American ski legend Catherine 'Kasha' Rigby has died in an avalanche in Kosovo, her heartbroken fiance has said.
The renowned athlete, who is credited for inventing the extreme telemark skiing style, died aged 54 on Tuesday at Brezovica mountain range.
Magnis Wofe Murray wrote on Facebook on Saturday: "We were to be married in September. Now I'm widowed and devastated.
Life ~ Is not A ‘Spectator Sport’!
— G Move (Gary Movellan) (@gmovestr) February 18, 2024
The World has lost the Greatest Soul I’ve Ever Encountered!
Kasha Rigby lived a modern day existence, equivalent to ‘Isis of Egypt’!
I am blessed to have ridden a wavelength w/ the most amazing source of love, light & adventure!
Grateful pic.twitter.com/mHtTle9Kt4
Rigby was known for bringing an adventurous spirit to skiing and had been embarking on her own ‘Tour de Piste’ travel while in Kosovo.
It is understood that poor skiing conditions had been seen for several days on the range.
Rigby wrote on Instagram last week: “Sideways rain, a big melt, and winds too high to run lifts, doesn’t keep these skiers and sledders off the t-bar and slope.
Fallece la leyenda y visionaria del Telemark, Kasha Rigby, en una avalancha en Kosovo https://t.co/6TMlKeVz1M @lugaresdenieve pic.twitter.com/IXndmXPHDO
— purosnow (@Puro_Snow1) February 18, 2024
“While seeking winter our #tourdepiste continues, running the fringes of resorts. We have had a few chances to poke around up high, but today we were back in the lower country. Still just happy to be in the snow.”
Local police said that she was skiing outside of the tourist range when the avalanche hit.
The Colorado-native had been skiing competitively since she was a teenager and took her passion all over the world, becoming the first to take a run down Mongolia’s Five Holy Peaks.
Rigby’s friend Gary Movellan tweeted: “The World has lost the Greatest Soul I’ve Ever Encountered!
“Kasha Rigby lived a modern day existence, equivalent to ‘Isis of Egypt’!
“I am blessed to have ridden a wavelength w/ the most amazing source of love, light & adventure!”
