Sophie Hediger, Swiss snowboard Olympian, dies in an avalanche at the age of 26

On By Littum

Switzerland’s national snowboard cross team is mourning the loss of one of its own after Olympian Sophie Hediger died in an avalanche on Monday.

She was 26.

Hediger was swept up in an avalanche in the Swiss mountain resort of Arosa, the Swiss Ski Federation announced on Tuesday.

Swiss snowboarder Sophie Hediger died in an avalanche on Monday. She was 26. Getty Images
Sophie Hediger represented Switzerland at the 2022 Winter Olympics in China. Getty Images

“We are stunned and our thoughts go out to Sophie’s family, to whom we express our deepest sympathies,” association director Walter Reusser said in a statement. “For the Swiss Ski family, the tragic death of Sophie Hediger has cast a dark shadow over the Christmas holidays. We are extremely sorry. We will preserve an honorable memory of Sophie.”

Her death came nine days after she celebrated her 26th birthday on December 14.

Details of the incident are limited, and in a statement the Swiss Ski Federation said it would not release further information about Hediger’s death at the request of her family.

Sophie Hediger Sophie Hediger/Instagram

Grisons cantonal police had announced on Monday that a snowboarder had died in an avalanche while skiing, although the victim’s identity was never released, This is written by the French news media Le Parisien.

The snowboarder was only found two hours after the emergency services had been notified, and the police have opened an investigation into the incident.

There had been heavy snowfall in Switzerland over the past several days, increasing the risk of potential avalanches, according to Le Parisien.

Hediger had spent a lot of time riding in Arosa, according to the release, and the federation said her life “came to a tragic, sudden and untimely end.”

Sophie Hediger poses with her dog. Sophie Hediger/Instagram

The 26-year-old had competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing in the women’s snowboard cross and mixed team.

Hediger achieved her first two World Cup podium finishes during the 2023-24 season, with her best finish coming last January when she finished second in St. Moritz.

“Wow! what happened just yesterday! got my first WC podium at home! couldn’t be happier,” she wrote in an Instagram post after the event.