The family of Kalie McCrystal has confirmed that the search for the missing 38-year-old Canadian trail runner has ended. McCrystal was last seen on the Matterhorn on September 1 as she prepared to attempt a Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the mountain. She is now considered dead.
“Despite Kalie’s exceptional skill and experience in technical mountain terrain, including her previous experience on the Matterhorn itself, everything we know now suggests she fell while descending,” the family wrote in a public statement.
The Lion’s Ridge route on the Italian side of the Matterhorn. Photo: Maldemuntanya.com
Part of the problem is that no one knows which route the trail runner chose on the way down. She might have retraced her steps down the Lion’s Ridge back to Cervinia, or chose to go down the Swiss side of the peak via the shorter Hornli Ridge toward Zermatt. For that reason, search teams searched both sides of the mountain. There have been several aerial searches, and local mountain guides were asked to keep alert for any trace of her, but without success.
No belay, no mistake
The normal routes on the mountain are heavily equipped with iron chains, large ropes, and belay points, so, practically, they can be climbed and downclimbed without a belay. Unlike the average climber, FKT runners often climb without belaying or using safety ropes to shave off seconds. However, the choice means that a fall is not an option, and falls may occur no matter how skilled a climber is, especially in areas of loose rock or frequent rockfall.
The Matterhorn has been facing problems with unstable rock, especially during this extremely hot and dry summer. Guides refrained from bringing clients on the mountain for weeks in August. In fact, McCrystal went to the Italian side of the mountain just a few days after the Carrel hut was reopened and the guides returned. Previously, she had sped up the Hornli ride route from and to Zermatt.
The details of McCrystal’s last climb are unclear, since she was not engaged in the FKT attempt, with its set route, but was simply preparing for it.
Family’s statement:
The statement released by the family of the late Kalie McCrystal. Photo: Canadian Athletics
