The snowboard scene mourns the loss of one of its best-known exponents. The 50-year-old Ueli Kestenholz died in an avalanche accident.
13.01.2026, 12:03
13.01.2026, 12:34
SDA
The accident occurred on Sunday in the Lötschental. According to the Valais cantonal police, "shortly before 12.15 p.m., a snowboarder and a skier were on the eastern flank of the 'Hockuchriz' in the direction of 'Schreja'. At an altitude of around 2,400 meters, an avalanche broke loose for unknown reasons and swept the snowboarder away."
The skier was able to get to safety on his own, but the snowboarder was buried. "He was rescued by his colleagues and the emergency services of the Valais cantonal rescue organization with the support of three helicopters from Air Zermatt," the press release continued. The injured man, a 50-year-old Swiss national, was flown to Visp Hospital and then to Sion Hospital. He subsequently died there.
The Berner Zeitung was the first to report that the snowboarder involved in the accident was Ueli Kestenholz, citing "his circle of friends". Swiss-Ski confirmed Kestenholz's death at the request of Keystone-SDA.
During his time as a top athlete, the Bernese was one of the figureheads among alpine snowboarders. He stood on the podium five times in the World Cup, three times in second place and twice in third. His greatest success came at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano when he won the bronze medal in the parallel giant slalom.
