Legendary American skier Katherine ‘Kasha’ Rigby has died following an avalanche at a ski resort in southern Kosovo, reports say.
The death of a 54-year-old skier was initially reported Tuesday by Euronew.albania.
A spokesperson for the regional police told Radio Free Europe that the victim of the avalanche was a ’54-year-old foreign citizen.’
The pioneering athlete was in Brezovica with her fiancé Magnus Wolfe Murray when she was caught in a small avalanche that swept her into the trees.
She was reportedly killed on impact. Wolfe Murray was able to reach her in 20 seconds and attempted to resuscitate her, but was unsuccessful, according to Back Country Magazine.
Legendary American skier Katherine ‘Kasha’ Rigby is feared dead after an avalanche at a ski resort in southern Kosovo
Ski patrol transports a body down the mountain in Kosova after an avalanche killed an American skier
According to local media, a representative from the Mountain Search and Rescue Service of Kosovo said that crews eventually located the body of an American skier after several attempts.
‘The weather was foggy and the visibility was very low. It was very difficult to locate the accident site. After several attempts, we found that the accident happened in the place called ‘The place of Eagles.’
‘After a short search, the body was located, but unfortunately, due to trauma from the avalanche, a foreign citizen passed away,’ said the representative.
The report out of Europe did not specifically name Rigby as the victim of the avalanche at the Ski Center in Brezovica, but the skier’s friends and loved ones began posting tributes to her Instagram account.
According to Fox, Ski Magazine reported that sources close to the skier contacted the outlet about her death.
The fearless athlete was born in Vermont, before moving to Colorado and later Utah.
She was celebrated for, among other things, becoming the achieve skier to achieve a telemark ski descent of Cho You, a Himalayan mountain and the sixth highest in the world.
Telemark skiing is a technique that combines elements of Alpine and Nordic skiing. The rear foot is leveraged to keep balanced while pushing on the front foot.
Unlike other techniques, telemark skiing uses only toe binds – the back heel is not hooked onto the ski.
During her impressive career, Rigby also also descended from challenging peaks in Russia, Ecuador, and Lebanon, according to Ski Magazine.
She also competed on season three of National Geographic’s reality program ‘Ultimate Survival Alaska’ in 2015.
Rigby was reportedly killed on impact. Wolfe Murray was able to reach her in 20 seconds and attempted to resuscitate her, but was unsuccessful
Tributes to the skier immediately began flooding her Instagram in the aftermath of the report
Rigby’s last Instagram post from four days ago put her in Kosova, where she and her husband were reportedly off-trail skiing
The pioneering athlete was in Brezovica with her fiancé Magnus Wolfe Murray when she was caught in a small avalanche that swept her into the trees
Prior to her tragic passing, Rigby was immersed in a project called the Tour de Piste – an effort by expert skiers to navigate uncharted ski runs at popular locations.
In her final Instagram post, Rigby described the project as ‘running the fringes of resorts.’
Following the death, authorities at Brezovica warned skiers to ‘only ski on ski trails.’
‘The paths are safe and Brezovica is also safe,’ said a member of the Mountain Search and Rescue Service of Kosovo, who added that even a small diversion of a charted course could lead to devastation.
In the 1990s, Rigby established a name for herself as ‘the best telemark skier in the known universe,’ a title given to her by Outside magazine.
Rigby often skied alongside fellow iconic skier Hilaree Nelson, who like Rigby, met her end on a mountain. She perished while skiing down from the summit of Manaslu in 2022.
In the 1990s, Rigby established a name for herself as ‘the best telemark skier in the known universe’
Tributes poured onto the ski star’s Instagram page as the news broke of her tragic passing.
American mountaineer Jimmy Chin wrote below her final post: ‘I will forever be able to hear your voice and see your smile. Dancing and living to a different beautiful drum beat we all wish we could hear. Thank you for sharing so much joy and wisdom w all of us.’
‘The world lost a really beautiful soul and will never be the same without you magic one. I’ll forever miss you my love and cherish all the beautiful moments I got to spend with you. I still don’t believe it was the snow that got you. But I suppose that was in your contract, to be the best in the world, the fine print, you must die by that thing that you are so committed to,’ wrote friend Scott Whitaker in a Facebook tribute.
