Ueli Kestenholz, a trailblazing Olympic snowboarder who helped introduce the sport to the world stage, has died after being caught in an avalanche in Switzerland. He was 50.
The Swiss Ski Federation confirmed Tuesday that Kestenholz was killed Sunday while snowboarding with a friend in the Lötschental valley in southern Switzerland. He was trapped by an unexpected avalanche and later died at a local hospital.
“His life was far too short,” the federation said in a statement, adding that the Swiss snowboarding community is “devastated” by the loss.
Kestenholz made history in 1998 when he won a bronze medal for Switzerland in the parallel giant slalom at the Nagano Winter Olympics — the very first time snowboarding was included as an Olympic sport. He later returned to compete at the 2002 Games and remained a fixture in the sport for years after.
Swiss-Ski President Peter Barandun extended condolences to Kestenholz’s family, including his two children, calling him a beloved figure in Swiss winter sports.
Even after retiring from competition in 2006, Kestenholz never slowed down. According to the federation, he continued living life on the edge as a freerider and extreme sports enthusiast, embracing everything from paragliding and speed riding to kitesurfing, skydiving, mountain biking, and surfing.
“Ueli didn’t just love snowboarding,” the federation said. “He lived for movement, adventure, and the outdoors — right up to his last breath.”
Kestenholz first discovered snowboarding at age 14 and quickly fell in love with the sport’s freedom and creativity. In a past interview, he described snowboarding as a way to carry his favorite sensation — gliding sideways — into the winter months.
Authorities said the avalanche struck shortly after noon on Sunday. While Kestenholz’s skiing companion managed to escape, the snowboarder was buried beneath the snow. He was later recovered with the help of rescue crews and helicopters, but his injuries proved fatal.
Kestenholz is remembered not only as an Olympic medalist, but as a pioneer who helped shape modern snowboarding — and as an athlete who never stopped chasing adventure.
Same thing happened to a FORMER friend who joined a ski patrol in Colorado…not too many years after he encouraged me to ask “Sue” to go to homecoming and after she accepted, he asked her and she backed out with me. A California kid in Wisconsin is so much cooler than a Wisconsin kid. He ended up even COOLER.