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Challenge Arrochar Billboard

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 ogreville 21 May 2015
I spotted a billboard today advertising the 'Challenge Arrochar' Beatson Cancer Charity Walk. It is being advertised as a three peaks challenge in the Arrochar Alps and the billboard stated a £35 registration fee and a £150 minimum sponsorship.

Does anyone else find this a little upsetting, the money element in particular, which was so prominent on the
billboard?

A well deserving cause I'm sure....and I am all in favour of Charity.....and getting more people out into the great outdoors to climb and walk....community spirit etc etc etc.

But.....I grew up with the firm belief being instilled in me that the mountains were for everyone and it wasn't about money. Prince or pauper, regardless of class, the mountains and crags were there for the taking.

I don't want to offend anyone, Beatson in particular, and I'm not some kind of uncaring ogre, I take part in charity events etc, but the outdoors are where I go to get away from the pressures of money and the grind and to see a £180 price tag being slapped on a day out in the mountains hurts me a little, notwithstanding the good cause.
 Simon Caldwell 22 May 2015
In reply to ogreville:

They're not preventing anyone else from going up those hills for free are they?
I'd rather they do this than join the hoards driving round the country on the 2 Peaks "Challenge".
llechwedd 22 May 2015
In reply to ogreville:

I guess the salience of the 'money element' does affect how you see the event.

Here, in Snowdonia, we'll soon be experiencing the annual cavalcade of the three peakers. Their presence is highly visible and they are widely vilified ( rightly so IMHO). But there are probably some groups taking part, whose charitable element is negligible, and direct expenditure is mainly on the commemorative T shirt, a share of the transport costs, and the group's energy gels. So, whilst they are disruptive, it needn't cost the earth ( CO2 emissions notwithstanding) to take part.

By contrast, there is also the 14 peaks challenge in Snowdonia. Far less popular, but you'll have some who are doing this walk , having paid a guide a similar amount of money to your £180. Smaller groups, less razmataz than the 3 peaks, In most cases, they could have saved that money by serving their mountain apprenticeship, and then gone for a long day's walk. But business is business you may say. So, in contrast to some of the 3 peakers, we have a group who pay a lot of money to go for a walk, yet are not as disruptive.

I think events like the one you've mentioned are just a sign of the times. They are an anathema to me, but clearly other people like them. The knee jerk reaction is to call me elitist, or a grumpy old git. Maybe I'm guilty as charged. But is it not strange how the majority of people adopt the recipe book approach to hillgoing- car park to summit along THE path ( I guess we all tread the same path from time to time), yet at the same time many can quote W H Murray, Hamish Brown, etc. There's some notional identification with exploration and wilderness. But, if the number of (wild) camping tents are anything to go by, the connection with a wider mountain experience is largely vicarious.

This common mindset feeds and is fed by internet forums and TGO. We're all 3 peakers now, in some ways. The mundane trip report has been relabeled as a mini expedition- Yay! look at me, I'm self consciously having an experience.
And, if you're really special you can tell us all about it -HD quality, highly edited, drone copter captured, gear sponsored, drenched in anodyne ( and MTB video interchangeable) musical slurry. Neatly packaged for today's consumer.

'Challenge Arochar'- what's not to like?

 malky_c 22 May 2015
In reply to llechwedd:

I just leave others to it - if you want to pay £185 to do something that is free, then more fool you

However, that is a quality rant and nicely worded - I tend to think it is all a bit unnecessary - the only reason you need to go out in the hills is that you want to. There doesn't need to be a cause. I'd rather donate monthly to charities that I feel an affinity with than get involved with over-the-top events like this. Still, running is way worse for it than hillwalking.

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