Maria Eftimova

Athletic and with brown hair and brown eyes, Maria Eftimova was a Bulgarian-born travel influencer and structural civil engineer living in the UK. Born in 1996, she graduated from the University of Salford and documented her adventures on Instagram @maria_eft96 and TikTok @mariaeftimova96. She described herself as "here to inspire, not impress," and maintained a side page, @the.fluff.quest, featuring her fluffy companion.

Maria's passion lay in the mountains and extreme sports like snowboarding and surfing. She shared her hikes and sunrise scrambles, including Crib Goch, encouraging her followers to explore the outdoors. Her energy was free-spirited, and her posts captured the joy of living fully, whether in the Welsh mountains or on broader adventures.

Tragically, at age 28, Maria passed away on February 22, 2025, after a fall of about 65 feet while scrambling the north ridge of Tryfan mountain in Eryri (Snowdonia National Park), Wales. An inquest ruled it an accident; she slipped while attempting to pull herself onto a ledge and suffered severe head injuries. Friends remembered her as kind, intelligent, and selfless, the definition of "loving life." Her family repatriated her to Bulgaria. Her digital footprint, full of positivity, continues to remind us of the risks in the pursuits she loved.