NORTH WALES CRUSADERS hope to feel the benefit of a hike up Mount Snowdon when they return from a four-week hiatus.
Carl Forster’s side haven’t played since opening their league campaign with a win at Dewsbury in February.
To keep things fresh – and raise money for the Welsh Mountain Zoo – the squad and coaching staff walked to the summit of Wales’ tallest mountain, climbing more than 3,500 feet.
Forster, who retired from playing at the end of last season, said: “It was a lot tougher than I thought it would be.
“I was probably the slowest man. I did it in just under three hours, but a few of the lads absolutely flew up and they were stood at the top waiting for us.
“They were as competitive as ever. The young, quick lads started walking and I don’t think they looked behind once.
“There were a few lads who had done stuff like that before, but I’d never done it. It was a bit of a shock to the system. The day after, it felt like I’d been out playing.”
Forster explained why the change of scenery was effective, adding: “It was a different type of training.
“There’s the longevity – mentally it’s quite tough as the climb goes on, then you’ve got to turn back around and come down.
“I thought it was also really beneficial to spend a full day together which we don’t normally get, so there were no complaints from me.
“We had four weeks and I didn’t want to give the lads time off, because we’d not really played enough games to warrant that.
“Also the lads don’t want to just go on a field and do what they’ve been doing for the last three or four months already.
“It was just something different to break it up, and we might revisit it next season.”
North Wales’ return to action comes on Sunday against Goole, who have already beaten them this season in the 1895 Cup second preliminary round.
Forster said: “They gave us a bit of a lesson last time we played them so it’ll be nice to test ourselves a few weeks later and see if we’ve made any improvements.”
