Sophie Hediger died in an avalanche on December 23 at a Swiss Resort. Photo: Swiss Ski Federation
Sophie Hediger, a 26-year-old snowboarder who competed under the Swiss Flag in the 2022 Winter Olympics, died in an avalanche on December 23.
“We are stunned and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we express our deepest condolences,” Swiss-Ski Federation CEO Walter Reusser said in a statement. “For the Swiss Ski family, the tragic death of Sophie Hediger has cast a dark shadow over the Christmas holidays. We are immeasurably sad. We will keep an honorable memory of Sophie.”
Hediger was riding at Arosa, a resort in the Plessur Region in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland when she was swept away. As of this writing, information about the exact circumstances are vague due to the family’s wishes.
According to multiple reports, Hediger was riding with a friend when the avalanche hit them. The friend has not been named, nor has their medical status been revealed, but the pair were apparently riding a closed slope.
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Although emergency services were notified quickly, it took two hours to locate Hediger. Sadly, too much time had elapsed and rescuers weren’t able to resuscitate her. The region of Switzerland where Hediger died has been hammered by heavy snowfall in recent days, and the avalanche risk was very high.
Hediger was an accomplished snowboarder, competing in women’s snowboard cross and mixed team snowboard cross at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China and made two podium finishes in the World Cup during the 2023-2024 season.
