AIBU to think booing the exhausted charity climbers was unfair?

At the end of reading all the posts since my first reply, I’m still torn because -

1. the climbers in question who did the three peaks sound twatty
2. the reason for the queue being there also sounds twatty

The problem is, because it’s not an official queue, there’s not guidance as to what it’s for. So it’s every person’s own guess as to whether it’s just for selfie takers or if “real” climbers must stand in it too.

I’m a bit worried now about going up Yr Wyddfa /Snowdon in the summer with my son who is an excellent walker and climber but has ADHD. There’s no way he could stand in an hour long queue but I’m not sure if he’ll be able to cope with the lack of closure of not just touching it for a second if other people seem to think it’s a thing. Don’t want to spend the rest of my life/ his childhood with him moaning that we didn’t “really” do it for the sake of a few metres!

Completely agree with this. My initial thought was how arrogant to think a queue doesn’t apply to you, I am very British re queuing and anyone trying to jump a queue. But a queue for the summit of a mountain which can be approached from 360 degrees because people are arsing about taking selfies - hell no.

The story is about people queuing for selfies and getting fucked off when other people do not do the same.

Like I say it's an example of the internet impinging on the real world. Why are those people queuing? For selfies. Why are they queuing for selfies in that particular place? Because internet algorithms have caused them to think this is necessary behaviour.

This is a real turnaround from even fifteen years ago, when people took photos to reflect the world as they saw it on the internet. Now the world, or at least particular corners of it, queue by queue, is being used to perpetuate algorithmic patterns which themselves are driven by advertising data and revenue. That's what the path up to Snowdon has now become.

Are we happy about this? I can't say I am.

I think it's more of a thing on Yr Wyddfa because the trig point is really much more prominent than it is on other mountains. If you don't go all the way up to it you are knocking a good 5-6m off your elevation gain for the day 😂Like doing Tryfan and not doing the leap.

Don't forget that there's a train up Snowdon, so half the people queuing for a photo won't have actually climbed it at all.

The queue is ridiculous, the first time I saw it at the top of Yr Wyddfa I honestly had no idea what I was looking it. I've never seen it on any other mountain, other than perhaps a short queue to leap between Adam and Eve on top of Tryfan.

I think it only started because people are so desperate to get 'selfies'. If everyone just ran up the steps, touched the trig point and moved on it wouldn't ever form.

If you want to say you've "done" Yr Wyddfa, then you can still do it, but think about doing it early morning or late evening, away from the crowds. I've run up late evening from Llanberis, and it's busy but you won't be queueing at the top like this

If you want to do mountain walking/running, there are better routes in Eryri. The Glyderau can also be busy from Ogwen valley, but there's loads of other peaks in the Carneddau, or a loop of Moel Eilio from Llanberis is a much quieter route.

I don’t think it is though, because the whole article is pretty much about them moaning about being praised for their achievement.

And as others have said, these climbers didn’t need to touch the trig point to prove they’d climbed Snowdon and it should have been obvious to them that Snowdon would’ve been extremely busy on a bank holiday weekend!! I’ve got no sympathy for them at all.

It's not Thorpe Park. No supervision or instructions to queue. Serious walkers and runners just go up to the top, then carry on with their day. Over time the general public have evolved a queue so that they can go to the summit and take turns to pose, video and generally make prats of themselves trying to make it look as if they are on a mountain alone. Of course it was wrong to boo these blokes.

Why do you need to touch the trig point anyway? There is no rule that they have to touch the trig point to prove that they have climbed the mountain.

People climbed the mountain long before the trig point was there. They climbed it and walked down again and didn't need to be filmed/photographed.

There was a queue so the charity men should have not even touched the trig point in the first place. There was no need. The charity men are now moaning because they ignored these people waiting.

They didn't get the adulation they were expecting. The charity men are the snowflakes here.

Snowdon is the worst for this.
Most places are pretty quiet.

”It is horrible when you complete a very challenging and isolated walk and find a crowded summit.”

I’m no hill walker but even I would know that Snowdon in glorious weather on a bank holiday weekend is going to be busy and full of photo takers and tourists.

Other mountains are available if you want isolation…

I also don’t get why a BBC article is needed on this. I can’t see how it’s news.

It's topical because this type of thing is happening all over the place. Do we want our public spaces to have areas cut out of them for Instagram selfie queues? It's an example of internet content creation impinging on real world behaviour and access.

Because the other climbers would’ve been experiencing exactly the same weather conditions as them. Yet they just focused on themselves and how they weren’t congratulated by anyone for getting to the top. Why should they be congratulated, over and above anyone else?

Exactly!

@outdooryone Also, to add, Yr Wyddfa is by no means easy (which people might think you meant when you said there’s a ‘very easy, wide path to follow).

It is not easy. You make it sound like a jaunt to the local supermarket. You need proper shoes, clothes and equipment and to have done the appropriate prep before climbing it. I had a very outdoorsy friend who thought, like you, it was easy. It was easy for her. Not for me. It was hell - even with the appropriate clothes and shoes etc.

Its a mountain; they didnt want a photo opportunity!

Pete’s Eats is open again, gone a bit upmarket from the old days.

They don’t give a single thought to the other climbers.

Why do they need to? What they did doesn't affect anyone on there. No one has to queue. Anyone else there could have done the same.

To PP, I wouldn't bother with Snowdon. On nice days it is hellish at the top.
Personally I would demolish the train track.

Should have worn better sunblock if they were sunburned.

Entitled knobs wanting a round of applause for their hobby.

Pleaae do not recommend a recreational hiker to take the Crib Goch route.

I think the climbers were selfish because, in the article, all they focus on is how tired they were. They don’t give a single thought to the other climbers.

I also don’t get why a BBC article is needed on this. I can’t see how it’s news.

Actually it's the queuers who were selfish. They had created a blockage on the most accessible route to the summit in order to take photos. These lads got to the summit by sensibly avoiding the blockage and going a different route.

to be honest they probably would have saved a lot of aggro if they'd just shouted as they arrived explaining that they just needed to touch the top and go because they were doing a timed climb for charity.

I imagine people were booing because they probably thought they were going to do the same thing they were queuing to do - stand there for a minute or two and take a picture, in which case regardless of whether you think there 'should' be a queue to access something, once there is you have to wait in it or risk being thought a dick. If they'd just taken 10 seconds to tell people what they were doing I doubt people would have reacted the same way.