A pro skier died in an avalanche on July 18, 2016. She was shooting for Ubisoft's new game, "Steep," at the time of the accident. Matilda Rapaport, 30, was caught in an avalanche while filming a promo for the new Steep game in the Andes Mountains, close to the Chilean capital of Santiago.
The professional skier was shooting outside the resort town of Farellones on July 14 after a huge snowstorm when the avalanche happened. She later died in the hospital due to oxygen deprivation and brain damage.
The Guardian cited Rapaport's sponsor, Red Bull, in saying that Matilda was an extraordinary athlete who traveled the world to find her passion, ride steep terrain and share her bright smile.
Before the terrible accident, Matilda shared a video on her Instagram page and added the hashtag #STEEPgame, to promote Ubisoft's new title.
Aside from the new Steep promo, Rapaport had appeared in numerous ski magazines and films. She has built a reputation in the freeride skiing circuit, where athletes quickly descend steep and rocky mountain faces.
It was not actually the first time that Rapaport experienced an avalanche. In 2014, the skier was also caught in an Alaskan avalanche, which compelled her to talk about going back to the slopes and facing her fears. The mountains in Chile are among the most dangerous to ski on.
Two years ago, extreme skiers Jean-Philippe Auclair and Carl Andreas Fransson were also killed in an avalanche. GameSpot reported that Steep developer Ubisoft also forwarded their sentiments to the family of Rapaport.
The company stated that Matilda's courage, passion and desire to share the sport she loved with the world was an inspiration for other athletes and everyone else. Her tragic death has deeply touched them all.
In the meantime, Ubisoft's Steep is still in development. The official Steep website stated that the game is set in a massive open world of the Alps and Alaska. Steep players are invited to defy and master the most epic mountains in the world using skis, a snowboard, a wingsuit or a paraglide.
Players can either go solo or work with other players. Gamers can enjoy several tricks, stunts and huge wipeouts. In the meantime, players can sign up to join the Steep beta version before the big launch.
"Steep" is set to launch in December 2016 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. More updates and details are expected soon.
![Steep Gameplay Walkthrough: World Premiere – E3 2016 [US]](https://1779241332.rsc.cdn77.org/data/thumbs/full/79939/396/277/50/40/steep-gameplay-walkthrough-world-premiere-e3-2016-us.jpg)
