The extreme skier Catherine Rigby is dead. She died in an avalanche accident in Kosovo. Tragic: She wanted to get married in a few months.
The ski world is mourning the loss of one of its pioneers: Catherine “Kasha” Rigby is dead. Her fiancé Magnus Wolfe Murray confirmed this via Facebook. The 54-year-old died on February 13th. She and Murray were off-piste at a ski resort in Kosovo. Then an accident occurred.
As the AP news agency writes, Rigby was hit by a small avalanche and thrown into a pine tree, according to police. Her fiancé immediately tried to revive her. But neither he nor the medical help from the arriving rescue team were able to save the athlete.
Fiancé mourns: “Now I’m desperate”
What was particularly tragic about Rigby’s death was that she and Murray wanted to get married in the near future. “We were supposed to get married in September. Now I’m widowed and desperate,” confirmed Murray.
Rigby was considered one of the best telemark skiers in the world. Telemarking is a special downhill technique in which, unlike alpine skiing, the heel is movable and not fixed.
Born in Vermont, the American started telemark skiing in her childhood. Rigby later competed in numerous extreme skiing competitions, showcasing her skills in the United States, Canada, South America, New Zealand, Asia and Europe.
To date, she is one of three Americans to have skied at the top of an 8,000-meter peak in the Himalayas. She also pursued her passion on the highest peaks in China, Siberia and Kyrgyzstan and on the “Five Sacred Mountains of Altai” in Mongolia.