Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Karine Ruby dies while guiding near Chamonix

By Published On: May 30th, 2009Comments Off on Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Karine Ruby dies while guiding near Chamonix

French snowboarding Olympic champion Karine Ruby died today nearby Chamonix, France while working as a mountain guide in the ‘Tour de Ronde’ area in the Mont Blanc valley.

The 31-year-old was guiding two clients on the ‘Glacier du Geant’ when they fell into a 20-metre-crevasse this morning. Both Ruby and one of the clients perished. The third person was transported by helicopter in serious condition to Geneva.

Ruby was one of the most dominant snowboard competitors before retiring in 2006 to become a mountain guide at the famous ENSA school. She won gold at the Nagano Games in 1998 and was a silver medalist at Salt Lake City in 2002. She also clinched six gold medals at FIS World Championships as well as 65 World Cup victories.

French snowboarding Olympic champion Karine Ruby died today nearby Chamonix, France while working as a mountain guide in the ‘Tour de Ronde’ area in the Mont Blanc valley.

The 31-year-old was guiding two clients on the ‘Glacier du Geant’ when they fell into a 20-metre-crevasse this morning. Both Ruby and one of the clients perished. The third person was transported by helicopter in serious condition to Geneva.

Ruby was one of the most dominant snowboard competitors before retiring in 2006 to become a mountain guide at the famous ENSA school. She won gold at the Nagano Games in 1998 and was a silver medalist at Salt Lake City in 2002. She also clinched six gold medals at FIS World Championships as well as 65 World Cup victories.

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About the Author: Pete Rugh