Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger died in an avalanche on Monday, December 23, the Swiss Ski Federation announced.
“Sophie Hediger, snowboard cross national team member, died on Monday in an avalanche accident in Arosa at the age of only 26,” the association confirmed.
“We are stunned and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we offer our deepest condolences,” said Swiss-Ski CEO Walter Reusser.
“For the Swiss Ski family, the tragic death of Sophie Hediger has cast a dark shadow over the Christmas holidays,” Reusser continued. “We are extremely saddened. We will cherish Sophie’s memory,” the CEO added.
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The federation requested the privacy of Hediger’s family and listed some of her achievements in the sport. In 2023 and 2024, she achieved her first two places on the World Cup podium and was second at the dress rehearsal of the World Cup in St. Moritz.
On December 15th, she excitedly posted about a recent competition in Italy. “Falled in the 1/4-final.💁♀️🌨️ happy with my ride and my best qualification ever with p3,” Hediger wrote in her caption.
Sophie Hediger at the FIS Snowboard Cross Men’s and Women’s Snowboard Cross World Cup on January 26, 2024.
Millo Moravski/Agence Zoom/Getty
According to the association, Hediger has fulfilled one of her “sporting dreams” as a member of the Swiss national team at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
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She also dreamed of winning a medal at the World Championship in the Swiss Engadin in March 2025.
“In agreement with the bereaved family and her partner, Swiss-Ski will not release any further information about Sophie Hediger’s death and asks that the privacy of the bereaved be respected,” the federation said in a statement.
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Source: HIS Education