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The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Adventure-loving woman fell to death climbing in north Wales beauty spot
A social media influencer with more than 10,000 followers died plunging 65ft when she lost her grip climbing a rocky mountain face, an inquest heard. Adventure-loving engineer Maria Eftimova, 28, was tackling the notorious Tryfan mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales, when the accident happened. Maria was climbing with friends and trying to get a handhold when she tumbled - and went into "freefall" down the mountain. Fellow climber Harry Jones said the group were going up the face one-by-one when he saw her fall. He said: "I could see on one particular ledge Maria stopped in order to get a handhold. to pull herself up. I was six ft below her, to the left. "She swung her right leg up to pull herself up. I asked 'Got it well?' and she said 'I think so." But he said moments later he was Maria "flying over me" and down the mountain. Neil Oakes, who was on a slightly different route up the mountain told of his horror at seeing Maria's fall. He said: "I turned and saw Ms Eftimova tumbling through the air below me. She was already in freefall. "I knew there was going to be an impact on the rocky outcrop below so I turned away for a split second. I was shouting 'No, no, no, no.' "When I turned back she was on the ledge below. I knew that it was serious. I said 'She's gone. She's fallen'. I was in shock. "The inquest heard she suffered severe head injuries including a fractured skull and despite help from paramedics she died at the scene. Maria was the second professional woman to die in the mountain range in a week following the death of 30-year-old Dr Charlotte Crook. Maria, of St Helens, but originally from Sofia, in Bulgaria, had more than 10,000 followers on social media where she showcased her outdoors lifestyle. She was an experienced mountaineer and had recently completed an ice-climbing course in Norway. But the Caernarfon hearing was told she fell on the mountain's notorious north ridge - a popular but dangerous scrambling route. Coroner Kate Robertson returned a conclusion of accidental death and passed on her condolences to her family and friends. She said: "It seems that Maria was scrambling with others when she has unintentionally and unexpectedly fallen and during the course of that fall she has sustained the injuries which have sadly led to her death." Friend Victoria Critchley, set up a fundraising page to help pay for repatriation costs, saying: "Maria was an ambitious, bright and cherished 28 year old, whose vibrant personality, energy and aura touched and uplifted all around her. "She had a passion for engineering, having studied Civil Engineering at the University of Salford and a love for extreme sports. Her biggest passion being Snowboarding, which she was super excited for and looking forward to doing again on her upcoming trip to Austria. "She had an insatiable thirst for life and exploring our world's beauty. Tragically, she was taken from her family far, far, far too soon!" Victoria said the fundraiser who help Maria's devastated family. She said: "Adding to their immense grief, the family, who reside in Bulgaria, face a significant financial burden to repatriate Maria and give her the dignified farewell with her loved ones that she deserves." Friend Jem Elder wrote: "We will miss you everyday, forever Maria Eftimova. Your beautiful, uplifting spirt will always live on, you really were the very definition of loving life and living a happy, fulfilled life, inspiring others to follow in your footsteps. See you on the last climb." The tragedy on February 22nd came just six days after Dr Charlotte Crook also died while climbing in the same region. An inquest heard Dr Crook plunged 30ft to her death while walking on Glyder Fach with a fellow medic. Both women were attended to by Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation. Speaking of Maria's accident, the team said: "A group was ascending the north-ridge when one of them fell 20 metres into steep terrain. "Passers-by with climbing equipment abseiled down and made her safe, and a team member already nearby made his way down and started CPR. "Colleagues from Welsh Ambulance Service stood by at base while the Coastguard helicopter dropped team members onto the mountain. "Unfortunately, the casualty had not survived her injuries, and she was brought down to Oggie base. The thoughts of all involved are with the casualties families and friends, thank you to all the members of the public who tried to help."
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Travel influencer, 28, fell 60ft to her death in front of her friends on one of Britain's deadliest mountains
Friends of an extreme sports enthusiast who fell 60ft to her death from one of Britain's deadliest mountains watched in horror as she went 'tumbling through the air'. Influencer Maria Eftimova, 28, who friends said had an 'insatiable thirst for life and exploring our world's beauty', joined a Facebook group who went hiking up a 3,000ft Snowdonia peak, which is located in Wales. The thrill-seeker was an experienced mountaineer who had recently completed an ice-climbing course in Norway. But tragically the engineering student lost her footing when her heel slipped while scrambling up Tryfan on February 22. 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 Eftimova and turned around to check on his companions. 'I turned around again and saw Maria tumbling through the air below me,' he said in a statement to an inquest into her death on Wednesday. He added: 'I 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. Eftimova was ahead of him and slipped as she pulled herself up. He said: 'All I saw was her flying over the top of my head and down the mountainside.' Jones said he 'froze' then called emergency services. A rescue helicopter and mountain rescuers arrived at the scene but Eftimova died from multiple injuries. Jed Stone, of Ogwen Valley mountain rescue team, told the hearing she had been scrambling on the north ridge of Tryfan, an area of steep rocky ground and many cliff faces. Originally from Bulgaria, Eftimova had lived in the UK for ten years. A heartbroken friend previously posted a video of the group of walkers attempting the 'Mexican wave' on the peak - half an hour before the tragic slip. Nargesse El Haiba wrote on Facebook in a tribute: 'This will have been roughly 30 minutes before your tragic accident and you taking your last breaths in front of me. 'I have grieved you and cried so much that I can't cry anymore. I will never take the mountains for granted again.' Eftimova - who was studying at Salford University in Manchester, England - was a keen climber, surfer and snowboarder who had climbed Tryfan several times. In a statement her father Rosen said: 'We learned about Maria's death from a telephone call from her friends with her at the time of the accident.' North West Wales senior coroner Kate Robertson told the hearing: 'Very sadly it seems Maria was scrambling with others when she's unintentionally and unexpectedly fallen. 'During the course of that fall, she has sustained the injuries which have sadly led to her death. That fall was entirely accidental.' She concluded that Eftimova's death had been an accident. When she opened the inquest, the coroner said Eftimova had been 'trying to reach a ledge to get a grip on the hand-hold and has gone to lift herself up'. She added: 'Her heel has slipped and she's fallen from the ledge and it appears she's fallen some distance.'
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Bulls will look to use raw power to take down Leinster in URC final
The South African podcaster Harry Jones recently posted a video to social media detailing the country's rugby philosophy. A fan, whom Jones labels the Potchefstroom Poet, lays it out for those who have not been initiated in the ways of the 'Bok: 'We f**k them up in front, easy. We make our first-time tackles. And then, we spread the ball. Easy. No nuance in how the Bulls can sack Croke Park this week: back to brutal basics. ~ the Potchefstroom Poet — Harry Jones (@haribaldijones) 'Rugby is not hard.' Libations may have influenced this particular bard when dumbing down the rugby DNA of an entire nation. But he isn't wrong. READ MORE Twice in the last four years, Jake White and his Bulls have faced Leinster in URC knockout games. Twice they have ended Leo Cullen and friends' seasons. The secret sauce? See our lairy lyricist. The Bulls laid siege to Leinster's forward pack in a way which has become stereotypical of South African sides. The Irish province couldn't cope. Should the Bulls revert to type? If they do, are Leinster better equipped to deal with the onslaught? Against the Sharks last week, the Bulls did not just rely on set-piece, forward dominance and an astute kicking game Let's start by succeeding where our muse failed; putting some statistical meat on the bones of the Bulls' success. They fall into the South African blueprint of looking to play without the ball, kicking aplenty and being ruthlessly efficient when they do earn opportunities to strike. In last year's semi-final at Loftus Versfeld, the Bulls made 112 carries to Leinster's 131. They kicked 42 times in open play, Leinster 37. The South African side's kick-to-pass ratio was 1:3. Leinster's was 1:5. The kicking game worked, the Bulls earning 59 per cent of the game's territory. Just 34 per cent of their possession came in their own half. Despite the deficiency in attacking volume, the Bulls made almost the same number of metres post-contact as Leinster (231 vs 236) while working more line breaks (eight vs six). The identity of those doing the attacking damage is telling. For most sides, the 'best' runners, those who make the most metres, are found in the back three. They often have acres of space to run back kicks against faraway defensive lines. Not the Bulls. In that 2024 semi-final, their top metre-maker was number eight Cameron Hanekom. Their outhalf, Johan Goosen, was number two. Third was another backrow, Elrigh Louw. The most effective back three player was wing Devon Williams, the team's fourth best metre-maker. He made less than half the yardage of Hanekom (39 metres vs 83). By contrast, Leinster's top four carriers that day were James Lowe, Jimmy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne and Caelan Doris. The Bulls do spread the ball, as our poet suggested, but only after the big boys do the main damage up front. They have the lowest figure in the URC for number of phases which travel beyond the second receiver (6.1 per cent). The one area not yet referenced is the set-piece. Unsurprisingly, the Bulls love a scrum. Videos of their frontrow battle with the Sharks last week have gone viral. They have historically targeted Leinster's dead ball platform. With good reason. This year, 68.3 per cent of the province's tries have come from set-piece, joint highest in the URC. Next week final will be a good one. But I worry about is the lack of reward for strong scrums in the comp. Bulls will definitely be strong against Leinster next week in the scrum & if they don't get rewarded, could affect the outcome of the game — Scoop 🐻 ☕️ (@Rugby_Scoop) In 2024, the Bulls held Leinster to a 67 per cent scrum success rate. In 2022, the lineout was the problem, Leinster ending with a success rate of 78 per cent. In that 2022 upset at the RDS, unsurprisingly the Bulls outkicked Leinster 31-25. Less predictable was Leinster still earning 70 per cent of territory while only holding 48 per cent of possession. Then, Leinster's profligacy was more of an issue than where the game was played. They coughed up possession 18 times (compared to 13 in 2024). True to form, though, the Bulls' best runner at the RDS was their number eight, Elrigh Louw. Leinster's was Jimmy O'Brien. Here's where things get interesting. Against the Sharks last week, the Bulls did not just rely on set-piece, forward dominance and an astute kicking game. They still kicked plenty (once for every 2.9 passes, more often than their victory over Leinster last year) and let the opposition dominate the ball. Yet they also threw 13 offloads. Four of their top five metre-makers were backs, with wing Sebastian de Klerk leading the way. They also scored an ambitious try off a de Klerk cross-kick. What has just happened 😱 Vodacom — BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) The smart money is for these flourishes to remain precisely that, rather than the dominant gameplan. Can Leinster counteract? They back themselves against anyone when it comes to the strength of the forward pack. In that semi-final defeat last year, Leinster made more dominant tackles (and by default had a better dominant tackle percentage) than a South African side which values strong defence above all else. More recently, Leinster's dominant tackle (9.6 per game) and carry (37.4 per cent) rate leave them mid-table in the global professional rankings this season. The attacking figure is better than the Bulls, the defensive figure worse. Should the Bulls revert to type? If they do, are Leinster better equipped to deal with the onslaught? These stats do include all Leinster games this year, including earlier URC run-outs with weaker XVs. It remains to be seen, though, how strong Leinster will be on Saturday: Caelan Doris is already out, while Josh van der Flier, Tadhg Furlong, Garry Ringrose and Hugo Keenan all remain doubts. Set-piece wise, Leinster are once again middle of the global pack for this season's lineout (83.5 per cent) and scrum (90.2) success rates. The Bulls beat them at both. It remains to be seen if Leinster's improved total of scrum penalties this year - 54, eight behind the Bulls on 62 - represents enough of an uptick. Historical figures give us a fairly solid idea of how the Bulls think they can beat Leinster. More recent numbers present one or two kernels of comfort for Leinster. Other figures could be used to draw a more negative conclusion. As always with damned stats - which have a propensity to lie - we'll have to wait until the game itself to see which argument is proved right.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Influencer & extreme sport enthusiast, 28, died after ‘tumbling through the air' as she fell 60ft off Brit mountain
AN influencer and extreme sports enthusiast died after "tumbling through the air" in a 60ft plunge off a British mountain 4 Maria amassed 10,000 followers, showcasing her outdoor lifestyle online Credit: WNS 4 She was a keen mountaineer Credit: WNS Maria suffered fatal head injuries and, despite the best efforts of medical staff, was tragically pronounced The influencer, with more than 10,000 followers, was tackling the notorious Tryfan mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales, when she fell to her death. An inquest into her death heard she was climbing the mountain's notorious north ridge - a popular but Maria was an experienced mountaineer and had completed an ice-climbing course in Norway shortly before the horror unfolded. Read more in News The inquest has heard how she posed for a "Mexican wave" with friends before she fell to her death. Fellow climber Harry Jones said the group were going up the face one-by-one when he witnessed Maria's tragic fall. He added: "I could see on one particular ledge Maria stopped in order to get a "She swung her right leg up to pull herself up. I asked 'Got it well?' and she said 'I think so." Most read in The Sun He said moments later he witnessed Maria "flying over me" and down the mountainside. The 60ft plummet left Maria with horrific injuries, including a fractured skull.. Coroner Kate Robertson returned a conclusion of accidental death and passed on her condolences to Maria's family and friends. Maria, of St Helens, originally from Sofia, Bulgaria, showcased her Terrifying moment Scotland's top ranked skier plunges down mountain & suffers horror injuries Following her tragic death a Maria's tragic death on February 22nd came less than a week after Dr Charlotte Crook, 30, also died while climbing in the same region. An inquest heard Dr Crook plunged 30ft to her death while walking on Glyder Fach with a fellow medic. Both women were attended to by Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation. 4 An inquest heard Maria posed with pals for a "Mexican wave" before tumbling to her death Credit: WNS 4 Despite the best efforts of medics Maria tragically died at the scene Credit: WNS Speaking of Maria's accident, the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue team said: "A group was ascending the north-ridge when one of them fell 20 metres into "Passers-by with climbing equipment abseiled down and made her safe, and a team member already nearby made his way down and started CPR. "Colleagues from "Unfortunately, the casualty had not survived her injuries, and she was brought down to Oggie base. "The thoughts of all involved are with the casualties families and friends, thank you to all the members of the public who tried to help." Neil Oakes, who was on a slightly different route up the He said: "I turned and saw Ms Eftimova tumbling through the air below me. She was already in freefall. "I knew there was going to be an impact on the rocky outcrop below so I turned away for a split second. I was shouting 'No, no, no, no.' "When I turned back she was on the ledge below. I knew that it was serious. "I said 'She's gone. She's fallen.'
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Influencer & extreme sport enthusiast, 28, died after ‘tumbling through the air' as she fell 60ft off Brit mountain
AN influencer and extreme sports enthusiast died after "tumbling through the air" in a 60ft plunge off a British mountain Maria Eftimova, 28, went hiking up the 3,000ft peak before slipping on rocky ground and tumbling down the mountain to her death. 4 4 Maria suffered fatal head injuries and, despite the best efforts of medical staff, was tragically pronounced dead at the scene. The influencer, with more than 10,000 followers, was tackling the notorious Tryfan mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales, when she fell to her death. An inquest into her death heard she was climbing the mountain's notorious north ridge - a popular but dangerous scrambling route. Maria was an experienced mountaineer and had completed an ice-climbing course in Norway shortly before the horror unfolded. The inquest has heard how she posed for a "Mexican wave" with friends before she fell to her death. Fellow climber Harry Jones said the group were going up the face one-by-one when he witnessed Maria's tragic fall. He added: "I could see on one particular ledge Maria stopped in order to get a handhold to pull herself up, I was six ft below her, to the left. "She swung her right leg up to pull herself up. I asked 'Got it well?' and she said 'I think so." He said moments later he witnessed Maria "flying over me" and down the mountainside. The 60ft plummet left Maria with horrific injuries, including a fractured skull.. Coroner Kate Robertson returned a conclusion of accidental death and passed on her condolences to Maria's family and friends. Maria, of St Helens, originally from Sofia, Bulgaria, showcased her outdoor lifestyle online. Terrifying moment Scotland's top ranked skier plunges down mountain & suffers horror injuries Following her tragic death a fundraiser was set up by friends to help cover repatriation costs. Maria's tragic death on February 22nd came less than a week after Dr Charlotte Crook, 30, also died while climbing in the same region. An inquest heard Dr Crook plunged 30ft to her death while walking on Glyder Fach with a fellow medic. Both women were attended to by Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation. 4 Speaking of Maria's accident, the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue team said: "A group was ascending the north-ridge when one of them fell 20 metres into steep terrain. "Passers-by with climbing equipment abseiled down and made her safe, and a team member already nearby made his way down and started CPR. "Colleagues from Welsh Ambulance Service stood by at base while the Coastguard helicopter dropped team members onto the mountain. "Unfortunately, the casualty had not survived her injuries, and she was brought down to Oggie base. "The thoughts of all involved are with the casualties families and friends, thank you to all the members of the public who tried to help." Neil Oakes, who was on a slightly different route up the mountain at the time Maria fell, told of his horror at witnessing the tragedy unfold. He said: "I turned and saw Ms Eftimova tumbling through the air below me. She was already in freefall. "I knew there was going to be an impact on the rocky outcrop below so I turned away for a split second. I was shouting 'No, no, no, no.' "When I turned back she was on the ledge below. I knew that it was serious. "I said 'She's gone. She's fallen.' I was in shock."
