Chamonix, France (Ski Press)-Karine Ruby, one of Olympic snowboarding’s original heroes, fell to her death Friday in a climbing accident near Chamonix, France.

Ruby, 31 won gold in the giant slalom snowboarding competition in Nagano, Japan, in 1998, and silver in the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. According to police reports, she was one of a group of people that were roped together that fell into a crevasse. A 38-year-old man also died in the fall, and one other man was reportedly seriously injured. Ruby was training to become a mountain guide and was close to achieving her guiding certification.

In a statement, French Prime Minister Francis Fallen call Ruby, “an exceptional sportswoman,” and said, “Karine incarnated the emergence of snowboarding in France. The people of France will hold on to the memory of her talent and joie de vivre.”