Renowned American skier Katherine “Kasha” Rigby is believed to have died in an avalanche at a ski resort in southern Kosovo on Tuesday, according to reports.
Euronew.albania first reported on Tuesday the death of a 54-year-old female skier at the ski resort of Brezovica, Kosovo. Ferizaj region police spokesman Kanun Veseli told Radio Free Europe that the victim was “a 54-year-old foreign citizen.”
While the report did not name the skier, Rigby's friends and loved ones posted tributes on his Instagram account, which features several photos from the ski resort in Brezovica.
Ski Magazine reported that sources close to Rigby contacted the outlet about his death.
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Kasha Rigby, 54, is reportedly believed to have died in an avalanche in the ski resort of Brezovica, Kosovo. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
In Backcountry magazine's report on Rigby's apparent death, editor Adam Howard said she “embodied compassion and the free spirit.”
“The entire ski and outdoor world is devastated to lose such a special soul,” Howard said.
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Rigby was an accomplished telemark skier who “aimed to redefine telemark with her tough, high-speed riding style,” according to Ski magazine.
Rigby also starred in the National Geographic reality television show “Ultimate Survival Alaska” in 2015. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
The Vermont-born skier was the first to achieve a telemark ski descent of Cho You, the sixth highest mountain in the world located in the Himalayas, according to magazines.
Rigby's other accolades include many other notable ski descents, including from peaks in Russia, Ecuador and Lebanon, the magazines said.
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Rigby also competed on the third season of National Geographic's reality television show “Ultimate Survival Alaska” in 2015.
