Canadian athlete Kalie McCrystal disappeared during preparations for a record attempt in the Alps.
McCrystal, from Squamish in British Columbia, was on a reconnaissance and training session ahead of her attempt to ascend and descend the 14,692 ft (4,478m) Matterhorn on the Swiss-Italian border.
According to the Skyrunner World Series, the 38-year-old was last seen on Tuesday after she had reached the summit of the Matterhorn and was descending the Italian side of the mountain. The final sighting of the athlete was near a shelter at an altitude of approximately 12,500 ft.
"There has been no further contact with her, and no one has seen or heard from her since," the Skyrunner World Series stated in the press release.
Skyrunning involves running and scrambling at altitudes higher than 6,600 ft. McCrystal was aiming to ascend and descend the Matterhorn in less than five hours during her record attempt.
A helicopter search for McCrystal was suspended on Friday after rescuers were unable to find any trace of the athlete.
McCrystal had climbed the Matterhorn before and, according to the Skyrunner World Series, she possessed many years of experience in high-altitude and technical mountain terrain.
A friend of McCrystal stated he did not believe the athlete had taken unnecessary risks before she went missing.
"I know that this objective was well within her capabilities," Duncan O'Regan, McCrystal's friend and fellow mountain runner, told CBC. "She's done much more difficult things, and this is not something that is beyond her capabilities. She's comfortable in this terrain."
McCrystal has established several skyrunning records in Canada and Europe and works as a lawyer and staff member at Capilano University in North Vancouver.
"Our thoughts are with Kalie's family, friends and colleagues, and with everyone involved in the search efforts during this incredibly difficult time," said Jason Dewling, the university's president and vice-chancellor.
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