Kasha Rigby

Catherine "Kasha" Rigby (1970 – February 13, 2024) was an American competitive skier from Utah. 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.

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.

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.

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 Columbia 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 India 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) Lebanon Ski Expedition: ski descent of Qornet as-Sawda, 3090m, traverse of the Mt. Lebanon Range Mt. Belukha: ski exploration and descent of the highest peaks in Siberia (photos) 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 Ski and kite Greenland 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 2001 Warren Miller's Cold Fusion 2001 Transworld Television: Ski Nomads: A Traverse of Lebanon 2001 OLN Adventure Series Mystery Mountain 2004 Incognito: Total Telemark 4 2006 Shelter from the Storm 2009 Edge of Never 2015 Ultimate Survival Alaska, Season 3