Leo Laimer of Austria claimed a little piece of Egypt’s hiking history last week, becoming the first person to complete the Three Peaks Egypt challenge. He didn’t just finish it. He did it in a hugely impressive 16 hours and 6 minutes, setting an early record on the challenge that’ll be a tough nut to crack! Congratulations to Leo for showing everybody that it can be done! It wasn’t Leo’s first time in the Sinai: he’s been visiting for over 30 years and is a seasoned hiker who – prior to the challenge – had been on a month-long walkabout in the mountains. All that experience – and hard-won mountain fitness – counted to his advantage and shows just how beneficial both those things can be in a successful challenge. Anyway, we caught up with him recently, to ask his opinions on the trail and to get as many tips for him as we can that might help you plan your trip!

Have you ever done a mountain challenge before? 

No, never before. Maybe because we Austrians tend to be lazy…

The Three Peaks Egypt Challenge is 38km, with 5000m of ascent and descent. How does that feel for a hiker? And how did it feel the next day? 

Being on the move for 24 hours is unusual for most hikers. So a lot of it’s about stamina. But the most critical thing in my opinion is concentration in the latter parts of the challenge. By this time, in the latter stages, you are hiking by headlamp, which is something that needs some getting used to. The path is never clear and straight. It needs a lot of attention everywhere, especially in the last part on the steep, irregular and worn-out steps of Mount Sinai. With me being an old guy and thus having more stamina than sheer explosive power, I felt like I could have gone on for some more time at the end. And the next day was absolutely no problem.

Most hikers find the length a challenge. What about you? 

I’m more a stamina type, so the length was no problem for me. Doing it in a more competitive manner within 12 hours might be a different beast though.

What were your favourite parts of the challenge? 

The first half – the long ascent to Jebel Abbas Basha – was completely new and pretty exciting for me. And being on Mount Sinai again after 33 years was also something…

You climbed Jebel Katherina and Mount Sinai in the dark. How did that affect things? 

My mind and body were begging for comfort and relaxation. Especially following a dinner break we took after Jebel Katherina. Sitting there with a full stomach, the lazy Austrian mode was hard to shake off. As for the darkness, hiking at night with a headlamp made it more difficult. We had no moonlight (but I doubt if you’d gain big advantage even if you did have it). Hiking in challenge mode needs a full, proper view of where you’re going: so a good headlamp is absolutely essential.

We all know the route is a physical challenge. What about the mental side? How did that compare with the physical challenge and do you have any tips for dealing with it? 

The mental side was easy most of the challenge, as we were good friends doing it together (the number decreased as the challenge went on though). We just happily chatted away most of the time. Hiking out into the dark after dinner was quite a challenge though.

What would you say to people who are worried about whether they will be able to do the challenge or not? What tips would you give the for physical preparation before they come? And what tips would you give for the trail itself? 

There are several emergency shortcuts out to civilisation, so there’s no need to be worried about whether you can do it or not. Dont’ underestimate the constant roughness of the trail. Be prepared to give your constant attention to your footing. My top recommendation is to go slow, but steady: that will avoid most of the problems you’d encounter and will help you last the longest. For training, I do long, exhaustive hikes on a regular basis, back in the Alps and in Sinai.

Does it feel good to have completed the challenge? 

I made the slowest time of the whole bunch – counting my guide! – but it still feels very good.

So we’ll see you again one day, for the 12 hour challenge? 

Hopefully yes, in November!