Bryce Gowryluk, a 16‑year‑old experienced hiker from Vancouver, was airlifted from the “Widowmaker” climbing route on Crown Mountain after he became stuck on an unmarked section known as the Widowmaker Arete.

In the days before the hike, Gowryluk consulted the AllTrails app and Google Maps for the main route. He also asked Anthropic’s Claude AI for help, but he says the chatbot was used mainly to generate a packing list rather than to plot his way up the mountain.

While following his planned path, he inadvertently turned onto the unmarked Widowmaker Arete. The terrain quickly grew too steep and smooth for a simple scramble, leaving him with no safe way to descend and forcing him to call for help.

North Shore Rescue dispatched a helicopter, lowered rescuers to his ledge, and hoisted him to a secure extraction point before flying him back to the mountain base. The operation was described by the team as a “try‑not‑to‑freak out” experience.

Paul Markey, search manager for North Shore Rescue, noted that this was the first call the organization had received involving AI. He cautioned climbers against “blindly following” routes suggested by artificial intelligence, emphasizing the need for personal judgment and verified sources.

Although headlines focused on the AI angle, Gowryluk maintains that the chatbot did not cause his predicament; the wrong turn onto an unmarked path was the decisive factor.

The incident joins a growing list of emergencies where people have relied on chatbots for outdoor decisions, underscoring the broader risk of treating AI advice as infallible.