Listen to this articleDear 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated using AI-based technology. Pronunciation errors may occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve results. The helicopter search for Canadian mountain runner Kalie McCrystal has been suspended after repeated aerial sweeps of the Italian side of the Matterhorn failed to locate the 38-year-old athlete and lawyer from Squamish, British Columbia. The dedicated helicopter operation was called off after a full day of aerial searches on Thursday turned up no trace of her. McCrystal was last seen Tuesday above the Jean-Antoine Carrel hut, approximately Rescuers initially deployed a large air ambulance helicopter before switching to a smaller plane capable of maneuvering closer to the mountain’s steep rock walls and narrow ravines. “We moved to a much smaller helicopter that can get closer to the cliffs and see into the corridors,” Valerio Segor of the Aosta Valley mountain rescue service told CBC. “They didn’t see anything.” The last confirmed encounter occurred when a mountain guide crossed paths with McCrystal above the Carrel cabin. Canadian mountain runner Kalie McCrystal, 38, from Squamish, BC, in an image posted to Instagram on August 7. McCrystal was last seen on Tuesday, heading towards the summit of the Matterhorn. (@kalie_mcc/Instagram)”He saw her still going up, quite fast, and [McCrystal] She told the guide she was training because she wanted to test the record,” Segor said. “No one has seen her since.” One of the most recognizable peaks in the Alps, the Matterhorn, straddles Italy and Switzerland, with a height of 4,478 meters. McCrystal helicopter search efforts had been based in the Cervinia area of northwestern Italy, preparing for an attempt to climb and descend the Matterhorn in less than five hours via Lion Ridge, the route Its disappearance prompted a thorough reconnaissance of the mountain. Teams searched for steep ravines, cliffs and sections of the route on both the Italian and Swiss sides. something like a RECCO” beacon on the Italian or Swiss side. Attempts to establish a signal from McCrystal’s cell phone also failed. Past skyrunning experience McCrystal is one of Canada’s leading skyrunners, athletes who compete on steep, treacherous mountainous terrain at high altitudes. Earlier this year, it won the 4 Non-Stop Shelters in Argentina, covering approximately 40 kilometers and 3,350 meters of elevation gain. He walks with the Matterhorn mountain in the background, above the resort of Zermatt in the Swiss Alps in 2020. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images) He had also recently put himself to the test on the Matterhorn. On August 14, McCrystal completed a solo ascent and descent from Zermatt across the Swiss Hörnli Ridge in six hours, 47 minutes and 33 seconds, according to the Fastest Known Time database. Ten days later, he competed in Italy’s Kima Trophy, one of the most technically demanding races on the international skyrunning circuit. Although the special helicopter operation has been stopped, the search is not completely over. “We have mountain guides who climb that mountain almost every day,” Segor said. “They’re searching. If they see something, of course they’ll tell us.” Rescuers are now waiting for additional information from police that could provide a new lead and allow them to resume a more targeted search. CBC News contacted Global Affairs Canada; A spokesperson said the agency would respond as soon as it could.
