Three peaks challenge

Every second advert you see right now seems to feature either a rock climber
or mountaineer on a soaring peek. The imagery is clear and draws an obvious
parallel between the adventure and heights that can be reached outdoors, with
the challenges faced by someone building a career in business or the corporate
world.

For your chance to win enter
here

Advertising and marketing people just can’t resist the allusion. Success in
business is like climbing a mountain – both offering a similar sense of
satisfaction.

It is therefore unsurprising that corporate team building in the outdoors has
remained undeniably popular and an effective way of developing team and
leadership skills. It is because of events like the Three Peaks Corporate
Challenge that it remains so compelling.

You pull together a team of colleagues and clients, bond them as a unit and
attempt to get them up the three highest mountains in the country safely and as
quickly as possible.

While hiking any one of Scafell Pike, Snowdon and Ben Nevis would be
relatively easy on their own, doing all three at once – a total of 36 miles – is
a daunting prospect that will require preparation and teamwork.

The Three Peaks have been used for centuries as the perfect backdrop for
groups to explore the limits of their personal (and collective) ‘comfort zones’.
The challenge, in particular, allows groups of individuals, through a collective
effort in unfamiliar territory, to discover what it really means to be part of a
high performance team.

For managers, challenges like this are an opportunity to learn how ‘the team’
drives a company forward. Team members bring individual talents to a task and,
combined, they ensure that progress is made collectively.

For individuals the test and the learning experience comes in many forms.
Firstly there’s a chance to understand the importance of a common goal and it
helps improve communication skills by breaking down barriers at all levels.

Then there are the benefits of learning about your fellow team members, such
as their differing work styles and personalities. More importantly, there’s the
chance to learn about putting trust in people, offering support and having
respect for their efforts.

These are the crucial elements when faced with a difficult physical
challenge. Can you keep people motivated when they are tired and feeling like
they should give in. It’s this kind of teamwork that often more easily takes
people through their comfort zone to success. This can be as true of client
relationship.

Here is what the challenge entails:

Snowdon, Wales (3,560ft/1,085m) 7hrs

Hikers will arrive at 9.30pm and walk through the night to complete the
ascent. We will be taking the Llanberis footpath up past The Halfway House and
the Monolith to the summit and return down the same path. Over the last few
years the average time each walker has spent on Snowdon is 5 hours.

Scafell Pike, England (3,209ft/978m) 5 hrs

The walk up Scafell Pike starts around mid morning from just outside the
hamlet of Seatoller and follows the stream (Grains Gill) over Stockley Bridge,
then up to the Great End massif. The track goes up and through Calf Cove and
then along the ridge to Scafell Pike. We return down the same track.

Ben Nevis, Scotland (4,408ft/1,344m) 7hrs

The biggest and hardest route using the main mountain track going up from the
Achintee car park in Glen Nevis and goes up to the Wall Corner.

Win a place on our team

The challenge begins on 21 June when hikers will walk through the night to
the top of Snowdon. They will then move on to Scafell Pike and finally Ben
Nevis, the most daunting part of the challenge. Walkers will be bused between
each mountain to aid recovery.

Accountancy Age will be entering a team and has two places for
readers who feel up to the challenge. You have to be available between 21 and 24
June. To have a chance of being on our team enter our prize draw by telling us
the three highest mountains in the world, in the right order, and in less than
100 words why you should be on our team. Send entries to
[email protected]
by 27April. Go to accountancyage.com/3peakschallenge for full details.

Enter your own team

If you want to enter your own team go to
www.3peakscorporatechallenge.com
to find all the details and an entry form or contact The 3 Peaks Corporate
Challenge, Central Administration Office, 28 Upper Dicconson Street, Wigan, WN1
2AG. Or call 01942 826256.