Fatal accident in Arosa World Cup snowboarder Sophie Hediger dies in avalanche accident

Luca Betschart

24.12.2024

Swiss-Ski mourns the death of snowboarder Sophie Hediger.
Swiss-Ski mourns the death of snowboarder Sophie Hediger.
Picture: Keystone

As announced by Swiss-Ski, Sophie Hediger, a member of the national snowboard cross team, died in an avalanche accident in Arosa on Monday at the age of just 26.

Sad news just before Christmas: Sophie Hediger, a member of the national snowboard cross team, was caught in an avalanche in Arosa on Monday and could only be recovered dead.

The 26-year-old native of Zurich had found a second home in Arosa and now died "while freeriding, a beloved hobby", as Swiss-Ski writes in a press release. Hediger had achieved her first two World Cup podiums last season. She came second at the main World Championships rehearsal in St. Moritz; winning a medal at the home World Championships in the Engadin next March was one of her sporting dreams. She was able to fulfill another with her participation in the 2022 Olympics in China.

"We are stunned and our thoughts are with Sophie's family, to whom we express our deepest condolences," Walter Reusser, CEO Sport at Swiss-Ski, was quoted as saying in a press release. "For the Swiss-Ski family, the tragic death of Sophie Hediger has cast a dark shadow over the Christmas period. We are immensely saddened. We will keep an honorable memory of Sophie."

Swiss-Ski has announced that, in agreement with the bereaved family and her partner, no further information on Sophie Hediger's death will be released. Swiss-Ski asks that the privacy of the mourners be respected.