A 16-year-old hiker rescued from Crown Mountain in British Columbia says artificial intelligence should not be blamed for the dangerous situation that left him stranded.
Bryce Gowryluk was airlifted by helicopter after accidentally entering the steep “Widowmaker Arete” route on Crown Mountain. The Vancouver teenager said reports suggesting an AI chatbot directed him onto the route were misleading.
Gowryluk said he spent about three days planning what was expected to be an eight-hour hike from Grouse Mountain to Crown Mountain and back. He consulted AllTrails and Google Maps. He also used Anthropic’s Claude chatbot to cross-check some terrain information and help prepare his packing list.
However, he said the AI system did not tell him to take the Widowmaker route.
During the hike, Gowryluk mistakenly turned onto the unmarked Widowmaker Arete. The terrain gradually became steeper until he reached a nearly vertical section and could no longer safely continue or climb back down.
He eventually reached a small ledge and called his mother before contacting emergency services.
North Shore Rescue located him by helicopter. Rescue technicians were lowered to his position and moved him to a safer extraction point before he was airlifted from the mountain.
The teenager is an experienced hiker, an air cadet with survival training and a certified belayer. His mother said he was familiar with the North Shore mountains.
Rescue officials nevertheless warned hikers against relying heavily on AI-generated navigation advice in unfamiliar terrain.
North Shore Rescue search manager Paul Markey said AI tools lack direct experience of mountain conditions and should not replace proper route research, maps, training and judgment.
