Idman.biz
Swiss snowboarder Ueli Kestenholz, who won a bronze medal in giant slalom at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, has died in an avalanche in the Lötschental valley in the canton of Valais, Switzerland.
Idman.Biz reports this with reference to the newspaper "L'Equipe".
Kestenholz was in the mountains with another athlete when an avalanche occurred at an altitude of approximately 2,400 meters. The snowboarder was taken by helicopter to Visp and then to Sion. There, doctors pronounced him dead.
In addition to his bronze medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, Kestenholz also participated in snowboard cross at the 2002 Salt Lake City and 2006 Turin Games. He won two world championships (2000 and 2001) and the "Winter X Games" in boardercross (2003 and 2004). The Swiss athlete ended his professional skiing career in 2006.
Ueli Kestenholz was 50 years old.
