Haribo and Pot Noodle help nine-year-old conquer ‘three peaks challenge’ in ‘early birthday treat’

A budding mountaineer from Drumnadrochit has completed an incredible feat just days before his 10th birthday. Ruaridh Gibson Christie completed the Three Peaks Challenge last Saturday in very wild conditions on the summit of Ben Nevis amid zero visibility and snow. He scaled Snowdon in Wales and Scafell Pike in England with his dad Chris and mum Claire in April and was determined to climb Scotland’s highest peak prior to his birthday tomorrow (June 1). The P5 pupil at Glen Urquhart Primary loves mountain biking, rugby, shinty, football and climbing mountains. • Our Active Outdoors features “Snowdon took six-and-a-half hours, Scafell Pike took five-and-a-half hours, and Ben Nevis took eight-and-a-half hours,” Ruaridh said. “Although I was with mum and dad, all the trails to the summits were very busy with other hikers. “At the end it definitely felt like an early birthday treat, though the conditions were very hard on Ben Nevis with zero visibility, icy winds, and several inches of snow.

It was very exciting though and is one of my top achievements. “Ben Nevis was the most fun and the trickiest. Snowdon and Scafell Pike were windy and cold with cloud cover at the summits, but Ben Nevis was the wildest!” He added: “Our go-to treats were Haribo, Tic Tacs, pork pies, and hot Pot Noodles at the summits. “My dream career would be a professional mountain biker or an ‘extreme’ policeman - specifically part of a flying squad.” Ruaridh’s next goal is climbing Braeriach in the Cairngorms or Buachaille Etive Mòr in Glencoe. He also wants to cycle the Great Glen Way from Inverness to Fort William and hopes to compete in his first mountain bike race by the end of the year. Do you want to respond to this article?

If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.