Sophie Hediger, Swiss Olympic snowboarder, dies in avalanche

Published  December 25, 2024 9:11am CST

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FILE - Sophie Hediger takes 2nd place during the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup Mens and Womens Snowboard Cross on January 26, 2024 in St Moritz, Switzerland. (Photo by Millo Moravski/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)

Sophie Hediger, a Swiss snowboarder who competed in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, was killed in an avalanche Monday, authorities said.  

According to Switzerland’s skiing federation, the accident happened at the Arosa mountain resort in Switzerland, one of the country’s premier all-around winter resorts.

Sports Illustrated reported that Hediger and a friend were on expert-level runs when the avalanche occurred. Hediger’s body was recovered about two hours later, according to SI.

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"We are shocked and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we offer our deepest condolences," Swiss-Ski CEO Walter Reusser said in a statement provided to the Associated Press. "(She lost her life) tragically, brutally and far too soon."

Hediger, 26, competed at the Beijing Games in the women’s snowboard cross and the mixed team version of the same event.

She achieved her first two World Cup podium finishes in the 2023-24 season. Her best result was a second place in St. Moritz in January.

Sports Illustrated described her as a rising star who was planning to compete in the 2026 winter games in Italy.

"For the Swiss-Ski family, the tragic death of Sophie has cast a dark shadow over the Christmas period. We are immeasurably sad," Reusser said.