The first phase of selection is the marching/walking component. It runs twice a year, once in the summer, and once in the winter. It starts off with a build-up period, which lasts for two weeks. Each man must be certified fit by his own regiment, the SAS feels it only fair to give each man a chance. During the first week, volunteers start with a series of road runs that increase with length over the week. Each volunteer must also be able to demonstrate that he is capable in passing the standard Battle Fitness Test in the time given for infantrymen and paratroops. Regarded as a minimum standard, this is used to bring out any unsuitable volunteers, before the remainder are sent off on a number of timed cross-country marches over the black mountains and the Breacon Beacons of South Wales. This is difficult country for movement and has frequent rapid changes in weather. The object of this stage of the programme is not only to asses the candidates' physical condition and attitude, but also to test their capabilities in the essential skills of map reading and navigation. The men are then separated from their original partners and assigned marching and map reading tasks with bergen weights increased steadily from 11 to 25kg (24 - 55lb) Troopers must also complete these marches in an pre-set amount of time set by the programme's controllers which is unknown to the volunteers. Therefore, the volunteer must push himself steadily to make the cut. Volunteers must also deal with additional factors such as rain, which will soak into the bergen and make it much heavier, increasing the possibility of getting lost, which may result in the need to jog the rest of the way to make up time. They also may be stopped at check points to strip a foreign weapon or answer questions on topics such as a landmark he passed some time ago.
Selection is an extremely intense programme: a typical day begins at 0400 hours and can end as late as 2230 hours or later with a briefing for the next day's exercise. The result of this is extreme mental and physical fatigue. This is deliberate, which insures that the trooper has the ability to operate under increasing pressure, and that only the best finally get through.
At the end of the two or three week build-up period, many of the candidates have been lost from the programme, some at their own request, and others who have been "Binned" by the programme staff, or returned to their original unit (RTU'd) A smaller number of candidates go off to the final stage of the Selection Training Programme - Test Week.
Test Week is an intensive seven days of gruelling tests and assignments culminating in the "Long Drag" or "Fan Dance", which is a 60km (37-mile) land navigation exercise over the highest points of the Breacon Becons (including Pen-y-fan) The candidate starts off on his ordeal with his personal weapon and a 25kg (55lb) beregen, and is faced with the task of completing the course in under 20 hours, regardless of weather conditions. Even in the summer, the weather conditions can vary dramatically. |
