Swedish professional skier Matilda Rapaport has passed away at the age of 30 after getting caught in an avalanche in Farellones, Chile while filming for Ubisoft’s new winter sports video game called Steep.
The avalanche occurred on July 14, and she spent a few days in intensive medical care and treatment. However, due to her suffering from lack of oxygen and brain damage, she was unable to be saved.
“We are deeply saddened to learn the death of Matilda Rapaport, the remarkable Swedish freeskiing athlete,” a spokesperson for Ubisoft told Gamespot in a statement. “During a video production in Chile on Thursday, July 14th, Matilda was caught in an avalanche. Despite the medical care and treatment over the subsequent days, it was not possible to save her life.
“Matilda’s courage, passion, and desire to share the sport she loved with the world served as an inspiration for other athletes and for us all. This tragic accident has deeply touched us. Our hearts and prayers go out to her husband and her wider family at this difficult time.”
The day of the accident, Rapaport had posted a video to Instagram:
According to her sponsor Red Bull, Rapaport “[ranked] in the top tier of the Freeride World Tour for several years” and won the 2011 Scandinavian Big Mountain Championships as well as the 2013 he Xtreme Verbier, the hardest freeride competition. Rapaport was also a contributor to the Swedish Women’s Health and appeared in free ski films.
Rapaport was previously caught in an avalanche in Alaska back in 2014.
