Family of missing B.C. mountaineer believes she fell while descending the Alps

Family of missing B.C. mountaineer believes she fell while descending the Alps

Kalie McCrystal went missing on Matterhorn more than 2 weeks ago

The family of famed Canadian skyrunner and mountaineer Kalie McCrystal, who went missing on the Matterhorn in the Alps more than two weeks ago, say she "remains among the mountains where she felt most at home."

Her mother and sister say in a statement that everything they know after an extensive search suggests she fell while descending the mountain.

The statement that was shared by British Columbia provincial legislator Amelia Boultbee, a friend of McCrystal, praises search and rescue crews for their efforts and says the family is confident everything possible has been done to find her.

McCrystal was last seen Sept. 1 while attempting to break a mountain-running record in the Alps along the Switzerland-Italy border, climbing the 4,481-metre-tall Matterhorn.

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The family statement says friends and loved ones from around the world mobilized and went to remarkable lengths to help find McCrystal and bring her home.

They say not finding her was not the outcome they were hoping for and is difficult to accept.

The statement describes McCrystal as a special person who moved through life with equal parts determination and fun and says her absence will leave a hole in communities in skyrunning, Squamish and beyond.

"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 statement says.