One of snowboarding’s pioneering figures died in an avalanche on Saturday, Jan. 11. Ueli Kestenholz, 50, was riding in the backcountry of the Swiss Alps with a friend when a slide was triggered and swept him away. The Swiss rider, who won a bronze medal in snowboarding’s 1998 debut Winter Olympic Games, was airlifted from the scene. He was later pronounced dead.
The cause of the avalanche has not been announced, though according to a statement from the Valais police, an investigation is currently underway. Kestenholz’s partner was on skis and was also caught in the avalanche, but was able to extricate himself. He called for help, and the Valais Cantonal Rescue Organization (OCVS) responded. Three Air Zermatt helicopters were scrambled to assist.
Kestenholz was transported by helicopter first to a hospital in Visp, and then to a hospital in Sion, where he died.
Kestenholz’s Legacy: One of Snowboarding’s First Olympic Medals
Kestehholz competed for Switzerland in the very first Olympic Games to feature snowboarding as a sanctioned event. He won a bronze medal in the giant slalom event at the 1998 Nagano Games, becoming one of the first three people to earn an Olympic medal in the sport. He shared the podium with Thomas Prugge (Italy, silver) and Ross Rebagliati (Canada, gold).
Snowboarding has been in every winter Olympic Games since.
Kestenholz also competed at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games and the 2006 Torino Games. He won gold medals at the X-Games in Boardercross/BoarderX in 2003 and 2004. He retired from competition after his 2006 Olympic Games, but he didn’t stop snowboarding. Instead, he refocused and dedicated himself to freeriding and speedriding, another sport he helped pioneer.
In 2009, he made the first-ever speedriding descent of Switzerland’s Matterhorn. Then, in 2010, Kestenholz starred in and produced the award-winning adventure sports film Playgravity. In it, he and Mathias Roten made speedriding first descents of Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau in a single day.
“Life’s too short — for one sport!” Kestenholz’s website reads. “It’s about experiencing the flow when snowboarding, speedriding, kitesurfing, paragliding, surfing, wingfoiling, mountainbiking, or any outdoor adventures.”
If you want to look back at Kestenholz’s extreme sports career, his YouTube channel is full of snowboarding and speedriding videos. His legacy lives on.
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