26-Year-Old Olympic Athlete Killed in Avalanche: Details on Snowboarder Sophie Hediger’s Death

Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger, who had celebrated her 26th birthday earlier this month, lost her life in an avalanche at Switzerland’s Arosa mountain resort on Monday, Dec. 23. “Sophie Hediger, a member of the snowboard cross national team, died on Monday in an avalanche accident in Arosa at the age of just 26,” the Swiss-Ski federation confirmed in their announcement.

Walter Reusser, CEO of Sport at Swiss-Ski, expressed the organization’s grief: “We are stunned, and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we express our deepest condolences. 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.”

The rising star had recently achieved significant career milestones, securing her first two World Cup podium finishes during the 2023-2024 season, including a second-place finish at the World Cup dress rehearsal in St. Moritz. Her Olympic journey began at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, where she competed in multiple events, including “the snowboard cross, Nordic combined skiing event and the skeleton event,” placing 7th in mixed team snowboard cross and 19th in the women’s competition.

Just weeks before the accident, on Dec. 15, Hediger shared her enthusiasm about a recent competition in Italy on social media: “Crashed in 1/4-finals. happy about my riding and my best qualification I’ve ever had with p3.”

The athlete, who grew up in Horgen, a municipality within Zürich, discovered her passion for freeriding – snowboarding on un-groomed terrain – in Arosa, nearly 82 miles from her hometown. She had been training with aspirations of “taking home a medal at the World Championships in the Engadin region of Switzerland in March 2025.”

“In consultation with the bereaved family and her partner, Swiss-Ski will not provide any further information about Sophie Hediger’s passing and asks that the privacy of the mourners be respected,” the federation stated. At the time of her death, Hediger was dating Swiss hockey player Dario Wüthrich, according to her Instagram.

It remains unclear whether anyone else was injured or killed in the avalanche that claimed Hediger’s life at the mountain resort of Arosa in eastern Switzerland. Details about memorial service plans have not yet been released.