Snowboarder Ueli Kestenholz, who won a bronze medal in the sport’s first Olympic race, has died after being trapped in an avalanche, the Swiss Ski federation said on Tuesday. He was 50.
Kestenholz was third in snowboard giant slalom at the 1998 Nagano Olympics – a debut event that became a story of the Games when Canadian gold medallist Ross Rebagliati fought to keep his title after a positive test for cannabis.
The Swiss racer competed at two more Winter Games, was twice snowboardcross champion at the X-Games and continued a professional career in extreme sports.
Kestenholz was snowboarding with a friend, who was skiing, on Sunday in the Lötschental valley of Valais canton. The avalanche started at an altitude of 2,400 metres (7,900 feet) for unknown reasons, Valais police said in a statement. Kestenholz was trapped by snow and helped by his friend before being airlifted by helicopter to the hospital, first to Visp then to Sion which is close to Crans-Montana.
“We extend our deepest condolences to Ueli’s family and loved ones,” said the Swiss Ski president, Peter Barandun.
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Recent posts on his Instagram account included film of Kestenholz paragliding and landing on frozen lakes near St Moritz. “To enjoy those rare moments when nature’s wonders align you need to be ready to drop everything and go!” he wrote.
