Arguments erupt over ‘queue-jumping tourists’ on popular UK mountain as hikers forced to wait hours to touch summit

TEMPERS are peaking on a popular UK mountaintop over hikers who are skipping the hour-long waits to the summit. Videos of backpackers heckling brazen queue-jumpers racing to Snowdon’s peak have divided viewers on social media. Marc Screeton recorded his hike to the summit, bypassing angry queues of fellow trekkers Credit: Jam Press/@marcscreeton The hiker from Manchester said there was ‘no chance’ he’d queue on a mountain Credit: Jam Press/@marcscreeton Some argue you shouldn’t have to queue to reach the summit, while others see it as a shameless violation of British etiquette. One video shows Mark Screeton, from Manchester, being booed at as he ignored the queue, before he retorts: “Imagine queueing on a mountain? No chance.” Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! But it’s not all about courtesy, with some pointing out the safety risks of queue-jumping. “I think you should queue because it’s really quite dangerous and everyone’s trying to get up there – it’s just not safe,” hiker Lucy Taylor told BBC Wales. The video shows crowds of disgruntled hikers watching Mark jump the line Credit: Jam Press/@marcscreeton Mark joked the ‘Karens’ on the hike were not impressed by his behaviour The park has said queueing at the summit is a ‘self-policing’ issue Credit: Getty Views of Nant Gwynant in Snowdonia Credit: Getty Others sympathised with outcast Mark, with Tina Millard from West Bromwich saying: “We’re not at Alton Towers for a ride. “It’s a mountain, it’s for everyone.” Visitors at Snowdon likened the atmosphere at the peak to a carnival in recent weeks, due to the huge crowds flocking to the summit. The bottlenecks are said to have grown in the past month, with the hot weather bringing more hikers to the iconic UK beauty spot. Most read in The Sun A spokesperson for Eryri National Park Authority has said policy at the summit remains one of self-regulation. He said: “There are three quarters of a million people summitting annually, so queues are likely to be expected in peak times.” He added there were no plans for new measures to be introduced this year, but that the matter would be reviewed in early autumn. The park has issued reminders to visitors to keep the trails clean and not to disturb wildlife. Standing at 1,085 metres above sea level, the mountain park, also known as Snowdonia, is a popular destination for hikers, attracting nearly four million a year. The Princess of Wales was among the thousands of visitors to the summit this summer, who braved the trail on her own in June. Kate completed the Three Peaks Challenge – which includes Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon – in just 24 hours. The Princess took on the hike to raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and to “explore life beyond diagnosis“. At the finish line, she was welcomed by the Prince of Wales, their children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – as well as her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, and her brother, James Middleton. It follows a similar incident back in May, when two charity hikers were scoffed at for bypassing queues. Jamie Richardson, 32, and Richard Thiedeman, 34, were met by a jeering crowd after taking different routes to the summit. Remarking on the reaction, Jamie said: “There’s no policing of it at all, it is purely free will, if you want to queue you can.” Comment now