Renowned Olympic gold medalist Ueli Kestenholz has died at the age of 50. While snowboarding with a fellow skier on the eastern slope of the Hockuchriz mountain in Switzerland, Kestenholz was buried by an avalanche. Despite the best efforts of local mountain rescue, the Olympian lost his life.
The initial report of the January 11 avalanche by the Swiss police did not name Kestenholz in the incident. Two days later it was revealed by Swiss Ski that Kestenholz had died in the tragic accident. At 50 years old, one of the world’s first Olympic snowboarders lost his life while riding through the Swiss mountains.
On January 11, Kestenholz and a friend were traversing the Swiss mountains at around 7,900 feet when the avalanche careened into the pair. According to the police report, the skier accompanying Kestenholz was able to get to safety. However, the 50-year-old Olympian was not quite so lucky and was buried in the avalanche.
Mountain rescue arrived on the scene and dug Kestenholz out from under the snow. With the help of his friend, they were able to free him, but he had suffered serious injuries. A rescue helicopter was called to transport him off the mountain. Initially, he was airlifted to a hospital in Visp. However, he later died from his injuries in a hospital in Sion.
Kestenholz was a revered snowboarder who made his name by being one of the first people to participate in an Olympic snowboarding event. First introduced in 1998, Kestenholz competed in the Giant Slalom, taking home the Olympic bronze for Switzerland. This marked the first medal awarded for Olympic snowboarding.
He continued his career as a professional snowboarder, helping to pioneer the emerging sport. He went on to compete in numerous other events, earning a wealth of awards. He competed twice more in the Winter Olympics, making appearances at both the 2002 and 2006 events before retiring from the games.
His talents weren’t restricted to snowboarding, however. Initially, he began as a skier but chose to move on to the relatively unknown sport of snowboarding at a young age. Throughout his life, he pursued various extreme sports, noted for being a successful mountain biker, skier, surfer, and more.
At only 50 years old, this extreme sports Olympian lost his life in an avalanche while doing what he loved. He was a father of two and a pioneer of snow sports. He helped bring snowboarding to light as it made its way into the Olympics, taking home the first medal ever awarded for the sport.
