Olympian snowboarder Sophie Hediger was killed in an avalanche in her home country of Switzerland on Monday.
Hediger, 26, was caught in an avalanche while “freeriding,” also known as snowboarding on natural terrain in Arosa, both a town and a resort in eastern Switzerland, according to a statement from winter sports federation Swiss-Ski.
“We are stunned and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we offer our deepest condolences,” said Walter Reusser, CEO of Sport at Swiss-Ski.
Hediger and another person were on a closed black diamond slope Monday afternoon when she was struck by the avalanche after leaving the closed slope, local police shared with ABC News.
The other person notified rescue services, who located Hediger buried in the avalanche field a couple hours later. She died at the scene of the accident after unsuccessful CPR attempts, ABC News reported.
No additional information, or details about the incident will be released by Swiss-Ski at the request of Hediger’s loved ones, Swiss-Ski said. Swiss-Ski has also requested the privacy of Hediger’s family be respected.
“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.”
Arosa did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on Tuesday.
Who was Sophie Hediger?
Hediger grew up in Horgen, a town in the canton of Zurich, but spent a lot of time in Arosa.
“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.
She obtained her first two places at World Cup podiums during the 2023-2024 season. he placed second in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in January, followed by third in Gudauri, Georgia, in February, ABC News reported.
One of Hediger’s “sports dreams” was to win a medal in the upcoming Ski Freestyle and Snowboard World Championships in Engadin, Switzerland, in March, Swiss-Ski said.
Hediger also competed in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing in the women’s snowboard cross and the mixed team snowboard cross, completing “another dream” with her participation in the games, according to ABC News.