An Update on Kalie McCrystal

From Kalie’s family, shared by Hilary Gerardi:

It has been two weeks since our dearest Kalie went missing during a reconnaissance on the Matterhorn. Since then, the Guardia di Finanza mountain rescue team has worked tirelessly to explore every possible avenue at their disposal. They have been unwavering in their professionalism, kindness, and commitment to finding Kalie. As a family, it has meant a great deal to us throughout the search to know that everything that could be done was being done. We are eternally grateful to them. We also wish to extend our gratitude to the RCMP and the Canadian Embassy for their support and assistance during this time.

The outpouring of love and support for Kalie has been nothing short of incredible. The constant support of Hillary Gerardi, who first raised the alarm about Kalie, has been indispensable to us. Friends and loved ones from around the world mobilised and went to remarkable lengths to help find her and bring her home. How beautiful it has been to witness the love that surrounded her.

The Matterhorn is as majestic as it is unforgiving. 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.

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.

For our family, things will never be the same again. 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.

Wendy Cooper & Jody McCrystal
Kalie’s Mum & Sister

I had met Kalie just a few weeks prior at Beast of Big Creek. This one hits very close to home. Everyone here at our Rock Candy is thinking of Kalie and her family in this moment.