What a tragedy! The whole country is mourning the passing of a fearless pioneer.
Catherine “Kasha” Rigby from Utah died in an avalanche while skiing near Kosovo’s only ski resort, Brezovica. The skier, who was 54 years old and was born in Vermont but now lives in Utah, was working on a project called Tour de Piste. Backcountry skiing was part of it, and she did it at ski resorts all over the world.
Another lost legend, Hilaree Nelson, skied a lot with Kasha Rigby. Nelson sadly died in 2022 while skiing down from the top of Manaslu. The first ski descent of the Northwest Face of 5,982m Hanuman Tibba in the Indian Himalaya was made by Rigby, Nelson, Margaret Wheeler, and Alison Gannett in 2010. They mastered a 2,500m couloir.
Rigby was swept into some trees by an avalanche on one of those descents in Kosovo. The area was called the Eagle’s Nest. According to The Daily Mail, she died soon after the impact.
Magnus Wolfe Murray, her fiancé, was with her when it happened and tried to revive her but failed. The news of her death first came from Euronews.albania.
It was in the 1990s that Rigby first became known as one of the first people in the U.S. to do telemark skiing. According to Outside magazine, she turned it into a fast, aggressive style that made her “the best telemark skier in the known universe.”
Soon, she started skiing in high mountains all over the world, not just in the Rockies and Alaska.
She skied down 5,000- and 6,000-meter mountains in India, Kamchatka, the Andes, and the Himalaya, including being the first person to ski down Cho Oyu on telemark skis. Rigby has been in nine movies about skiing.
Another lost legend, Hilaree Nelson, skied a lot with Kasha Rigby. Nelson sadly died in 2022 while skiing down from the top of Manaslu. The first ski descent of the Northwest Face of 5,982m Hanuman Tibba in the Indian Himalaya was made by Rigby, Nelson, Margaret Wheeler, and Alison Gannett in 2010. They mastered a 2,500m couloir.
While many of us are only too familiar with the joys of a quiet ski on a Sunday afternoon, Kasha Rigby’s life was anything but ordinary. She lived for the thrill, the adventure, and the powder beneath her skis. From humble beginnings in Vermont to becoming an icon in telemark skiing, her journey was as inspiring as it was daring.
With each turn down a snow-clad slope, Rigby didn’t just ski – she painted her life’s story. Her adventures spanned continents, from the Rockies to the Himalayas, leaving a trail of awe and admiration. Her legacy isn’t just in the mountains she conquered, but in the lives she touched and inspired.
As we reflect on her incredible journey, it’s a bittersweet reminder of the risks these extraordinary athletes take. We lose legends, yet their stories echo through time, reminding us of the breathtaking beauty and peril that coexist in the world of extreme sports.
