Interesting. The reason I mentioned it is after running a few races on a number of occasions the weather seems similar for each race year after year, and June , or late June always seems wet. If you are not after heat then April/May and Sept/Oct seem the most reliably dry and pleasant months weather wise.
However this is not science based.
You can't criticise people for picking a date then wanting to stick to it. Not everyone's attempt can be as flexible as others.
You pick your day then take what comes. Just look at the weather today. You'd probably be suffering from dehydration and getting sunburnt!
Fitness can't be stored. It must be earned over and over, indefinitely.
AC is significantly tougher in my view. I've done both ways twice and the AC has felt much harder both times. Don't underestimate that last section. Its a killer if your legs have gone and those nice easy descents become tortuous whilst the ascents go on for ever. You need much more time for this than you'd expect. also having the dark nearer the end is worse. If you lose time its very difficult to catch it up again.
compare this with the nice easy jog from dale head to the finish. :wink:
FMA,
You make the point extremely well about AC being much harder, if for no other reason than the last section being dramatically harder, I think there is a similar argument for the Ramsay, with the end of an AC round having some shocking ascent and descent: onto Aonach Beag, off Aonach Mor then up Carn Mor Derag, then along the arete and up the Ben, then down the Ben biting the bullet and going direct most of the way... arrghh!
Somebody wrote in another thread "imagine being on 1/2 way at Bowfell" from there Anticlockwise would be easier. But imagine comparing Great Gable (CW) to threlkeld (ACW) which I reckon are comparable in the amount of time left. I would much prefer to be on Great Gable going CW.
Last edited by DrPatrickBarry; 25-06-2013 at 06:25 PM.
I agree, never really understood why people go Anti- clockwise. The only real advantage I can think of is that you could do without road support at Honister. All 3 rounds seam better clockwise.
If you have any doubt as to which way to go make your first recce a CW run out from Threlkeld. Stop at the top of Clough Head and look back over towards Blencathra and imagine climbing Halls Fell after God's knows how long on your feet. Then get on with planning a CW attempt :closed:
Poacher turned game-keeper
I like taking it in turns; my next attempt is to be clockwise . Mind you I want to do it both ways if I'm honest.
By the way we were ahead of schedule by Bowfell but we began to lose time in the swamp lands and paddy fields of the Langdales and continued to lose bits and bobs of time from there on in. The Helvellyn ridgeline was so exposed to the weather and so socked in with clag that we just found it impossible to travel fast enough.