Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger dies in Switzerland avalanche
"For the Swiss Ski family, the tragic death of Sophie Hediger has cast a dark shadow over the Christmas holidays," said Walter Reusser of Swiss-Ski. “We are immeasurably sad."
File – Caught on video: Avalanche in the French Alps
A group of skiers in the French Alps caught video of an avalanche speeding down a mountainside.
AROSA, Switzerland – Snowboarder Sophie Hediger, who represented Switzerland at the 2022 Winter Olympics in China, died in an avalanche Monday, according to the country’s ski federation. She was 26.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Walter Reusser, CEO Sport at Swiss-Ski, said Hediger was freeriding in Arosa when her beloved hobby came to a tragic end.
"We are stunned and our thoughts are with Sophie's family, to whom we express our deepest condolences," Reusser said.
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Sophie Hediger takes 2nd place during the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup Men's and Women's Snowboard Cross on January 26, 2024, in St Moritz, Switzerland. (Millo Moravski/Agence Zoom / Getty Images)
According to Reusser, Hediger achieved her first two World Cup podium places in the 2023-24 season and came in second in the World Cup dress rehearsal. She was set to compete in the home World Championships in March, according to Reusser.
"For the Swiss Ski family, the tragic death of Sophie Hediger has cast a dark shadow over the Christmas holidays," Reusser said. "We are immeasurably sad. We will keep an honorable memory of Sophie."
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Switzerland's Sophie Hediger competes in the snowboard women's cross seeding run during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Genting Snow Park P & X Stadium in Zhangjiakou on February 9, 2022. (MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP / Getty Images)
Reusser said Hediger grew up in Horgen and spent a lot of her time in Arosa.