A dangerous trend related to social media has popped up, and it’s got at least one American search and rescue group concerned about the very real consequences that might come with it.

According to Vermont’s Stowe Mountain Rescue, there’s been an uptick in inexperienced skiers and riders ‘being lured’ into backcountry terrain that’s accessible from Stowe Mountain Rescue after seeing “TikTok videos of whooping skiers in knee-deep powder.” As a result, local search and rescue organizations have been “plague by unprecedented numbers of lost skiers.”

Per a report from Stowe Mountain Rescue on the matter, their “team has been called in to help [assist Mount Mansfield Ski Patrol] several times and at least one of the skiing parties [that was] rescued quoted TikToks as their inspiration.”

Another key concern that the rescue team expressed in regard to backcountry terrain that’s accessible from the local resort was that there’s a phenomenon of skiers blinding following others’ tracks outside of the ski boundary without knowing where those tracks end up. By the time skiers realize a return to the resort isn’t possible, they’re stuck in rugged terrain with a lack of snowpack and hazardous terrain features.

“There are dangers in blindly following, whether it’s TikTok posts or ski tracks, or anything else for that matter,” wrote the rescue team about the situation.

While this situation is taking place in Vermont, the same advice rings true in Colorado, too. Backcountry terrain that’s accessible from a resort – often referred to as ‘sidecountry’ terrain – has long posed a safety issue for the inexperienced. It’s crucial to remember that just because this terrain is accessible via a lift, these backcountry areas are not maintained and can pose serious terrain and avalanche risks. Only those knowledgeable about the terrain and with the proper skills and safety gear should enter it. People have died in Colorado’s ‘sidecountry’ terrain before, and unfortunately, it’s likely a sure thing it will happen again.

As noted by Stowe Mountain Rescue, “the simplest solution is to stay in-bounds at the resort.”

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