Not everything you read about Snowdon is true. These facts, however, are believed to be true:
The oldest person to walk to the summit
The oldest person to walk up Snowdon is believed to be Henry Thackwell, an American, who walked to the summit in 1978, aged 90.
The youngest person to walk to the summit
In July 2019, 3-year-old Jaxon Krzysik walked up unaided, completing the Three Peaks over 3 months. Over the years we have encountered several 3-year-olds who have walked to the summit.
The fastest person to run up Snowdon.
In 1985 Kenny Stuart ran from Llanberis to the summit in 39 minutes and 47 seconds.
The fastest person to run up and down Snowdon
The men’s record, set in the Snowdon Race, stands at 1:02:29, set by Kenny Stuart in 1985. The women’s record stands at 1:12:48, set by Carol Greenwood in 1993.
The most times up and down in a day
The Snowdon 24 race sees individuals or relay teams running up and down the Llanberis Path as many times as possible in 24 hours. The record number of times for an individual is 8 times for a male, and 7 times for a female.
The most ascents as a train driver
Raymond Foulkes was a train driver for 34 years, making an average of 24 trips a week for 8 months of the year. In that time he made about 25,000 ascents.
The Snowdon Mountain Railway
The railway from Llanberis to the summit was constructed in less than 13 months. Once the permanent way had been dug, the track was laid in just 72 working days.
Fossils at the summit
The brachiopod fossils which can be found in places on the bedrock at the summit were formed under the sea some 450 million years ago.
The height of Snowdon
Although most sources will tell you that the height of Snowdon in feet is 3,560 ft, it’s actually 3,559 ft. (Our blog article here explains in more detail.)
Hafod Eryri
When Hafod Eryri, the summit building was built, every single piece of it had to come up by train. The building cost £8.35m.
Olympic torch
In 2012, the year of the London Olympics, the Olympic flame was carried to the top of Snowdon.
The King
King Charles walked to the summit of Snowdon in 1969 (when he was Prince Charles, and about to become invested as the Prince of Wales).
Films
Part of the James Bond film ‘The world is not enough‘ was filmed on Snowdon, as was part of ‘Carry on up the Khyber‘.
Busy!
About 3/4 of a million people walk up Snowdon every year. Another 140,000 go up by train.
Rescue
Last year the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team were called out over 250 times to incidents on Snowdon.
Temperature
The temperature at the summit is often some 10°c cooler than at the base of the mountain.
(There’s more facts on their way …..)