American skier Katherine ‘Kasha’ Rigby, who died after an avalanche, shared a heartbreaking post just days before her death, describing heavy rain and winds.
The pioneering athlete was in Brezovica, Kosovo, with her fiancé, Magnus Wolfe Murray, when she was caught in a small avalanche that swept her through the trees on Tuesday.
He reportedly died on impact. Wolfe Murray was able to reach her within 20 seconds and attempted to resuscitate her, but was unsuccessful, according to Back Country Magazine.
In his latest post on Instagram, Rigby posted: ‘Sideways rain, a big snowmelt, and winds too strong to operate the lifts are not keeping these skiers and sledders off the T-bar and slope.
‘As we look for winter our Tour De Piste It continues, touring the margins of the tourist centers. We had a few opportunities to snoop around high up, but today we were back in the low country. “I’m still happy to be in the snow.”
In the 1990s, Rigby made a name for herself as “the greatest telemark skier in the known universe.”
Rigby’s last Instagram post from four days ago places her in Kosova, where she and her husband were reportedly off-piste skiing.
The death of a 54-year-old skier was first reported on Tuesday by Euronew.albania. A regional police spokesman told Radio Free Europe that the avalanche victim was a “54-year-old foreign national.”
Before her tragic passing, Rigby was immersed in a project called Tour de Piste, an effort by expert skiers to explore unexplored ski slopes in popular locations.
In his final post, Rigby described the project as “outside the resorts.”
Following the death, authorities in Brezovica warned skiers to “only ski on ski slopes.”
“The roads are safe and so is Brezovica,” said a member of Kosovo’s Mountain Search and Rescue Service, adding that even a small deviation from a set course could cause devastation.
According to local media, a representative of Kosovo’s Mountain Search and Rescue Service said teams finally located the body of an American skier after several attempts.
‘The weather was cloudy and visibility was very low. It was very difficult to locate the accident site. After several attempts, we discovered that the accident occurred in the place called ‘The Place of the Eagles’.
“After a brief search, the body was located, but unfortunately, due to the trauma caused by the avalanche, a foreign citizen died,” the representative said.
Rigby was reportedly killed on impact. Wolfe Murray was able to reach her within 20 seconds and attempted to resuscitate her, but was unsuccessful.
Ski patrol carries body down mountain in Kosovo after avalanche kills American skier
The report out of Europe did not specifically name Rigby as the avalanche victim at the Brezovica ski resort, but the skier’s friends and loved ones began posting tributes to her. instagram account.
In the 1990s, Rigby made a name for herself as “the greatest telemark skier in the known universe,” a title given to her by Outside. magazine.
Rigby often skied alongside iconic skier Hilaree Nelson, who, like Rigby, met her end on a mountain. She died while skiing from the summit of Manaslu in 2022.
The intrepid athlete was born in Vermont, before moving to Colorado and then Utah.
She was celebrated, among other things, for becoming the first skier to telemark ski Cho You, a mountain in the Himalayas and the sixth highest in the world.
Telemark skiing is a technique that combines elements of alpine and Nordic skiing. The back foot is used to maintain balance while the front foot is pushed.
Rigby also descended from challenging peaks in Russia, Ecuador and Lebanon, according to Ski Magazine.
He also competed on the third season of the National Geographic reality show ‘Ultimate Survival Alaska’ in 2015.
In the 1990s, Rigby made a name for herself as “the greatest telemark skier in the known universe,” a title awarded to her by Outside magazine.
The pioneering athlete was in Brezovica with her fiancé, Magnus Wolfe Murray, seen here, when she was caught in a small avalanche that swept her into the trees.
Tributes poured in on the ski star’s Instagram page as news of his tragic death broke.
American mountaineer Jimmy Chin wrote beneath his latest post: “I will always be able to hear your voice and see your smile.”
‘Dance and live to a beautiful different drum beat that we all wish we could hear. Thank you for sharing so much joy and wisdom with all of us.’
‘The world lost a truly beautiful soul and will never be the same without you, magical. I will always miss you my love and cherish all the beautiful moments I was able to spend with you.
—I still don’t believe it was the snow that trapped you. But I guess that was in your contract, to be the best in the world, the fine print, you have to die for what you’re so committed to,” his friend Scott Whitaker wrote in a Facebook tribute.