Image: Cambrian news
A Welsh father turned one of Britain’s most recognisable mountains into the backdrop for an extraordinary year-long fundraising challenge, climbing Snowdon 141 times while dressed as Spider-Man. Dylan Hughes, from Bangor, Gwynedd, took on the challenge throughout 2025 to raise money for Hope House Tŷ Gobaith children’s hospices, which support children with life-threatening conditions and their families. Hughes eventually raised £6,118, according to Hope House, and presented the charity with a cheque in January 2026. The challenge also included 108 crossings of the difficult Crib Goch ridge, adding another demanding element to his year of fundraising. Hughes climbed to the summit 141 times during the year while wearing a Spider-Man costume, turning himself into a highly recognisable figure on the mountain. The challenge continued through different seasons and weather conditions, eventually producing 141 summit ascents and a substantial fundraising total. Completing 141 ascents of Yr Wyddfa required Hughes to repeatedly face changing conditions throughout the year, from deep winter snow to warmer summer weather. One of the most significant moments came on July 19, 2025, when Hughes completed his 100th ascent of Yr Wyddfa alongside his seven-year-old son, Jac. By that point, he had raised around £3,600 for Hope House and had also completed 69 crossings of Crib Goch. Alongside his 141 ascents of Yr Wyddfa, Hughes completed 108 crossings of Crib Goch, the narrow and exposed ridge on the Snowdon massif. When Hope House published its account of his fundraising achievement in January 2026, Guinness had not yet officially confirmed the record, meaning the 108 crossings should be regarded as an achievement submitted for consideration rather than a ratified Guinness World Record. Completing the 141st climb in 2025 did not necessarily mark the end of Hughes’ fundraising relationship with Snowdon or Hope House. In its January 2026 account, the charity reported that he planned to return in 2027 and repeat the challenge for the children’s hospices. His 2025 effort had already transformed repeated journeys up Yr Wyddfa into a fundraising campaign that combined endurance, family memories and public awareness. From battling through waist-deep snow to completing his 100th summit with his son and crossing Crib Goch 108 times, Hughes used the mountain as a platform to raise £6,118 for children with life-threatening conditions.
Because he believed the achievement could qualify for a new record, hughes submitted details of his 108 crossings to Guinness World Records. Because it made his challenge immediately recognisable to people on the mountain, the Spider-Man costume became an important part of Hughes’ fundraising strategy. Because people wanted to know why a person dressed as the comic-book superhero was repeatedly climbing Snowdon, hope House said he met walkers from different parts of the world during his climbs, with conversations often beginning.
Hope House reported that some of his winter climbs involved snow reaching up to his waist, forcing him to make his own path through sections of the mountain.
Hope House said the costume helped him attract the attention of fellow walkers, who would stop to take photographs and talk to him about the reason behind the challenge. His unusual costume quickly became part of the challenge, attracting attention from fellow walkers and helping him spread awareness of the charity during his repeated journeys to the summit. Hughes used those encounters to explain the work of the children’s hospice and encourage donations. During the summer, the conditions were more favourable but the mountain became busier, giving Hughes more opportunities to interact with other walkers while wearing the Spider-Man costume. His repeated journeys also meant returning to the mountain regardless of the conditions and maintaining the challenge over an entire calendar year. The unusual sight of Spider-Man climbing towards the summit became familiar to people visiting Eryri, with Hughes able to turn many of those encounters into conversations about the children and families supported by Hope House. It was Jac’s first time reaching the summit, making the milestone particularly meaningful for Hughes after months of climbing the mountain as part of his fundraising effort. Hope House later identified the climb with his son as Hughes’ fondest memory of the entire challenge. The occasion gave the year-long project a family dimension, as Hughes was able to share one of his mountain journeys with his son rather than marking the 100th summit solely as a personal endurance achievement. The ridge is known for its steep, rocky terrain and exposure, making it a particularly demanding part of the mountain for walkers. The crossings nevertheless formed a major part of Hughes’ challenge and added another physical test to a year in which he repeatedly travelled to the summit of Snowdon. Those encounters produced a number of memorable moments during the year. Hughes recalled seeing someone climbing the mountain wearing only Speedos, while he also narrowly missed encountering former heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury and his family during one of his outings. His Facebook presence documenting his Eryri adventures also helped draw attention to the campaign, allowing the unusual sight of Spider-Man on the mountain to become associated with fundraising for Hope House. The Spider-Man costume made him a familiar sight to walkers, while the money ultimately went towards services intended to support children and give their families vital respite and positive experiences. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.
In 2025, he decided to combine that interest with a year-long effort for Hope House Tŷ Gobaith, choosing Yr Wyddfa, commonly known as Snowdon, as the centre of his campaign. Dylan Hughes, a father of two from Bangor, Gwynedd, had already developed a strong connection with the mountains of Eryri before beginning his fundraising challenge.
Hughes ultimately raised £6,118 for Hope House Tŷ Gobaith, presenting a cheque to the charity at Tŷ Gobaith on January 16, 2026. Hope House Children’s Hospices supports children with life-threatening conditions and their families across North Wales, Shropshire, Cheshire and surrounding areas, with Tŷ Gobaith serving families in North Wales. The money raised by Hughes will help the charity provide services including respite stays, which give families time away from the pressures of caring for a seriously ill child, as well as physiotherapy and activity sessions that can provide children with positive experiences and opportunities to make memories with their families. Hughes also visited Tŷ Gobaith and met children and families supported by the hospice, giving him an opportunity to see directly how the money from his mountain challenge could help.