Family of Missing Trail Runner Says She Likely Fell on the Matterhorn: ‘She Remains Among the Mountains’
The family of still-missing Canadian mountain runner Kalie McCrystal released a statement Tuesday morning saying that, based on what is currently known, they believe she likely fell while descending the Matterhorn, where she was last seen on September 1.
In an Instagram post, McCrystal’s mother, Wendy Cooper, and sister, Jody McCrystal, said the search in Switzerland and Italy has not led to McCrystal, 38, and thanked those who helped with the effort and supported the family. The Professional Trail Runners Association (PTRA) also released a statement Tuesday offering condolences and speaking about McCrystal in the past tense, though authorities have not publicly confirmed her death.
McCrystal has not been seen since September 1, when she was on a reconnaissance outing on the Matterhorn. She had been considering an attempt at the fastest known time, or FKT, for the Lion’s Ridge route, a technical route on the Italian side of the mountain. Earlier this year, McCrystal had reached the Matterhorn’s summit three times and, in mid-August, set an FKT on the Hörnli Ridge route.
“Despite Kalie’s exceptional skill and experience in technical mountain terrain, including her previous experience on the Matterhorn itself, everything we now know suggests she fell while descending,” the family statement reads. “Despite the efforts of so many over the past weeks, the search has not led us to Kalie. 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.”
In its statement, the PTRA wrote:
“The PTRA wishes to express our deepest condolences on the passing of Kalie McCrystal while descending the Matterhorn two weeks ago. 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.”
The family statement went on to thank those who had offered love and support, and expressed gratitude to Chamonix-based American trail runner Hillary Gerardi, who the family credited with first raising the alarm about McCrystal’s unknown whereabouts.
“Friends and loved ones from around the world mobilised and went to remarkable lengths to help find her and bring her home,” the statement said. “How beautiful it has been to witness the love that surrounded her.”
McCrystal’s disappearance also drew attention from athletes who had been following recent FKT efforts on the same Matterhorn route.
Karina Andersen, a 23-year-old U.S. trail runner and mountaineer, had set a new FKT on The Lion’s Ridge on August 9, covering the roundtrip route to the summit and back in 5 hours, 14 minutes, 53 seconds. Andersen had briefly trained with McCrystal in Cervinia, Italy, and discussed the possibility of McCrystal trying to push that mark under five hours
Andersen told Runner’s World late last week that the route was more difficult than she had expected. “Kalie and I were both on the same page about the idea of going under 5 hours,” Andersen said. “But it was definitely a lot harder than I thought.”
McCrystal had reportedly been scouting the route, not making an official FKT attempt, when she disappeared.
McCrystal was last confirmed seen on September 1 near Pic Tyndall, a shoulder of the Matterhorn below the summit and not far from the Jean-Antoine Carrel hut. She was also reportedly spotted that day near the summit through a long-range telescope used by a search-and-rescue group near Cervinia. No one has reported seeing her since.
After a search that included high-tech scanners affixed to helicopters and dozens of hikers and climbers on the trails below the Matterhorn, search efforts were scaled back on September 7 as authorities shifted their focus to seeking pings from the cellphone McCrystal was thought to be carrying. However, no new evidence emerged in the past week.
Brian Metzler is a Boulder, Colorado, writer and editor whose work has appeared in Runner’s World, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Outside, Trail Runner, The Chicago Tribune, and Red Bulletin. He’s a former walk-on college middle-distance runner who has transitioned to trail running and pack burro racing in Colorado.