Up-and-coming downhill ski racer dies in Squamish, B.C., mountain bike accident

A young ski-cross star with a promising future as a racerdied following a mountain biking accident near her home in Squamish, B.C., Tuesday.

Mikayla Martin, a member of the Canadian Ski-Cross Team, was 22.

"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 fromSquamish RCMP, theincident occurredin the early eveningas Martin was riding with a male partner along the SlhaneyTrail system behind Stawamus Chief Provincial Park. After locating the pair,SquamishSearch and Rescue tried to save Martin, but wereunsuccessful.

The RCMPareinvestigating the accident.

"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" saidSgt.Sascha Banks.

• Mikayla Martin claims ski cross gold in New Zealand

"It can't be stressed more that adventuring in Squamish comes with inherent risks," Banks said.

"We can only ask that you take that one more risk assessment, one more second to check the geographics, one more look at your equipment, and one more conversation about what the plan is. We all want people to live doing what they love."

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A longtime skier, Martin grew up racing alpine with the Whistler Mountain Ski Club before moving on to competitive ski-cross in 2017. She quickly made a name for herself, joining the national team thesame year.

"Miki will always be remembered for her incredible smile, infectious enthusiasm, determination, work ethic and of course her role as a mentor to so many young [Whistler Mountain Ski Club]athletes," said club executive director Mark Tilston in a statement.

Ski-cross became a medal sport for the first time in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Itfeatures four to six competitors racing downhill against each other on a course that includesjumps and banks.

In 2018, Martin became the FISJuniorWorld Championin Cardrona, New Zealand. She placed sixth, a personal best, at the 2018 FISWorld Cup in Innichen, Italy.

Marielle Thompson, a fellow national ski-cross team member and training mate who also came out of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, wrote in an email,"I was shocked and completely taken off guard when I heard the news and still don't really know what to say.... I'm absolutely heartbroken for her family."

"We were just training at the gym [Tuesday] in Whistler," said Thompson, who won a gold medal in ski-cross at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. "Mikayla was so full of energy and eager to learn. It was cool to see her make such progress last year in her first season of World Cup."

Alpine Canada also issued astatement saying:"Mikayla's parents said she loved her ski-cross family and would have wanted the team to continue with their training, stay positive and ski fast."