Family members of missing trail runner Kalie McCrystal now believe that she likely fell and died on the Italian side of the Matterhorn two weeks ago while on a training session.
In a statement released on Tuesday, McCrystal’s mother Wendy Cooper and sister Jody McCrystal acknowledged that she will not be found alive despite an extensive search that covered Switzerland and Italy.
“Despite the efforts of so many over the past weeks, the search has not led us to Kalie,” the statement read. “This is not the outcome any of us had hoped for, and it is very difficult to accept. Kalie was an incredibly special person. She moved through life with equal parts determination and fun. Her absence will undoubtedly leave a huge hole in the communities she was so invested in, across Skyrunning, Squamish and beyond.”
McCrystal, 38, was last seen on September 1 during a reconnaissance and training session ahead of a new mountain-running record attempt of the Matterhorn. She was widely known to be experienced on technical and high-altitude mountain terrain and had comprehensive experience on solo runs and it was not her first time training at the site.
“For our family, things will never be the same again,” the family’s statement continued. “Kalie meant so much to us as a sister and daughter, and the loss of her is something we will carry with us forever. “While we desperately wish we could have found her, we find peace in knowing that she was doing what made her feel most alive until her very last moments, and that she remains among the mountains where she felt most at home.”
The Guardia di Finanza mountain rescue team used helicopters and drones during its search and found no trace of McCrystal.
She was last seen around 3:45 p.m. local time on September 1 after making it to the summit and was headed back to the Breuil-Cervinia commune as she descended the Lion Ridge. For her upcoming attempt, she planned to climb and come down the Matterhorn in less than five hours from the Italian side, the more challenging and technical sides of the mountain.
Climbers prefer the Swiss side of the mountain but the Italian side is more technical and not as crowded. It has an extensive fixed rope and chain system for safety and to help with progression on the steep rock.
Athletics Canada also shared the statement from McCrystal’s family, while the Professional Trail Runners Association issued a note of condolence in its own acknowledgment that the search is no longer a rescue mission.
“The PTRA wishes to express our deepest condolences on the passing of Kalie McCrystal while descending the Matterhorn two weeks ago,” the message read. “Kalie was an amazing athlete and a great skyrunner whose void will be impossible to fill. We want to send all our strength and love to her family, friends, and all her fellow competitors in the Skyrunner World Series and the trail races in which she participated. RIP Kalie; you will be missed.”
In her last post on social media, McCrystal shared images from the popular Trofeo Kima race in Val Masino in the Lombardy region of northern Italy on August 22 where she placed fourth in the women’s division in 7:59:35.
She expressed her excitement at finally taking part in the race just a week before she went missing on the Matterhorn.
“The day before the race it rained what felt like 100mm and lightning caused multiple forest fires above town,” she said in the post. “For the weather to turn bluebird in time to race was WILD. I’m so glad it did and we got to experience these mountains at their finest! I didn’t have a perfect day and I took a couple gnarly falls, but I crushed the climbs and descents and rallied really hard on the last half of the race to pull myself back into the hunt. Seeing the crowds cheering at each pass and refuge, no matter how remote, kept me going.”
