Sophie Hediger placed 2nd in the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup Men’s and Women’s Snowboard Cross on January 26, 2024 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Millo Moravski/Agence Zoom/Getty Images/Getty Images Europe Hide caption
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Milo Moravsky/Agence Zoom/Getty Images/Getty Images Europe
The death of a Swiss Olympic snowboarder this week was a reminder that even the most skilled and experienced athletes are not immune to the dangers posed by rapid snow flows down hills, according to avalanche forecasters. That’s what it means.
Professional snowboarder Sophie Hediger was killed in an avalanche while snowboarding in her native Switzerland on Monday. The 26-year-old was part of the Swiss national team at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and was a known figure on the international snowboard racing circuit.
“Sophie Hediger’s tragic death has cast a dark shadow over the Christmas holidays. It’s incredibly sad.”
The incident that led to Ms Hediger’s death occurred while she and a companion were snowboarding in the town of Arosa in the Swiss Alps, local police said in an online statement. Police said the pair were believed to be descending a closed slope when Hediger was swept away by the avalanche.
Hediger’s friends managed to alert rescue teams, and after an hour-long search, Hediger was found buried under snow. Rescuers were unable to revive her and she was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Russia’s Kristina Paul (left) and Switzerland’s Sophie Paul compete in the snowboard mixed team cross small final at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games held at Genting Snow Park P&X Stadium in Zhangjiakou on February 12, 2022. Hediger (centre) and Great Britain’s Charlotte Banks. Marco Bertolello/AFP via Getty Images Hide caption
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Marco Bertolello/AFP via Getty Images
Over the past 10 winters, avalanches have killed an average of 27 people each year in the United States, according to an analysis by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
Greg Gagne, a forecaster with the Utah Avalanche Center, says knowledge is the key to staying safe on the slopes.
“I think people assume that someone is a skilled professional athlete in snowsports. Yes, they definitely are. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that person has the skills necessary to assess and navigate avalanche terrain. It does not mean that you have.”
The U.S. Forest Service identifies three common types of avalanches. “sluff” or loose snow avalanches, wet avalanches, and slab avalanches. Slab avalanches, which occur when compacted snow slides down slopes over large areas, are responsible for the most deaths, according to the Forest Service.
Gagné said that in the majority of avalanche accidents, either the victim or someone in their group triggered the avalanche. Generally, the best way to stay safe is to avoid walking on slopes cleared by resorts, he says.
“Ski areas and resorts typically have regulatory operations using explosives to try to cause an avalanche before the public can access the terrain,” Gagné said. “Then, once we’re sure there’s no avalanche danger, the public can enter the terrain. But once you get outside the resort boundaries, you’re in the backcountry.”
However, if someone chooses to ski or snowboard in a backcountry area that the resort does not allow access to, the tools necessary to locate, retrieve, and provide relief to the entangled person are not available. Gagné says it’s important to be equipped with the proper rescue kit that includes: avalanche.
“It’s like homeowners insurance or car insurance. It’s something you have to have and you never want to use. It’s the same with avalanche rescue equipment, everyone needs it. “It’s something I hope I never have to use,” he says.
