Tragedy strikes during the Christmas season after an avalanche took the life of a promising, young, snowboarder at the mountain resort of Arosa in eastern Switzerland.
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According to the Swiss-Ski Federation, Swiss Olympic snowboarder, Sophie Hediger, was killed on Monday afternoon when an avalanche struck the athlete after she left a closed black diamond slope while 'freeriding' at the resort.
"We are stunned and our thoughts are with Sophie's family, to whom we offer our deepest condolences," said Walter Reusser, CEO Sport at Swiss-Ski in a statement on Tuesday.
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Snowboarder's Life "Came to a Tragic, Sudden and Far Too Early End"
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Authorities indicate that Hediger and another snowboarder were on a closed black diamond slope Monday afternoon when the 26-year-old snowboarder left the area and was freeriding when the avalanche struck her.
Rescue personnel were immediately notified by her companion, who had just been by her side; Hediger's body was located two hours later buried underneath the avalanche, and while rescuers attempted to perform CPR on the young snowboarder, their efforts were unsuccessful. Sophie Hediger was pronounced dead at the scene.
"For the Swiss-Ski family, the tragic death of Sophie Hediger cast a dark shadow over the Christmas days," Walter Reusser, Alpine Director for Swiss-Ski said in a statement. "We are immensely sad. We will keep a moving memory of Sophie."
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Hediger Had Many Achievements and Was a Promising Olympic Snowboarder Who Loved Freeriding
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A member of Switzerland's national snowboard cross team, Sophie Hediger loved freeriding, according to Swiss-Ski. Born in Horgen, a town in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland, the young snowboarder spent a lot of time at the Arosa resort doing what she loved.
"It was there that her life now ended tragically, brutally, and far too soon, while she practiced freeriding, a hobby she loved very much," Swiss-Ski said.
Her achievements throughout her young life included competing in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing in the women's snowboard cross and the mixed team snowboard cross.
During the 2023-2024 World Cup season, Hediger placed second in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in January, and third place in Gudauri, Georgia, in February.
The Swiss-Ski Federation advised that Hediger had dreamed about winning a medal at the Ski Freestyle and Snowboard World Championships in Engadin, Switzerland, in March 2025.
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Hediger's tragic death comes nearly four years after 40-year-old, Julie Pomagalski, a former Olympic snowboarder from France, was killed by an avalanche on Gemsstock mountain in the Swiss canton of Uri.
Out of respect for the family, further details about Sophie Hediger's death will not be released, as they mourn the loss of their daughter, and loved one; their Christmas holiday darkened by her tragic death.