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

Switzerland’s skiing federation announced the heartbreaking news on Tuesday, revealing that the incident happened at the Arosa resort in the Swiss Alps.

‘We are stunned and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we express 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 an honorable memory of Sophie.’

Details on the incident are limited. Furthermore, the Swiss-Ski Federation said it would not be releasing any further information about the athlete’s death at her family’s request.

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

According to French news outlet Le Parisien, the Grisons cantonal police announced on Monday that the Hediger had died in an avalanche while backcountry skiing. However, the identity of the victim was not released then.

The snowboarder was not located until two hours after emergency services were notified and police opened the investigation.

La Parisien also reported that heavy snowfall in Switzerland over the past week raised the risk of Avalanches.

Hediger spent a lot of time riding the slopes in Arosa before her life ‘came to a tragic, sudden and far too early end,’ according to the release.

Hediger represented Switzerland at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing in the women’s snowboard cross and the mixed team event.

She also earned her first two podium finishes at the World Cup during the 2023-24 season with her best finish coming in January when she secured second place in St. Moritz.

After the competition, she posted a picture on the podium with her competitors alongside videos and snaps of the race and her celebrations.

‘Wow! what just happened yesterday! got my first World Cup podium at home! couldn’t be happier,’ she captioned.

Hediger poses on a boat on Lake Zurich in Switzerland in the summer of 2023