Olympic snowboarding champion Sophie Hediger has passed away at the age of 26.

According to reports from local media outlets, she was a member of the Swiss national snowboard cross-team. Sources claim she passed away one day before Christmas while doing what she loved best and that was snowboarding.

A terrifying avalanche in the Swiss Alps caught the athlete off guard and now her death was confirmed by Swiss officials.

Sophie took part in the 2022 Winter Olympics and represented her national team. She was eyeing for a spot in the 2026 games that were set to take place in Italy.

As per sources, she claimed two World Cup podium finishes during that time period.

The Swiss Ski Federation shared the heartbreaking news about her tragic death that arose at the mountain resort of Arosa. This was two hours from Zurich. Now, it’s understood that she and a friend ended up being ventured onto the expert-level diamond run.

Emergency teams and avalanche search experts rushed to rescue her with their trained dogs but it was in vain. After nearly two hours of vigorous searching, they found her remains buried beneath the heavy piles of snow.