Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger, 26, dies in avalanche in the Swiss Alps

Swiss snowboarder Sophie Hediger tragically died in an avalanche on Monday at the age of 26.

The Swiss Ski Federation announced the heartbreaking news on Tuesday, revealing that the incident took place at the Arosa resort in the Swiss Alps.

“We are stunned and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we extend our deepest condolences,” federation CEO Walter Reusser said in a statement.

‘For the Swiss Ski family, the tragic death of Sophie Hediger has cast a dark shadow over the Christmas holidays. We are immeasurably sad. We will keep Sophie in honorable memory.’

Details about the incident are limited. In addition, the Swiss Ski Federation said it would not release any further information about the athlete’s death at the request of her family.

Hediger’s death came nine days after she turned 26 on December 14.

According to the French news channel Le Parisien, the cantonal police of Graubünden announced on Monday that Hediger had died in an avalanche while skiing. However, the victim’s identity was not released at the time.

The snowboarder was only located two hours after the emergency services were alerted and the police opened the investigation.

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