Catherine "Kasha" Rigby (1970 – February 13, 2024) was an American competitive skier from Utah.The North Face – Athletes – Kasha Rigby She is most noted for her many achievements and first descents as "the pioneer of extreme telemark skiing."
Biography Kasha Rigby was born in Stowe, Vermont. She started skiing when she was very young. and began telemark skiing as a teenager. She began traveling at age 19, leaving college to explore Africa. She then headed to Crested Butte, Colorado, where she became involved in telemark racing and extreme-skiing competitions.Dandelion magazine, V.1, N.4
Rigby joined The North Face Ski Team in 1995 and has since skied in America, Canada, South America, New Zealand, Russia, Asia, Europe, India and even the Middle East. She skied first descents of some of the world's tallest/hardest peaks, including the Five Holy Peaks in Mongolia.Meet The Crew
Outside magazine credited her as being: "the best female telemark skier in the known universe", when she appeared on the cover of Women Outside in Fall 1998.
In her 50s, she became engaged to Magnus Wolfe Murray. On February 13, 2024, she was skiing at the Brezovica ski resort in Kosovo on her "Tour de Piste", when she died in an avalanche. Rigby was 54 years old.
Career highlights Climb and ski descent of Cho Oyu 26,907 ft (8201m) (credited as the first telemark descent) Mongolia Women's Ski Expedition: first ski descents of the Five Holy Peaks of Tavan Bogd (including Kuitan, the highest peak in Mongolia) Mt. Waddington Ski Expedition: descent of Mt. Waddington and Combatant Couloir, British ColumbiaMark Synnott :: Expeditions : Mt. Waddington Yukon Territories to Dry Bay, Alaska, ski exploration, accessed from the Tatshenshini River Hanuman Tibba Women's Expedition: first ski descent of RFHP, a 2500m couloir in the Himachal Pradesh region of IndiaSkiing magazine, February 2002 Kamchatka Women's Ski Expedition: First ski descent of Mt. Udina & Mt. Zimina, as well as the first female ski descent of Mt. Tolbachik (all telemarked)SKIING Magazine, Feb 2004Off-Piste Magazine, Iss. XVII, March 2003Muscle & Fitness France - FEMMES DE L'EXTRÊME Lebanon Ski Expedition: ski descent of Qornet as-Sawda, 3090m, traverse of the Mt. Lebanon RangeBritish Geographical Magazine, Feb 2000 Mt. Belukha: ski exploration and descent of the highest peaks in Siberia (photos)MountainZone.com | Altai Ski and Snowboard Post Expedition Gallery Cotopaxi (5897m) and Chimborazo (6310m) volcanoes of Ecuador: ski descent of world's highest active volcano Multiple first descents along Gibb's Fjord, Baffin Island[web.archive.org/web/20061115131722/http://www.exploreepic.com/expeditions/aug06/baffin.shtml - Outdoor sports Resources and Information. Archive ]OFF TO THE ICE: North Face Baffin Island expedition underwayNANUK! - Never underestimate the powers of an Inuit man and his snowmobile Ski and kite GreenlandSkiing magazine, November 2003 21 peaks in 21 days Bolivia Trek of frozen Zanskar River – Ladakh, India
Films and videos 1997 Scott Gaffney's Breathe 1999 Higher on the Mountain Higher on the Mountain (1999) (V) - Plot summary 2001 Warren Miller's Cold FusionCold Fusion (2001) 2001 Transworld Television: Ski Nomads: A Traverse of Lebanon 2001 OLN Adventure Series Mystery Mountain 2004 Incognito: Total Telemark 4 Telemark Movie Incognito Review 2006 Shelter from the StormShelter From the Storm North Face Expedition – AOL Television 2009 Edge of Never 2015 Ultimate Survival Alaska, Season 3 National Geographic
References
External links
Personal Website
Outside magazine story Ultimate Survival Alaska, Season 3