A video showing a hiker being heckled for skipping a line at the summit of Mount Snowdon, also known as Yr Wyddfa, has gone viral, sparking rows among climbers. The 27-year-old, from Manchester, bypassed a queue that had formed at the top of Wales' tallest peak, leading other hikers to shout "there's a queue you know" and suggest he "chuck his phone off" the mountain.
Hour-long queues at the summit
The incident comes as the mountain has seen a huge influx of visitors during the hot summer weather, with some people reportedly waiting over an hour to reach the 1,085m-high summit. Marc Screeton, who recorded the footage on August 8, defended his decision, saying he couldn't wait any longer after making a five-hour journey up the peak.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, the warehouse operative said: "I don't think you should be queuing up in nature on a mountain; it's the same as queuing up at a bar. People naturally see a queue so they decide to join it – it's a very British thing, isn't it."
Mixed reactions from hikers
Marc added: "I just wanted to touch the top quickly and get back down. I haven't endangered anyone or 'shoved or barged' past anyone. I did wait until it was clear to head up and touch the top." In his video, other people can be heard telling him "it's out of order," with one woman even suggesting people "chuck" his phone off the mountain.
Despite the backlash, Marc said: "I had a few people [message me] who had done the same thing, saying they did what I did just to be able to touch the top and get back down. So it wasn't just me that did it that afternoon; I just happened to have a video of it. I would say nine out of ten people are in agreement with me and are actually being really sound, but there are a couple of people hurling insults."
Calls for consideration
Another hiker, Tina Millard, told the BBC the mountain wasn't "Alton Towers" and defended queue jumping, saying: "I don't think that you should have to queue. It's a mountain, you should just be able to go up and that's it. We're not at Alton Towers for a ride. It's a mountain, it's for everyone."
However, one hiker, Lucy Taylor, hit out at those who skip the wait, arguing it was "not safe." She said: "I think you should queue because it's really quite dangerous and everyone's trying to get up there - it's just not safe."
Alun Jones, an area warden for the Eryri National Park Authority, has urged people climbing the peak to be "considerate" and "don't skip the queue." Over 600,000 climb the mountain, which can take 6-8 hours to complete, each year.
