Heartbreaking news
Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hedgier has died aged 26 after being caught in an avalanche.
The Swiss national was at the Arosa mountain resort at the time of the incident.
“We are speechless, and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we express our deepest condolences,” Sport chief executive at Swiss-Ski Walter Reusser said.
“For the Swiss-Ski family, the tragic death of Sophie has cast a dark shadow over the Christmas period. We are immensely saddened.”
Hedgier represented Switzerland at the 2022 Winter Olympics in China, and achieved her first World Cup podium finishes in the 2023-24 season.
Swiss-Ski said they would keep any further details of her death private, in agreement with her family and partner.
