Sports | snowboarding Olympic Snowboarder Killed in Avalanche Switzerland's Sophie Hediger was 26 By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Dec 24, 2024 11:56 AM CST Copied Switzerland's Sophie Hediger competes during the women's snowboard cross qualification round at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 9, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File) Sophie Hediger, a member of Switzerland's snowboard cross team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, has died following an avalanche at a mountain resort, the country's skiing federation said on Tuesday. The incident occurred on Monday at the Arosa resort in Switzerland, reports the AP. The New York Post reports that her body was not located until two hours after the avalanche had been reported. The area had seen heavy snowfall. Hediger, 26, competed at the Beijing Games in the women's snowboard cross and the mixed team version of the same event. She achieved her first two World Cup podium finishes in the 2023-24 season. Her best result was a second place in St. Moritz in January. "We are shocked and our thoughts are with Sophie's family, to whom we offer our deepest condolences," said Swiss-Ski CEO Walter Reusser in a statement. "(She lost her life) tragically, brutally and far too soon." Read These Next State Department abandons a Biden-era font, blaming DEI. Police say a woman with 100+ prior arrests fatally struck a musician. The US just made a big move against Venezuela. Another big brand delivers an AI-driven holiday dud. Report an error