Karine Ruby
Encyclopedia
Karine Ruby (4 January 1978, Bonneville, Haute-Savoie
– 29 May 2009) was a French
snowboarder
and Olympic champion. She won a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics
in Nagano. She received a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics
in Salt Lake City.
Ruby had achieved significant success as a snowboarder, recognized as the world champion on six occasions and winning more than 65 Snowboarding World Cup events overall to accompany her two Olympic medals, earning her the description by The New York Times
as "the most decorated female snowboarder in the world".
Ruby won the giant slalom event in the snowboarding competition
at the 1998 Winter Olympics
held in Nagano, Japan
, overcoming severe weather conditions to win the first Olympic gold medal awarded in the event to a woman. She finished a combined 1.74 seconds behind Isabelle Blanc
in the parallel giant slalom in snowboarding competition
at the 2002 Winter Olympics
in Salt Lake City, an event that the two French snowboarders had dedicated to the memory of teammate Régine Cavagnoud
, who had died in a 2001 training accident.
Ruby came in third place to win a bronze medal in snowboardcross at the Winter X Games IX
held in Aspen, Colorado
in January 2005.
She competed in the snowboardcross event at the 2006 Winter Olympics
in Turin
, Italy
, and retired from the sport after being eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Ruby was training to become a mountain guide
, a process that can take as long as 15 years, and was killed at age 31 on 29 May 2009 after a climbing accident on Mont Blanc
. While climbing down the Tour Ronde section of the mountain, Ruby fell into a 70 feet (21.3 m) in the glacier, dragged in together with the two other members of the climbing party she had been leading who had all been roped to each other. Another man in the group was killed in the fall, while another person sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized after being evacuated from the site by helicopter.
Bonneville, Haute-Savoie
Bonneville is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.-Geography:Bonneville is on the A40 autoroute, roughly halfway between Geneva and Chamonix...
– 29 May 2009) was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
snowboarder
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
and Olympic champion. She won a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
in Nagano. She received a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
in Salt Lake City.
Ruby had achieved significant success as a snowboarder, recognized as the world champion on six occasions and winning more than 65 Snowboarding World Cup events overall to accompany her two Olympic medals, earning her the description by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
as "the most decorated female snowboarder in the world".
Ruby won the giant slalom event in the snowboarding competition
Snowboarding at the 1998 Winter Olympics
-Giant Slalom:-Halfpipe:-Giant Slalom:-Halfpipe:-References:*...
at the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
held in Nagano, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, overcoming severe weather conditions to win the first Olympic gold medal awarded in the event to a woman. She finished a combined 1.74 seconds behind Isabelle Blanc
Isabelle Blanc
Isabelle Blanc is a French snowboarder and Olympic champion. She won a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.-External links:...
in the parallel giant slalom in snowboarding competition
Snowboarding at the 2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympic Games Snowboarding competition consisted of men's and women's Halfpipe and Parallel Giant Slalom events. The snowboarding competition took place at Park City, over a five day period.-Medal table:-Men's events:...
at the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
in Salt Lake City, an event that the two French snowboarders had dedicated to the memory of teammate Régine Cavagnoud
Régine Cavagnoud
Régine Cavagnoud was a French alpine skier. The 2001 Super-G World Champion, she was killed in a training accident.-Career:Régine Cavagnoud was born in Thônes, Haute-Savoie....
, who had died in a 2001 training accident.
Ruby came in third place to win a bronze medal in snowboardcross at the Winter X Games IX
Winter X Games IX
Winter X Games IX were held from January 29, 2005 to February 1, 2005 in Aspen, Colorado. They were the 4th consecutive Winter X Games to be held in Aspen...
held in Aspen, Colorado
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
in January 2005.
She competed in the snowboardcross event at the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and retired from the sport after being eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Ruby was training to become a mountain guide
Mountain guide
Mountain guides are specially trained and experienced mountaineers and professionals who are generally certified by an association. They are considered experts in mountaineering.-Skills:Their skills usually include climbing, skiing and hiking...
, a process that can take as long as 15 years, and was killed at age 31 on 29 May 2009 after a climbing accident on Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...
. While climbing down the Tour Ronde section of the mountain, Ruby fell into a 70 feet (21.3 m) in the glacier, dragged in together with the two other members of the climbing party she had been leading who had all been roped to each other. Another man in the group was killed in the fall, while another person sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized after being evacuated from the site by helicopter.
External links
- AP Obituary in The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...