Bulgarian Influencer, 28, slipped and fell to death while hiking up 3,000ft Snowdonia peak
12 June 2025, 09:42 | Updated: 12 June 2025, 10:17
A social media influencer who was an expert mountaineer fell to her death in February after hiking up 3,000ft Tryfan in Snowdonia.
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Bulgarian influencer Maria Rosenova Eftimova died after slipping and falling from the 3,000ft Tryfan mountain in Snowdonia on 22 February, an inquest has heard.
The fall happened in front of friends, as Ms Eftimova, 28, scaled the mountain with a group of 18 other people.
Neil Oakes, who was among a group of about 18 on the peak when the party split in two, said he had been ahead of Ms Eftimova and turned around to check on his companions.
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The inquest heard the group saw her 'tumbling through the air' as she fell 60ft to her death.
The influencer was known to have an 'insatiable thirst for life and exploring our world's beauty', according to friends.
Ms Eftimova had just completed an ice-climbing course in Norway, and had amassed more than 10,000 followers on social media.
Mr Oakes added that as he watched her fall, he "knew there was going to be an impact".
"I was shouting "No,no,no! When I turned back she had hit the ledge below."
Harry Jones, another witness to the tragedy, said about seven of the group on the peak had been going from ledge to ledge.
Mr Jones was at the back of the group immediately behind her, described how she struggled to get a hand hold while trying to climb onto a ledge above.
"She started to pull herself up," he said in a statement, "but then I saw her flying over the top of my head down the mountainside".
Mr Jones said he 'froze' then dialled 999.
Mountain rescue crews arrived quickly, but Ms Eftimova had died before she could be taken off the mountain.
A post-mortem examination showed she died from severe head injuries including a fractured skull.
Tributes from her father Rosen Eftimov described how she was born in Bulgaria but travelled to the UK for her university studies.
She worked for Costain as a civil engineer and became a British citizen in 2024.
Ms Eftimova was an experienced mountain climber, a keen snowboarder and had completed a glacier climbing course in Norway.
