![]() All in all there is around 4-4500 feet (1200-1300 metres) of total ascent over the course of the over and back route. That may not seem too much, but added in weight and speed elements and then you’ve got a hell of a day out. A long drawn-out strength-sapping slog for the first section and then an incredibly steep final push on loose ground to the peak of Pen y Fan once again. From there the route levels out into a long drawn-out descent to the halfway turn around point at 1200 feet of altitude.Īfter a quick time check and drink it’s time to spin around and retrace the route of the first half. ![]() From there the route heads down sharply on the rough ground of Jacob’s Ladder before joining up with a the Roman road (it’s probably no tactually Roman). In the first two miles the route gains around 2000 feet (600 metres) of ascent ticking off the summits of Corn Du at 2,907 ft (873 metres) before topping out on Pen y Fan at 2,907 ft (883 metres). Traditionally the actual SAS selection route of the Fan Dance is something of a guarded secret, but the route we have here is the one taken by Avalanche Events in their summer and winter organised Fan Dance races and is the purportedly closest to the actual route used by British Special forces during ‘selection’.Īlmost immediately from the start beside the A470 at the (in)famous red phone box beside the Storey Arms outdoor centre the route climbs. The 24km route takes on the highest peak South of Snowdonia, Pen y Fan. Of course, that isn’t strictly necessary, and perhaps a little distracting for everyone else out in the hills too. Official military entrants also complete the dance with a rifle in hand too. ![]() That is why, during the ‘official’ military Fan Dance, participants are required to carry such a heavy load on their backs. What that means in essence is covering a lot of ground quickly, whilst remaining self-supported and carrying everything (essential personal equipment, weaponry and ammunition supplies, radio communication devices and food and water) you need across all terrains. In the true military sense, The Fan Dance is essentially a TAB (Tactical Advance to Battle). It’s not too hard to spot them with anyone running in tiny shorts with a fridge-sized pack on their back being a likely suspect. The infamous 24km route over both sides of Pen y Fan at the end of Week 1 has always been considered the yardstick of a candidates potential to reach Test Week and ultimately pass the Special Forces “Selection” program.Īlthough more than 50 years old, the original challenge route is still used as a real test for all potential SAS recruits. Throughout four weeks of physical assessment there are a number of standout tests, “The Fan Dance” is one them. The essential elements of the “Selection” program have remained constant and unchanged since 1956, a series of back to back self-navigated, heavy load-bearing test marches, wearing boots and carrying an assault rifle over arduous mountain terrain, whatever the weather condition. Since the end of the Second World War, the Brecon Beacons have served as the proving ground for Britain’s elite soldiers, with the SAS in particular basing a large part of their selection process in the hills. The Brecon Beacons are the mountains and the challenge they hide is the Fan Dance- the infamous run taken on by potential members of British Special Forces as part of their selection process. But within their reach they still retain enough character to put even the burliest of men on their backside. The mountains aren’t as high as their neighbours to the North in Snowdonia, and they don’t offer the technical alpine terrain you might expect from a mountain range. ![]() ![]() In the southern half of Wales there is a range of mountains that has taken on an almost mythical status in the world of outdoor challenges. ![]()
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