Claude hallucinated route down “Widowmaker” mountain, leaving teen stranded
Not what we meant by touching grass.
Image by Getty/Cheng Xin
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- A 16-year-old was rescued after Claude recommended a dangerous route down Crown Mountain in British Columbia.
- Mountain rescuers said a fall on the path could have seriously injured or killed him.
- Rescue teams warn hikers not to rely on AI tools for routes in unfamiliar terrain.
- Similar AI-guided hikes have stranded climbers in California, Poland, and British Columbia.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
One teenager asked Anthropic’s chatbot for advice on descending a mountain affectionately called “Widowmaker,” but Claude led him off the beaten path and straight into peril.
A 16-year-old boy asked Anthropic’s Claude how best to descend the steep mountainous terrain of Crown Mountain in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
The teenager reportedly rode a gondola up to Grouse Mountain, where Claude then planned his trip to the nearby Crown Mountain.
However, despite the mountain rescue PSA’s warning that users should steer clear of AI-planned routes, the teenager headed down the mountain on Claude’s authority.
Quickly, the teenager found himself in trouble as Claude had misled him down a treacherous path, hallucinating a route that didn’t exist.
Once the teenager was off the trail, he struggled down that path until it was clear he needed help.
So, he cleverly called rescue techs, who told CTV News that a fall would have caused significant damage to the teenager and could have resulted in his death.
After about 3 hours on the mountain, the teen was brought back down to Earth, in more ways than one.
“Claude has never been in that specific area, has never been on that route, and has never been in the outdoors,” one mountain rescue member told CTV News.
So, it’s best to do your own research and gather information from people with firsthand experience with the terrain.
AI threats aren’t only digital
Despite numerous reports on AI’s ability and willingness to hallucinate, people are still applying AI advice where there’s little room for error.
Another very similar case occurred in California, when 3 amateur climbers followed AI’s advice, turning an 8-hour hike into a 2-day journey from hell.
The AI provided poor preparation for the climbers, suggesting they pack less food and water than they actually needed, and improperly advised them on what kinds of food to consume.
Other climbers have received misleading advice, including a couple of hikers rescued from the Polish Tatra Mountains in July 2026 after consulting ChatGPT about how to cut a corner to the Five Lakes Valley.
Last year, 2 hikers in Canada who also used ChatGPT to plan a route while ignoring weather conditions and being ill-equipped for snowy trails, got stranded on Unnecessary Mountain in British Columbia.
