked to take near hypothermic participants into the Storey Arms and issue them a warm towel and clothing change among other important jobs. Our attempt to erect a poncho as a photographer's shelter next to the old red phone box proved futile as it was ravaged by the wind and provided zero protection from the rain. We will share what we have in due course and promise to resume normal service at the next edition.
Lost Property:
Please search your kit and if you have any missing items please contact the admin team with as full a possible description as you can give.
Future challenges:
The rumour mill has been turning at full force and we have been bombarded with email enquiries about Point to Point. We advise you that due to the extremely demanding nature of this march only qualified persons or Fan Dance participants who have met the undisclosed DS criteria will be permitted to take part. A degree of navigation will be involved in this test so if you think you might have made the grade but can't navigate, you should begin your search to group yourselves with a navigator. Point to Point is one of the six Test Week marches faced on the final week of the four week Selection process, and for many, it is the hardest and one that breaks so many. Point to Point presents an incredible challenge and is a completely different animal to the Fan Dance; the weight goes up, the slopes get steeper, the terrain becomes more hazardous and the will to survive is ever more prevalent. Point to Point is my own personal favorite of all the Test Week marches and the DS are lookIng forward to it more than any other of our planned events. Firstly, due to the serious nature of the march and the reassuring factor that all participants will be vetted, we will be in the fortunate position to run the event in true military fashion and according to the exact Standard Operating Procedure employed by the DS on Selection. There will be no Ken Jones PR on this one, I will happily join my colleagues in assuming a full DS role so that those taking part can experience the absolute closest to Selection that we can possibly give. I know that this will be the best show that we will ever put on and the most demanding and enjoyable event you will ever undertake.
Merchandise:
Before I close we would like inform those who left disappointed that we ran out of their tee shirt or sweatshirt size, we will be putting in another order shortly along with the long awaited Winter 2013 design. We will try and price favourably to counter in the postage costs and will do our best to meet all requests. You should expect an email update on this within the next few days. Before I move away from the topic, I would like to clarify a little point. It was mentioned to the base camp team that only SAS sandy tees and sweats would suffice as the SBS didn't do Selection or the Fan Dance. I would like to correct this inaccuracy. I had the good fortune to serve wth the SBS for a short time and can assure you that they do indeed undertake the Fan Dance. In fact, since 1997 the Selection process has been a joint one with SAS and SBS taking the same Selection course at the same time. Prior to that, the SBS had their own Selection course that was every bit as horrible as anything undertaken by the SAS. In fact, as far as unpleasantness goes, the most brutal course in the British military system is ran by the SBS. It is a simple five day course modestly termed the Poole Aquaint Cadre designed to select the best marines to be allowed on the actual Selection course. I've never witnessed anything so horrendously tough in my entire military career and that is coming from someone who has been on the receiving end of some life changing thrashings! So those of you wearing a commando green BY STRENGTH AND GUILE tee or sweat, you can be safe in the knowledge that it is worthy and proper Fan Dance merchandise. We also still have a healthy supply waiting for a worthy home! Fan Dancers only need apply.
Close:
My final words are to congratulate all of you on an incredible Fan Dance performance on a day where many questions were asked of you. As I said on my welcome speech, the ultimate fitting tribute was that the Selection Fan Dance had taken place only one day before and in less brutal conditions than those you faced. You did yourselves and those who marched before you proud and that is something that should stay with you for the rest of your lives. The Fan Dance means a lot to me, it was my first challenge after learning to walk again and it was a true honour for me to share something so sacred to me with so many worthy and special people. Thank you for making this special journey with me, I am deeply humbled.
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible throughout the remainder of 2014.
WHO DARES WINS
Race Director,
Ken Jones
