Snowboarding fans were left horrified earlier this week after rescuers found the body of Swiss Olympic athlete Sophie Hediger.

According to the New York Post, that discovery came two hours after Hediger had been swept up in an avalanche near the mountain resort town of Arosa, Switzerland.

Head of Swiss-Ski Federation CEO "stunned" by young snowboarder's demise

Walter Reusser serves as CEO of the Swiss-Ski Federation, and he addressed the 26-year-old woman's tragic passing in a statement put out on Tuesday.

"We are stunned and our thoughts are with Sophie's family, to whom we express our deepest condolences," the official declared.

Sophie Hediger, Swiss snowboarding Olympian, dies in avalanche at 26 https://t.co/NEZJfU59YA pic.twitter.com/4peXUNwXa3

— New York Post (@nypost) December 24, 2024

"For the Swiss Ski family, the tragic death of Sophie Hediger has cast a dark shadow over the Christmas holidays. We are immeasurably sad," he continued.

Reusser went on to assert that the Swiss-Ski Federation "will keep an honorable memory of Sophie" and has opted not to provide additional details concerning Hediger's death at the request of her family.

Snowboarder achieved multiple placements at the World Cup

The Post cited a report from the French news outlet Le Parisien as saying that Switzerland had experienced heavy snowfall in the days leading up to Hediger's death, something which increased the risk of avalanches.

Newsweek recalled how Hediger's first foray into the World Cup came when the young athlete competed in its 2019-2020 season.

Hediger once again returned to the World Cup four years later, achieving her first two podium placements for snowboard cross.

The magazine explained that snowboard cross is an event that typically involves four to six competitors who must make their way through a half-kilometer course which grows ever narrower as it moves down a hill.

This was followed by a third-place World Cup finish in the Republic of Georgia along with a second-place finish in St. Moritz, Switzerland this past January.

Hediger represented Switzerland in the Winter Olympics

Hedieger heralded the latter achievement in an Instagram post, writing, "Wow! what just happened yesterday! Got my first World Cup podium at home!"

"Big thanks to my friends [and] family who [were] cheering for me," she continued before expressing gratitude to her coaches and sponsors as well.

What's more, the Post pointed out that Hedieger represented Switzerland in the women's snowboard cross as well as the mixed team event in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.