This piece was updated at 10 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST).
The South American winter has been a big one and professional skiers have been charging hard in the Southern Hemisphere. Tragically, Swedish freeskier Matilda Rapaport has reportedly died after being caught in an avalanche last Thursday near the Farrellones ski area in Chile, some 36 kilometers from Santiago. According to a Swedish news outlet she was skiing during a filming trip on Thursday in a steep area. On her second run she was swept away and buried.
According to the brief report, rescuers recovered her quickly and she was in a Santiago hospital within an hour and a half. She was in intensive care and there were several reports stating that doctors had placed her in a coma so her body could recover (we haven’t been able to confirm this). She apparently suffered minimal physical injuries but most likely suffocated in the slide.
Rapaport–who finished 2016 ranked 4th on the Freeride World Tour–is a charger and been in close calls before (below). This is the second athlete on the Freeride World Tour to die this year after two-time world champ Estelle Balet died this spring. Here, she talks about getting back on the horse after one of those instances:
South America, and especially Chile, has received record snowfall this year. Plenty of lines have opened up. Below is footage of a recent avalanche in a couloior in the central Andes.
Our thoughts are with Rapaport and her family during this difficult time.
This piece will be updated as more information becomes available.
