A young ski-cross star with a promising future as a racer died on Tuesday following a mountain biking accident near her home in Squamish, BC. Mikayla Martin, a member of the Canadian Ski-Cross Team, was 22, reports CBC.
“We wish to express our most sincere condolences to Christine and James, Mikayla’s parents, as well as her entire family and circle of friends,” said Vania Grandi, president, and CEO of Alpine Canada. “Mikayla embodied a love of skiing and passion for ski-cross that were boundless, and words can’t express how sorely she’ll be missed.”
According to an emailed statement fromย Squamish RCMP, theย incident occurredย in the early eveningย as Martin and a partnerย were riding along the Slhaneyย Trail system behind Stawamus Chief Provincial Park. After locating the pair,ย Squamishย Search and Rescue tried to save Martin but unfortunately wereย unsuccessful.
“The death of Mikayla is a huge loss for the community of Squamish and an immense loss for her family and friends, and our thoughts are with them,” saidย Sgt.ย Sascha Banks.
The RCMPย isย investigating the accident.
A lifetime skier, Martin grew up racing alpine with the Whistler Mountain Ski Club before moving on to competitive ski-cross in 2017,ย quickly making a name for herself, joining the national team theย same year.ย In 2018, Martin became the FISย Juniorย World Championย in Cardrona, New Zealand. She placed sixth, a personal best, at the 2018 FISย World Cup in Innichen, Italy.