{A magazine} journalist, three former Particular Boat Service (SBS) operatives, considered one of Nice Britain’s most profitable Olympians, England’s highest-capped hooker and a Swedish trance DJ met at a purple telephone field in South Wales. The spot marks the start of the Fan Dance – a 24-km route up the very best peak within the Brecon Beacons, Pen y Fan, down the vertiginous Jacob’s Ladder on the opposite aspect after which alongside a Roman highway to a carpark. When you’ve finished all that? Nicely, you flip round and return once more, after all.
For the UK Special Forces, the route looms on the finish of week one within the first part of choice, a filter for individuals who don’t minimize the mustard. It’s a timed march led by the Directing Employees (DS) that you need to full carrying a 27-kg pack and an imitation rifle. To move, you need to end earlier than the DS, with them or as close to as dammit after. The time allotted is three hours 20 minutes, although on uncommon events it may be barely longer, if the climate is especially inclement.
“The Fan Dance is synonymous with the Special Forces and it’s most likely the very best identified march that we do,” says Anthony ‘Staz’ Stazicker, ex-SBS sniper and co-founder of the high-performance attire model ThruDark. With a compact body carrying seen muscle from prime to toe, FA physique fats and a number of tattoos, he’s the definition of Tier 1 health. Staz is fast to smile and snort, and a storyteller.
“The Fan Dance has at all times been there, ever for the reason that outdated boys had been up and down,” he says. They’ve by no means tweaked the route, or the burden. The DS have 20-odd marches they will select from for the remainder of the course right here. However , heading into choice, that you just’re 100 per cent going up Pen y Fan. It’s written into the hills.”
