Sophie Hediger, a Swiss snowboard cross athlete who competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics, died in an avalanche in Arosa on 23 December 2024. She was 26. In the 2023–24 season, she earned two World Cup podium finishes, including second place at St. Moritz.
What happened to Sophie Hediger?
Hediger died in an avalanche in Arosa on Monday, 23 December 2024, at age 26, according to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), which published a memorial on 25 December. Swiss public broadcaster SRF reported that she had been freeriding, an activity Swiss-Ski described as a much-loved hobby, and was recovered deceased.
The accounts cited by FIS and SRF do not establish the exact slope or route, the avalanche conditions, or the decisions made before the incident. They do not support claims about whether the slope was closed or who, if anyone, was responsible.
Who was Sophie Hediger?
Hediger was a member of Switzerland’s snowboard cross team. FIS said she reached the 2022 Winter Olympic Games; the Associated Press reported that she competed in both the women’s snowboard cross and mixed-team events at Beijing 2022.
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What did she achieve in snowboard cross?
The 2023–24 season brought Hediger her first two World Cup podium finishes. The Associated Press identified her second-place finish at St. Moritz in January 2024 as her best result.
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Swiss-Ski CEO Walter Reusser said, as quoted by the Associated Press: “We are shocked and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we offer our deepest condolences.”
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Sources
- FIS, “FIS mourns the tragic loss of Sophie Hediger,” 25 December 2024
- Associated Press, “Swiss Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger dies in avalanche, aged 26,” 24 December 2024
- SRF, “Tragödie in Arosa – Snowboardcrosserin Hediger stirbt in Lawinenunglück,” 24 December 2024
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