Swiss snowboarder Ueli Kestenholz, Olympic bronze medalist, died at 50 after an avalanche in Switzerland on Jan. 11, 2026.

Swiss Olympic snowboarder Ueli Kestenholz, who won bronze in the sport’s debut at the 1998 Nagano Games, died at 50 after being caught in an avalanche on January 11, 2026, in Switzerland’s Lötschental valley. He was snowboarding with a skiing companion when an avalanche struck the eastern slope at about 2,400 meters. Though rescued by his friend and emergency crews, including Air Zermatt helicopters, Kestenholz succumbed to injuries at a hospital in Sion. He competed in three Winter Olympics, won two X-Games titles, and was a pioneer in advancing snowboarding globally. The Swiss Ski Federation confirmed his death and mourned his passing.