Memorial ski race slated for Saturday at Lee Canyon

Las Vegas residents will dust off their snowshoes Saturday and venture into Lee Canyon for a ski and snowboard race remembering a local organ donor.

The 7th Annual Chris Ruby Memorial Cup will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday. Entry is $20 and all proceeds go to the Nevada Donor Network. The banked slalom ski and snowboard race is open to all ages.

The race remembers Chris Ruby, a 20-year-old Las Vegas man who loved to hunt, fish, ski and snowboard.

His father, retired Clark County firefighter Jeff Ruby, said Wednesday that members of the family were regulars at Lee Canyon as soon as his sons were old enough to try it. Jeff Ruby worked as a ski patroller on his days off before he retired from the Fire Department in 2010.

In 2014, Chris Ruby was 15 feet in the air on a jump when his feet came loose from his skis. His landing broke a rib and punctured a lung, Jeff Ruby remembered, seven years after watching the tragedy unfold at Lee Canyon.

Chris Ruby was airlifted to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead before his father made it to the hospital.

Since then, the young man’s choice to be an organ donor has saved about 90 lives, according to Steven Peralta from the Nevada Donor Network. His organs, eyes and tissue scattered across the nation to help burn victims and children with heart problems.

“We got a thank you card from a lady and her family right around Christmas the year after Chris died,” Jeff Ruby said. “She said her son, who was 5, had already had several open heart surgeries and her son had Chris’ heart valves and they did the trick and fixed the problem.”

The annual event brings in hundreds of new donors each year, Peralta said, while still keeping Chris Ruby’s memory alive.

The races will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with awards announced at 4 p.m., according to Jim Seely, Lee Canyon marketing director. A youth division will be awarded, and adults will compete for the Chris Ruby Memorial Cup.

“It’s a run that’s about participation,” Seely said. “We encourage everyone of all ages to come up, engage and try the fun run and big slalom course.”

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.