Deep shock in the universe of winter sports due to the tragic death of Sophie Hediger, a promising young Swiss snowboarder, who had turned 26 on December 14, and died this Monday in the Alps as a result of an avalanche in the commune. Helvetica of Arosa, in the southeast of the country.
The participant of the Beijing Olympic Games 2022 (came 19th among women and 7th in mixed team) and winner of a gold medal in 2023 during the Winter Universiade (dedicated to university athletes) held in Lake Placid, United States, had just achieved her first two podiums in the World Cup, as well as a second place in the trials for the 2025 World Cup held in St. Moritz, where the athlete was born and has died, according to the agency EFE.
The CEO of Swiss Ski (Swiss winter sports federation), Walter Reusser, fired the athlete in a statement: “We are shocked and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we express our deepest condolences. The tragic death of Sophie Hediger has cast a somber shadow over Christmas. We are immensely sad. We will remember Sophie with honor and affection”.
The member of the Swiss national snowboard cross team died after being surprised by an avalanche at the precise moment she was descending a closed slope. The Police had announced a death on Monday, but had not communicated the identity of the victim in the first instance. It is worth noting that, at this time of year, the risks of avalanche are very high in Switzerland due to the heavy snowfall that has fallen in recent days.
Sophie Hediger was in a relationship with Dario WuthrichSwiss ice hockey player. In fact, his club, HC Ambrì Piotta, expressed its condolences for the fatal event: “The Ambrì-Piotta Hockey Club joins defender Dario Wuthrich in mourning the sudden and tragic passing of his beloved partner Sophie. Our most sincere condolences to Sophie and Dario’s family, and a big hug from the entire blue and white family.”
In addition, the winner of a bronze medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Jan Scherrer, published a short phrase in Instagram: “This breaks my heart. We will remember you, Sophie. Take care out there, guys!”. Hediger had competed for the last time on his birthday, when he finished in ninth place in a competition held in Italy.
The full statement from Swiss Ski
Swiss-Ski mourns the loss of Sophie Hediger
Sophie Hediger, a member of the national Snowboardcross team, died on Monday at the age of just 26 in an avalanche accident in Arosa.
Walter Reusser, Swiss-Ski sports director: “We are shocked and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we express our deepest condolences.”
Sophie Hediger grew up in Horgen and spent a lot of time in Arosa. There, his life met a tragic, abrupt and too premature end while he was freeriding, one of his favorite pastimes.
In the recent 2023/24 season, Sophie Hediger achieved her first two World Cup podiums. In the dress rehearsal for the World Championships in St. Moritz he took second place; winning a medal at the next World Championships at home in Engadin in March was one of his sporting dreams. He had been able to fulfill another of his dreams with his participation in the 2022 Olympic Games in China.
Walter Reusser: «For the Swiss-Ski family, the tragic death of Sophie Hediger has cast a somber shadow over the Christmas days. We are immensely sad. “We will remember Sophie with honor and affection.”
Swiss-Ski, in consultation with the bereaved family and their partner, will not be providing any further information regarding the death of Sophie Hediger and requests that the privacy of the bereaved be respected.
