Two weeks after Kalie McCrystal disappeared on the Matterhorn, her family has been forced to confront the possibility they had hoped never to face. Athletics Canada shared a statement from McCrystal’s mother, Wendy Cooper, and sister, Jody McCrystal, on September 15, saying the family now believes the Canadian trail runner fell while descending the mountain.

McCrystal was last seen on September 1 during a reconnaissance outing in Italy. “It has been two weeks since our dearest Kalie went missing during a reconnaissance on the Matterhorn,” her family wrote.

For two weeks, the Guardia di Finanza mountain rescue team searched the unforgiving terrain, exploring every possible lead. The family said their professionalism and commitment meant “a great deal” during a period when every passing day brought more uncertainty.

They also thanked the RCMP and the Canadian Embassy for their assistance while acknowledging the extraordinary response from people around McCrystal’s sporting community.

“The outpouring of love and support for Kalie has been nothing short of incredible,” the statement read. Hillary Gerardi, who first raised the alarm, was singled out by the family for her constant support, while friends and loved ones from around the world joined the effort to bring McCrystal home.

But eventually, hope gave way to an answer that was almost impossible to accept. “The Matterhorn is as majestic as it is unforgiving,” Wendy and Jody wrote.

Despite McCrystal’s experience in technical mountain terrain, including previous experience on the Matterhorn itself, the family said everything they now know suggests she fell during the descent.

The search did not locate her.

“This is not the outcome any of us had hoped for, and it is very difficult to accept,” the family said.

Yet even in their grief, they remembered McCrystal beyond the mountain. They described her as someone who lived with “equal parts determination and fun,” a woman whose absence would leave a lasting void in the skyrunning and Squamish communities.

For her family, there was one final thought to hold onto: McCrystal had been doing what made her feel most alive. “She remains among the mountains where she felt most at home,” they wrote.

But behind the heartbreaking update is a story of an athlete who knew the mountains intimately – and a community that understood just how much they meant to her. Those who knew McCrystal best have now begun remembering the person behind the accomplishments.

What do others say about Kalie McCrystal?

McCrystal’s disappearance stunned those who knew just how capable she was in the mountains.

The 38-year-old Canadian was an accomplished skyrunner who had previously climbed the Matterhorn. Her September 1 outing was meant to be a reconnaissance mission ahead of a potential attempt at the mountain’s fastest-known-time record, rather than an unfamiliar adventure into unknown terrain.

Her friend and fellow trail runner Hillary Gerardi described McCrystal as someone who was particularly comfortable when the terrain became technical. Gerardi had planned to support her Matterhorn attempt and helped coordinate efforts after she went missing. Outside reported that Gerardi remembered McCrystal as being “in her element” on the mountain.

That makes what happened next even harder for those closest to her to understand.

McCrystal was reportedly seen on the mountain during her ascent and was later spotted descending. According to accounts shared by Gerardi, she appeared to be moving deliberately and without obvious signs of distress.

Then, she disappeared.

The Matterhorn stands 4,478 metres (14,692 feet) above sea level on the Switzerland-Italy border. Its steep, exposed terrain has long made it one of the Alps’ most demanding objectives. For a skyrunner like McCrystal, however, its technical challenges were part of what drew her toward it.

Her journey to that point had also been unusual.

McCrystal was a lawyer in Squamish and taught legal studies at Capilano University, but alongside that career she developed into one of Canada’s prominent skyrunners. She won the 4 Refugios Non-Stop in Argentina in 2026, a demanding 40-kilometre race featuring roughly 3,350 metres of elevation gain, and had recorded multiple strong international results.

Skyrunning itself is built around that combination of speed and exposure, with athletes racing through steep alpine terrain where elevation and technical difficulty are central to the challenge.

Amelia Boultbee, who went to law school alongside McCrystal, said: “Kalie is one of the most prepared and determined people, and she takes this work very seriously. While she’s always been athletic, she got into skyrunning in the last several years and became a world champion at it, which is pretty impressive in your thirties.”

For McCrystal, the mountains were more than a backdrop for competition.
Gerardi remembered the joy McCrystal found in them, while her friends also recalled a side of her far removed from records and racing. She was known for bringing people together, including organizing Easter egg hunts in the forests around Squamish.

Now, those memories are becoming part of how the people closest to her are processing her loss.

The family’s statement made clear that the search may have ended, but McCrystal’s impact has not.

Her story remains tied to the mountains she loved, the communities she helped build, and the people who spent two weeks refusing to stop looking for her.