American skier Katherine ‘Kasha’ Rigby, who died after an avalanche, shared a heartbreaking post just days before her death, describing heavy rain and wind.
The trailblazing athlete was in Brezovica, Kosovo, with her fiancé, Magnus Wolfe Murray, when she was struck by a small avalanche on Tuesday that swept her into the trees.
She was reportedly killed on impact. Wolfe Murray was able to reach her within twenty seconds and tried to revive her, but he said he was unable to do so. Backcountry Magazine.
In her last post on her Instagram, Rigby posted: “Sideways rain, a big melt and winds too high to run lifts don’t keep these skiers and sledders off the t-bar and down the slope.
‘While we are looking for winter, our Tour De Piste continues and runs along the edge of resorts. We’ve had a few chances to poke around high up, but today we were back in the lower country. Still happy to be in the snow.”
In the 1990s, Rigby established himself as ‘the best telemark skier in the known universe’
Rigby’s last Instagram post from four days ago placed her in Kosova, where she and her husband were reportedly off-trail skiing
The death of a 54-year-old skier was initially reported by Euronew.albania on Tuesday. A regional police spokesperson told Radio Free Europe that the avalanche victim was a “54-year-old foreign citizen.”
Prior to her tragic passing, Rigby was immersed in a project called the Tour de Piste – an attempt by experienced skiers to navigate unknown ski slopes in popular locations.
In her latest post, Rigby described the project as being “on the edge of holiday resorts.”
After the death, Brezovica authorities warned skiers to “ski only on ski slopes.”
“The trails are safe and Brezovica is also safe,” said a member of Kosovo’s Mountain Search and Rescue Service, adding that even a small diversion from a set course could lead to destruction.
According to local media, a representative of Kosovo’s Mountain Search and Rescue Service said crews finally found the body of an American skier after several attempts.
‘The weather was foggy and visibility was very poor. It was very difficult to locate the accident site. After several attempts, we discovered that the accident happened at the place called ‘The place of Eagles’.
“After a brief search, the body was located, but unfortunately a foreign citizen died due to trauma from the avalanche,” the representative said.
Rigby was reportedly killed on impact. Wolfe Murray was able to reach her within 20 seconds and tried to revive her, but was unable to
Ski patrol transports a body down a mountain in Kosova after an avalanche killed an American skier
The report from 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.
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 with fellow iconic skier Hilaree Nelson, who, like Rigby, met her end on a mountain. She died while skiing the Manaslu summit in 2022.
The fearless athlete was born in Vermont before moving to Colorado and later Utah.
She was celebrated, among other things, for becoming the first skier to telemark on Cho You, a mountain in the Himalayas and the sixth highest in the world.
Telemark skiing is a technique that combines elements of alpine skiing and cross-country skiing. The back foot is used to maintain balance while you push on the front foot.
According to Ski Magazine, Rigby also descends from challenging mountain peaks in Russia, Ecuador and Lebanon.
She also took part in season three of National Geographic’s reality show ‘Ultimate Survival Alaska’ in 2015.
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.
The trailblazing 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 skier’s Instagram page when news of her tragic death broke.
American mountaineer Jimmy Chin captioned her last post: “I will forever be able to hear your voice and see your smile.
‘Dancing and living to another beautiful drumbeat that we would all love to hear. Thank you for sharing so much joy and wisdom with all of us.”
‘The world has lost a very beautiful soul and will never be the same without your magical soul. I will miss you forever my love and cherish all the beautiful moments I spent with you.
“I still don’t think it was the snow that got you. But I guess that was in your contract: to be the best in the world, the fine print, you have to die doing the thing you are so dedicated to,” friend Scott Whitaker wrote in an Facebook tribute.