AEE

END OF SUMMER PROMOTION
SAMARKAND CORONADO SHORTS

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BRECON BEACONS NAVIGATION TRAINING WEEKEND UPDATE

The Saturday 22nd August Basic Navigation Training Day is a Green On. A single place remains. Accommodation is included

The Sunday training exercise will now follow a revised format. The navigation training ex will be canned. Instead a DS led Test March will be staged. Therefore, there will be no navigational requirement, although the DS leading the exercise will explain route selection decisions while negotiating the terrain.
This exercise will be useful to anyone considering their ability to undertake a test march once the series resumes this autumn.
The pace will be modest and bergen loads limited to 25lb maximum.

08:00hrs start

Sunday fee: £50

Complimentary acommodation available (limited numbers)

There will be limited free event places for experienced test marchers wishing to enjoy a day on the hills.

[email protected]

See you on the hills

Blackbeard

BRECON BEACONS NAVIGATION TRAINING (BASIC & BEGINNER)

Good evening,

I will personally be running this Saturday's Navigation Training Day in the Brecon Beacons. There will however be a switch to its rating. The Saturday training day will no longer be view for Selection candidates, instead it will be focused on beginner and basic ability levels. No man left behind. We walk at the speed of navigation rather than fitness ability.

This is a great and rare opportunity as I am able to offer free accommodation on Friday and an evening of theory work. This allows a full day on the hills on Saturday, and thus, greater scope for learning. This is a short notice window as Pilgrim Lodge is rarely available as typically booked out by Selection candidates.

With a test march date soon to be announced, this training exercise will dial you in well for the demands of the marches.

Map, Compass and bergen marker panels provided for those who require.
Bed & breakfast
Relaxed atmosphere with an environment primed for learning. All fitness levels welcome.
Fee: £100

[email protected]
Subject line: BB22

Cheers
See you on the hills
KJ
[email protected]
Subject line: BB22

LAND NAVIGATION TRAINING DAYS NORTH
As promised, two additional dates

5th & 19th September

Our Station Master North is one of our most experienced and senior ranking DS. A former Paratrooper & SAS Senior NCO, he has served on Training Wing and been directly involved in training candidates for SAS Selection. He's a great operator, experienced, knowledgeable and also a fantastic guy who always has my back l, and is ready to impart pearls of wisdom, whether I want it or not. He's someone I listen to and who gets me out of trouble frequently.

These training days are ideal for the UK Special Forces Briefing Course (BAC) and preparation for our Test March Series. For those not known to AEE DS, a navigation approval is required from one of our DS about suitability to load onto our Q Course & Test March Series.

Exercise is for beginners/basic of all fitness levels. Pace is dictated by navigational speed not physical ability.
Timing: 08:30 - RV-cover basics of theory.
Physical start 09:00hrs
RV location: To be cleared via private email
Kit: Day pack , boots , waterproof jacket , warm jacket, compass, map case, mapsheet # to be confirmed-hat , gloves, 2 water bottles , flask or brew kit and cooker, packed lunch or rations, snacks for on the move, personal basic med/first aid kit./blister kit. Cell phone, spare change & fresh change of clothes and footwear for End-Ex
DS can supply map sheets and compass if required.

Compass should ideally be in Mils with 1:50,000 roamer.
Met: Wait Out

Further Details:

The exercise will be staged around a tour of the Torver area of Lake District (near Coniston). The day will start with refreshing the basic's before going onto more advanced techniques (a alongside a proven formula to equip all attendees with the knowledge required to successfully complete test week marches or to operate independently and with confidence in the outdoors. The DS running the exercise will supplement instruction with field craft advice. He is also one of our most experienced and senior ranking former SAS staff, directly involved in training candidates for SAS Selection.
If you're training for the Winter Fan Dance, Test Week marches or just want to develop greater physical then use this day by carrying your full kit and gain valuable training experience. Remember if you really want it you have to 'train every day.'
Look forward to meeting you all and having a great day. There will be a pub stop.

Thanks for your support

KJ

Fee: £60
To register email [email protected]
Complete the open fields below
Subject line: NAV TRG NORTH + date ( 22 August / 5th Sept/ 19th Sept
*Name
*Age
*Cell #
*AEE Fan Dance time and edition/fitness level
*Navigational ability
*Military experience if any
*Notes/Observations
Further Joining Instructions and payment guidance to be issued upon registration.

Any questions should be directed to: [email protected]

LAND NAVIGATION TRAINING DAYS NORTH

Multiple dates: 22nd August
Further dates to follow

Instruction provided by AEE former SAS staff. Our station master north one of our most experienced and senior ranking former Paratrooper & SAS Senior NCO, directly involved in training candidates for SAS Selection. He's a great operator, knowledgeable and also a fantastic guy and who always has my back and is ready to impart pearls of wisdom, whether I want it or not. He's someone I listen to.

Exercise is for beginners/basic of all fitness levels. Pace is dictated by navigational speed not physical ability.

Timing: 08:30 - RV-cover basics of theory.

Physical start 09:00hrs

RV location: To be cleared via private email

Kit: Day pack , boots , waterproof jacket , warm jacket, compass, map case, mapsheet # to be confirmed-
hat , gloves, 2 water bottles , flask or brew kit and cooker, packed lunch or rations, snacks for on the move, personal basic med/first aid kit./blister kit. Cell phone, spare change & fresh change of clothes and footwear for End-Ex

DS can supply map sheets and compass if required.
Compass should ideally be in Mils with 1:50,000 roamer.

Met: Wait Out

Further Details:

The exercise will be staged around a tour of the Torver area of Lake District (near Coniston). The day will start with refreshing the basic's before going onto more advanced techniques (a alongside a proven formula to equip all attendees with the knowledge required to successfully complete test week marches or to operate independently and with confidence in the outdoors. The DS running the exercise will supplement instruction with field craft advice. He is also one of our most experienced and senior ranking former SAS staff, directly involved in training candidates for SAS Selection.

If you're training for the Winter Fan Dance, Test Week marches or just want to develop greater physical then use this day by carrying your full kit and gain valuable training experience. Remember if you really want it you have to 'train every day.'

Look forward to meeting you all and having a great day. There will be a pub stop.
The DS
Fee: £60
To register email [email protected]

Subject line: NAV TRG NORTH
*Name
*Age
*Cell #
*AEE Fan Dance time and edition/fitness level
*Navigational ability
*Military experience if any
*Notes/Observations

Further Joining Instructions and payment guidance to be issued upon registration
Any questions should be directed to [email protected]

Dear friends & supporters of the Fan Dance,

Here follows the 2026 Summer Fan Dance post march message. This communication will be shared again via email along with the event timekeeping & images.

I have always felt inclined toward the spiritual over the scientific, and applied that philosophy, ethos and outlook on life to the events and all associated to it. It has always been my belief that nobody gets too caught up in the ego or validation of event timekeeping, results, or the ceremonial. I always believed a period of time was best invested in reflection, holding onto personal memories, gauging the impact of the event's physical and emotional demands, and carrying out one's own personal AAR (After Action Review). That review should be scientific, spiritual and practical. It should be an exercise in integrity.

The aperture between race day and the release of event images and timings is considerably wider than our standard delivery protocol. As many of you are aware, we experienced a fatality on 4th July, so aside of my brief press release, AEE have largely observed a period of radio silence and business/event promotion closure out of respect for the family. The family is now in possession of a full timeline of events and, guided by their wishes, we have released no further information, nor shall we. Although some part of me wishes to say something meaningful by way of tribute to the departed, it is not a matter for me. My prayers shall be directed towards the heavens, and my thoughts remain for me alone.

We do invite all those event patrons who assisted in the emergency response to the significant event to email the Directing Staff, and with your permission, your contact details will be shared with the family, who have expressed their wish to thank you privately for your efforts. The DS will also contact you individually.

The Fan Dance was always supposed to be a very individual and personal test, an experience with an element of a sense of pilgrimage aligned with it, perhaps even a spiritual one; a phenomena and effect I have always strived to implement and manifest into the event experience, although not always to universal success, as each man takes away from the event what he wants. In essence, what I am trying to say, is not to get too caught up in the winning, the bettering of your adversaries or event rivals because it is all done and dusted. More than that, you already know how you did and that can't ever be truly validated in a meaningful way by a finish time or a patch presentation. You have to know yourself and believe in yourself more than that, and not to need the validation from me, the other DS, or officialdom in terms of ''official race results'' or those around you, followers, fans or friends. There are plenty of other excellent events out there that will more readily satisfy this need for immediacy.

This obscure position I adopted for the events and for much of my own life philosophy borrows heavily from SAS & SBS Selection. A beautiful and pure environment and climate exist in which there was so rarely any feedback at all. An experience in which nobody ever said ''You did great'' or ''keep going,'' nor to the contrary; no negative feedback or dissuasion was meted out as that too could be leveraged as a driving force for success or motivation. The intention was to find men who carried enough self-belief to not require external praise or reward. Men who were able to look themselves in the mirror and know what sort of a man they were, and to do so with humility and unshakable determination and self-belief. A paradigm of winning never existed on Selection other than the relief of making the first four tonne truck back to camp for a vital rest and food. Stronger and fitter men who outputted superior performances could and would eventually fall behind, fail or even quit, and the very notion of winning and losing crumbled into fine particle matter, absorbed into the sinister eddying Elan Valley mist or the mighty Brecon Beacon high winds. Just to be there was worthy of the honor, and to survive the process was merely to be humbled, rather than some profound sense of victory.
I wanted all this for you too. I do appreciate my MO is unconventional, far removed from an industry standard, and as a race provider of sorts, there is a demand for immediate photographs and results. I also know and do consider that not everybody likes the way I operate and perhaps some resent my procedures, certainly some opine that my customer service delivery is unfriendly or hostile. Many don't like my position and beliefs on matters Fan Dance, philosophical or political, but just because you disagree, it doesn't mean that I am wrong. I can argue my position with a robust intellectual capacity, and I have no problem upsetting people if I feel my belief and personal code align with strong morals in terms of what I believe to be true and just. To be of an uncompromising high standard, and stoic in nature.

I'm an aware individual and with all things considered, this is the crux of it all; I gave life to the Fan Dance for me alone. I did it to reflect the way I live my life, representing aspects of my personality and my soldiering experience. I have always remained utterly determined to foist upon the event's patrons the adoption of a robust disposition and values of excellence and humility through a learning experience, to embark on a small journey, distinctly military, in flavour and spirit. It is one born from profound experience, some exhilarating, some near death. I certainly never wanted the Fan Dance to be a fun, or a participation event and every part of it down to your first website visit and email information packet was deigned to be part of a training package, bound by storytelling and woven with other personal facets of the lives of my DS team and I.

The Summer Fan Dance of 2026 had its tragedy, and it is something we will never forget, and a memory we shall always honor. However, the event was otherwise a great success in terms of your performance. Clothing & equipment standards were among the very best we have ever experienced, which made the bergen weigh in and the tagging process slicker, less argumentative and without too many DS forced removals or category changes. The completion rate was also extremely high for Load Bearers (Clean Fatiguers runners typically bring their A Game), which demonstrated that there were no chancers or dreamers of the night, throughout all ability levels, everyone had evidently physically prepared well for the rigors of the challenge. A strong field is a safer field and liberates our DS & MST to respond to more urgent matters than having to motivate or es**rt strugglers and stragglers. There were some tremendous performances and more impressively, nobody gave up. All withdrawals were DS enforced or medical. There were two quite nasty injuries that required a hospital visit. They both took their injuries very well, cheerfully and with an attitude of disappointment overriding the pain. A worthy DS pat on the back to the two runners who had their Fan Dance put on hold on the return leg under the instruction of our DS & MST. These selfless runners didn't hesitate to take over the roles of our staff by manning our strategic MST positions and guiding fellow runners so that our DS & MST could deploy to incidents of varying levels of seriousness. If you took over on Pen y Fan summit & MST 2, please email the DS for a Winter guest place. The same for those who assisted in the most serious of incidents at MST 3.

There were disappointments which I emphasise as they need to be stamped out for any future editions of the event. After failing the Bergen weigh-in footwear inspection, a number of Load Bearers saw fit to try and pass off a pair of their friend's boots for their second inspection attempt, with the intention of wearing the failed boots the next day, once their packs were tagged. Some were caught in the act, others at the start line the next day, some apprehended at the finish line and immediately disqualified. I don't so much mind the lie, the act of deception or the attempt at craftiness as there is always something slightly honorable in risk and daring. What disturbs me, and I take as a personal insult, is that you people actually though you could out smart and out maneuver my DS and I. I've been around the block, operated in elite military units and was a street urchin as a young lad. I wasn't always a good boy and developed as much street knowledge as I did military strategy. The arrogance astounds me that you thought the DS hadn't thought of your creative little stunts. You people would never outwit or outmaneuver us if your very lives depended on it.

A number of potential Load Bearing winners also incurred time penalties at the finish line for their boots. The Fan Dance Load Bearing category requires rigid boots, with solid ankle support at least 6 inches from bottom to top, with the measurement taken from the back of the boot. Trainer type footwear with ankle support are not boots, irrespective of how they are marketed. These trainer type boots are faster and lighter but offer less resistance to injuries. The protocols in place are to protect Load Bearers from injury and to preserve the integrity of the all-time timing rankings. We will republish the General Classification again later this year (2013-2026).

Clean Fatigue runners: We understand that many of you are very experienced ultra runners. You are micro reducing your clothing & equipment too much and we are having to withdraw some of you from the event. Our clothing & equipment list is heavier than many other similar events, even those that are longer and more demanding. You must adhere to our event protocols. The gentleman who won the Main Field Clean Fatigue category was guilty of this but had a good attitude to being caught moments before the starter's gun. He moved at the speed of a thousand gazelles remedy the issue with a fit for purpose warm jacket. We don't take pleasure in arguing with those who support our events, but there is always an interaction. It's not as if, after all these years the general public isn't aware how my team and I operate. We have a well-deserved reputation for strictness, and nastiness when appropriate occasion arises.

Although the emergency response wasn't effected, the matter of spectators is another issue, and going forward, supporters at or around the red phone box over will be banned and the area cordoned off. To reinforce this, we will be levying time penalties to finishers if your guests breach the regulations. We had a serious event on Saturday 4th July which occasioned a significant increase in vital radio traffic. Twenty or so of your friends and family were so loud and obstructive we couldn't clearly hear the radio transmissions coming in, nor transmit our own messages back as fluidly as procedure requires. We repeatedly asked your people to move away, then lowered ourselves to pleading with spectators to leave the area and to do so quietly. They simply wouldn't cooperate; such was their determination to cheer you on. We then had to justify ourselves by explaining that we had a high-level medical emergency and needed a degree of quiet, but still they refused, thinking that moving back 6ft and then resuming their cheers minutes later was sufficient. I dispatched one of my gentler natured staff to encourage them to leave the area as my own diplomacy has narrow limits. It didn't work, your friends and family still wouldn't move or be quiet. Some outright refused and claimed a public right of way. I'm appalled that I had to enter into a more military form of communication to get the message across. And still, as they scurried away, incapable of thinking further than themselves, looked at me in consternation while wearing a: 'What a rude man' look across their faces. Some people only understand a specific type of messaging. And many of you wonder why I greatly prefer cats to people.

Spectators also cause carnage with our event timing and mountain safety log sheets, as we can't be sure who's finishing the event and who's just hanging around as we try to maintain accuracy and accountability of who is coming off the mountain. Invariably, finishers ignore the timekeepers and run towards their cheering family, and we have to dispatch staff to apprehend them. Often, spectators run into the finisher's enclosure area and disrupt proceedings, leaving us uncertain who is a racer or supporter.

The same apply will also apply to athletes in future editions. No waiting for friends or family. Once the Fan Dance has been completed, you will have to clear the area and return to Base Camp or your personal transport.

Event patrons of the Fan Dance have to understand, we are not going to allow participants to establish traditions, norms, behavior patterns or perceived acceptable rule breaches. The DS and I will control the narrative and preserve the military heritage and pedigree of this beautiful soldiering time trial. If the cost of that is less interest, I'll take ownership of that risk. Does an event director have a right to so distinctly march to the beat of their own drum in a commercial industry in which the customer is so often right. I genuinely don't care. Not out of sheer bloody mindedness or arrogance, but because the best thing I ever did is believe in myself, and the values that I have so intently tried to instill and exert upon those who take part. I believed in upholding the SAS Selection standard, its safety protocols and encouraging a stoic mindset. To a majority this approach, however cold, has given the event a layer of authenticity and integrity that has stood the test of time. A considerable volume detests so much about it and me and I'm comfortable with that. I know I can never be all things to all men. I know in my heart I have always held a high, uncompromising standard and my integrity has remained steadfast when it comes to investing in people and assets for your safety. I'm not compromising my values, ethics, or standards to placate people, or garner followers, fame or social media traction, because that would be a betrayal to myself and the way I live my life. The litmus test for so much is that lives have been saved by our mountain safety strategy and the staff that perform them in moment of crisis. On one occasion we couldn't. An unblemished safety record and sold-out events with next to zero publicity pays testament to our pedigree. For all its flaws as an event in terms of razzamatazz and niceties, and my own, something clearly resonates, even if only on a sub conscious level, and even to those who dislike my world view and delivery style. I refuse to allow popular opinion, civilian culture or commercialization to determine event safety protocols or for event patrons to gradually seize control of the event, or incite gradual changes based off expectations from other events, or through interpretations of what is within the law and spirit of the event according to individual capability and experience. Actions that are on occasions exhibited through bad attitudes, demanding corners be cut or exemptions made to accommodate sensitivities or even special talent from the most capable of athletes. I have little tolerance for the chaos of the ill prepared or disregard and disrespect for the event command structure. I'm as comfortable being disliked as being liked or admired. If you're taking part or not taking part in the Fan Dance because you like, dislike, agree or disagree with me, you've lost sight of its greater meaning. The challenge, its history and significance transcend all that. It is bigger than me, and you. Your only credible line of investigation should be whether you trust me and the team I handpicked with your safety in fair or the most adverse conditions. To borrow from an old book called ''Who Dares Wins'' by Tony Geraghty, ''these men were a bunch of misfits who happened to fit together.'' I've certainly no desire to fit in. If you want to be there with us, fine, if you don't, fine. I can live with that indifferently and still be grateful for what the event and its supporters give to me and the AEE team. I just understand that all things pass and am not to be too attached to anything.

I offer my sincere thanks to all who supported this summer's event. Overall, it was a very impressive performance. The Fan Dance event attracts some fine people, and no greater tribute can be paid to that than the willingness and readiness of those who joined our staff in attempting to revive life or man strategic safety locations. In some way, we all want to be tested and useful to fellow man. Saturday the 4th of July provided a tragic opportunity, and you stepped up and did what you could, in a fatigued state and under very real pressure.
You can't know how proud my DS team, the Doc and I are of you all. Even those of you who showed your support through thoughtful messages online, in email or in person, or the offers to assist as you passed by the incident. Good people.

As always, you gave these moments to me and many more beside it, and in spite of the personality clashes, and my distance from people and civil society in general, I am yet again, touched by the serenity of gratitude and
the extraordinary courage and compassion of those who answered the call to help.

God bless you all.

Who Dares Wins

March Director

Ken Jones