Swiss snowboarder Sophie Hediger, who has two World Cup podiums and participated in the 2022 Olympics, died in an avalanche on Monday December 23 in Arosa, in eastern Switzerland, the Swiss ski federation said on Tuesday.
The young woman, who was a member of the national snowboardcross team, had just celebrated her 26th birthday on December 14.
She obtained her first two podiums in the World Cup last winter, with the best result being a 2nd place in St-Moritz in January 2024 during the dress rehearsal for the 2025 Worlds, recalled the Swiss Federation (Swiss-Ski) . She also participated in the Beijing Olympics in 2022.
“For the Swiss-Ski family, a dark shadow fell over the Christmas period with the tragic death of Sophie Hediger. We are incredibly sad. We will honor Sophie's memory“, promised Walter Reusser, the boss of Swiss-Ski, in a press release.
The snowboarder could not be located until two hours later
On Monday, the cantonal police of Graubünden announced the death of a snowboarder in an avalanche while she was off-piste with another person. But she had not communicated the identity of the victim.
The young woman and her companion took a closed track and it was while they were leaving it that Sophie Hediger was caught in an avalanche.
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Emergency services were immediately notified, but the snowboarder could not be located until two hours later. Resuscitation attempts on site failed, said the police, who opened an investigation.
The risk of avalanches is currently very high in Switzerland, as snow has fallen in abundance for several days.
In March 2021, former French snowboard champion Julie Pomagalski was killed in the same way, in Switzerland, swept away at the age of 40 by an avalanche in the center of the country.
