Sophie Hediger, a Swiss Olympic snowboarder, was sadly murdered in an avalanche on Monday, according to the Swiss Ski Federation.
The federation reported that Hediger, 26, was caught in an avalanche at the mountain resort of Arosa in eastern Switzerland.
“We are stunned, and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we express our deepest condolences,” said Walter Reusser, CEO of Swiss-Ski’s sports section, in a statement on Tuesday.
Local police said the snowboarder and another companion were on a closed black diamond slope Monday afternoon. Police say she was struck by an avalanche after fleeing the blocked slope.
Her buddy alerted rescuers, and she was discovered approximately two hours later buried in the avalanche field, according to authorities. According to authorities, a first responder attempted CPR, but she died at the scene of the accident.
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The athlete was a member of Switzerland’s national snowboard cross squad and spent a lot of time in Arosa, where freeriding was a “beloved hobby,” Swiss-Ski reported.
Hediger competed in the women’s and mixed team snowboard cross events at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.
During the 2023-24 season, she scored her first two World Cup podium finishes. She finished second in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in January, then third in Gudauri, Georgia, in February.
She had hoped to win a medal in the Ski Freestyle and Snowboard World Championships in Engadin, Switzerland, in March, according to Swiss-Ski.
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“For the Swiss Ski family, the tragic death of Sophie Hediger has cast a dark shadow over the Christmas holidays,” Reuser told reporters. “We are immeasurably sad.