Swiss-Ski And Snowboard Community Mourning The Loss Of Ueli Kestenholz.

Swiss-Ski and the snowboard community are mourning the loss of Ueli Kestenholz. The first Swiss Olympic medalist in a snowboard discipline died in an avalanche at the young age of 50.

Ueli Kestenholz made a name for himself as a competitive athlete, a name that still resonates 20 years after the end of this chapter. In 1998, the then 22-year-old from Thun suddenly found himself in the spotlight: When snowboarders participated in the Winter Olympics for the first time in Nagano, Ueli won a medal for Switzerland in the first snowboard event in Olympic history: bronze in the parallel giant slalom

Ueli's journey in snow sports began with skiing; he was even a member of a ski club when he discovered snowboarding at the age of 14. "I skateboarded, I was a windsurfer, but I only skied in the winter, and on two planks," Ueli Kestenholz explained in a Tamedia interview two years ago. "Snowboarding offered the opportunity to experience my favorite feeling, gliding sideways, even in winter." But there were other advantages: "In the fall, we trained on the glacier at the same time as the skiers. They had to be back at the hotel by 9 p.m., and lights out wa at 10 p.m. We set off at that time—and were back by 4 a.m."

Ueli was a versatile snowboarder, indeed more than that: a true crossover athlete. In his competitive career, after participating in the 1998 and 2002 Olympics in alpine snowboarding, he was also among the pioneers at the Olympic premiere of snowboard cross in Turin in 2006.

Ueli didn't just love snowboarding in all its facets. After retiring from competitive sports in 2006, he remained a professional outdoor athlete – right up to his last breath. He was a freerider, speedrider, paraglider pilot, kitesurfer, skydiver, surfer, wingfoiler, mountain biker – a true crossover athlete.

"Life is too short for just one sport" – that's the headline of Ueli Kestenholz's website. His life was far too short. An avalanche last Sunday in the Lötschental valley proved fatal for the father of two. Swiss-Ski and the snowboard community are devastated. "We extend our deepest condolences to Ueli's family and loved ones," said Swiss-Ski President Peter Barandun.