Switzerland’s Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger has died in an avalanche aged 26, the Swiss-Ski federation said on Tuesday.
The member of the Swiss national snowboard cross team was caught up in the incident at the mountain resort of Arosa on Monday.
“We are speechless, and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we express our deepest condolences,” said Walter Reusser, the Sport chief executive at Swiss-Ski.
“For the Swiss-Ski family, the tragic death of Sophie has cast a dark shadow over the Christmas period. We are immensely saddened.”
Hediger competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in China and claimed two World Cup podium finishes in the 2023-24 season.
The federation, meanwhile, said it would keep further details about her death private, as agreed with her family and partner.