Swiss Olympic Snowboarder Sophie Hediger Dies at Age 26 in Avalanche
Dec 24, 2024
ST MORITZ, SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 26: Sophie Hediger takes 2nd place during the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup Men's and Women's Snowboard Cross on January 26, 2024 in St Moritz, Switzerland. (Photo by Millo Moravski/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)
Swiss Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger died at 26 years old following an avalanche at the Arosa mountain resort in Switzerland on Monday.
The Associated Press noted Switzerland's skiing federation released a statement Tuesday confirming the death of the 2022 Olympic competitor.
"We are shocked and our thoughts are with Sophie's family, to whom we offer our deepest condolences," Swiss-Ski CEO Walter Reusser said in the statement. "(She lost her life) tragically, brutally and far too soon."
Christian Arnold of the New York Post noted Grisons cantonal police announced Monday that a snowboarder died in the avalanche, although it never released Hediger's name.
According to Arnold, she was not located until two hours after emergency services were notified of the situation unfolding in the backcountry area.
Hediger was best known for competing in the 2022 Beijing Games, but she also finished in second place in St. Moritz in January and accomplished her first two World Cup podium finishes during the 2023-24 season.
She competed in the women's snowboard cross and the mixed team snowboard cross for Switzerland during those 2022 Olympics.
Former Olympic Snowboarder Ryan Wedding Charged with Drug Trafficking, Murder
Oct 17, 2024
2002 Winter Olympic Games : Salt Lake City, 2/22/02, Park City, Utah, United States --- Olympic Rings At The Bobsleigh Venue During The 2002 Olympic Winter Games. --- Photo By Tim De Waele/Isosport/Corbis Tempsport Logo Anneaux Olympiquejeux Olympiques D' Hiver, Olympische Spelen, (Photo by Tim De Waele/Getty Images)
Ryan Wedding, a former snowboarder who represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics, is wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after being charged with murder and other crimes.
The FBI has issued a reward of up to $50,000 "for information leading to the apprehension, arrest and extradition" of the 43-year-old Wedding.
The #FBI offers a reward of up to $50,000 for info leading to the apprehension, arrest & extradition of Ryan James Wedding, wanted for alleged involvement in a transnational drug trafficking operation & multiple murders in furtherance of these drug crimes: https://t.co/RFdFwKgSafpic.twitter.com/YY6s8pmPqx
A federal arrest warrant has been issued for Wedding in the United States District Court, Central District of California.
Wedding, who is on the FBI's Most Wanted list, is being charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to export cocaine, leading a continuing criminal enterprise, murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and drug crime, and attempt to commit murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and drug crime.
The U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California released a statement on the matter, citing Wedding and 15 others for "allegedly running and participating" in a transnational cocaine trafficking operation.
"A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder and 15 other defendants have been charged in a 16-count superseding indictment for allegedly running and participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation that routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada and other locations in the United States, and whose leaders orchestrated multiple murders in furtherance of these drug crimes."
Wedding is considered the "superseding indictment's lead defendant." He and 34-year-old Andrew Clark are charged with murder in retaliation for an unpaid drug debt.
The statement reads as follows:
"...the organization resorted to violence—including multiple murders—to achieve its aims. Wedding and Clark allegedly directed the November 20, 2023, murders of two members of a family in Ontario, Canada, in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment that passed through Southern California. Another member of that family survived the shooting but was left with serious physical injuries. Wedding and Clark allegedly also ordered the murder of another victim on May 18, 2024, over a drug debt..."
Per the Associated Press' citing of federal records, Wedding was convicted in 2010 in the United States "of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and was sentenced to prison."
Chris Leather, chief superintendent with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said Wedding also has unresolved and separate drug trafficking charges in Canada dating back to 2015, according to the AP.
Wedding represented Canada in one event, the men's parallel giant slalom, finishing 24th in Salt Lake City.
USA Olympic Legend Shaun White to Launch Professional Snowboarding League
Jun 17, 2024
ZHANGJIAKOU, CHINA - FEBRUARY 11: Shaun White of Team United States shows emotion speaking with the press after finishing fourth during the Men's Snowboard Halfpipe Final on day 7 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at Genting Snow Park on February 11, 2022 in Zhangjiakou, China. White competed in five Winter Olympic Games and had announced Beijing 2022 will be the last one of his career. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Legendary snowboarder and skateboarder Shaun White is starting a professional snowboarding circuit, The Snow League, in March 2025.
"We are building this league with the athletes in mind first," he told Sportico's Eric Jackson. "That means top quality venues with the best pipes and courses, telling their stories to a wider audience on bigger platforms, drastically increasing the prize purses that they're competing for, and generally bringing them into the process to guide the sport forward for future generations."
The Snow League will launch with an inaugural event in the United States, with four overseas events to follow.
It's an exciting time for snowboard enthusiasts, with the X Games launching a team-format snowboarding league in 2026, the X Games League,
"I sensed that our sport was at a crossroads and really needed to be re-framed and presented in a way where we could stand shoulder to shoulder with other globally celebrated sports," White said. "So, it was the perfect time to realize a vision I've had for a long time, to provide a much-deserved platform for the next generation of superstars to rise and give fans new ways to immerse themselves in our sport."
U.S. Ski & Snowboard Interfering in Peter Foley Investigation, U.S. Senator Says
Mar 23, 2022
The waning moon sets over the Sugarloaf ski resort in Carrabassett Valley, Maine, Wednesday, March 23, 2022.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who is on the Senate Judiciary Committee that investigated sexual abuse in Olympic sports, wrote a letter saying U.S. Ski & Snowboard has interfered with an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against longtime coach Peter Foley.
Rachel Axon of USA Today reported on the letter and noted the U.S. Center for SafeSport has been investigating Foley and temporarily suspended him. U.S. Ski & Snowboard confirmed Monday that he is no longer the coach.
The U.S. Center for SafeSport is an organization tasked with investigating allegations of sexual misconduct within Olympic sports and opened in 2017 after individual governing bodies previously mishandled such allegations.
Alyssa Roenigk and Tisha Thompson of ESPN reported three former athletes and a former employee of U.S. Ski & Snowboard accused Foley, who had been the head coach of the U.S. snowboard team since 1994 and took athletes to seven different Olympics, of "sexual misconduct including sexual assault, unwanted kissing and touching, and coercing them into taking nude photos."
The first allegations were made public during the most recent Beijing Olympics when snowboardcross athlete Callan Chythlook-Sifsof wrote messages on Instagram accusing Foley of sexual misconduct.
According to the ESPN report, one athlete said she felt powerless to stop Foley when he started to kiss her following a post-race event because he "effectively decided which athletes would make the Olympics" by seeding athletes and deciding who would travel to World Cup events.
"Any allegations of sexual misconduct being made against him are false," Foley's attorney, Howard Jacobs, told ESPN. "Mr. Foley has not engaged in any conduct that violates the SafeSport Code, and he will cooperate with the U.S. Center for SafeSport when and if they contact him."
Axon noted federal law states the U.S. Center for SafeSport must report attempts to interfere with an investigation to Congress within 72 hours.
Grassley's letter states the organization reported that U.S. Ski & Snowboard did not notify it of allegations or provide evidence in a timely manner all while conducting its own separate investigation.
What's more, the letter said U.S. Ski & Snowboard made "an effort to discourage participation" and "identify who may be participating" by misinforming anyone taking part in the investigation.
Former U.S. Snowboard Coach Peter Foley Facing Multiple Sexual Misconduct Allegations
Mar 22, 2022
PARK CITY, UT - FEBRUARY 10: Peter Foley, U.S. Snowboarding Head Coach, watches training prior to snowboard cross qualification during the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix at The Canyons Ski Resort on February 10, 2012 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Former United States Ski and Snowboard head coach Peter Foley has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct by three former athletes and a former employee.
Per ESPN's Alyssa Roenigk and Tisha Thompson, the four women lodged complaints against Foley with the U.S. Center for SafeSport last week.
In interviews with Roegnigk and Thompson, the women alleged they "had to tolerate sexual misconduct because Foley controlled which athletes were selected to go to the Olympics and they feared he would retaliate by withholding Olympic opportunities or ending their employment."
One Olympic gold medalist told Roegnigk and Thompson that her complained filed with SafeSport "includes an allegation that Foley sexually assaulted her while she participated in a U.S. training camp he ran when she was 19."
At the end of training camp, she said Foley told the athletes they would be sleeping in the same room together before taking a flight the next day.
The athlete said at one point when she was asleep she felt Foley "sneak in behind me in the bed" and he "reached his left arm over my body and put his fingers inside me."
She went on to say she just laid "there in shock" and he eventually "just stopped and he got up and left."
Lindsey Sine Nikola, a U.S. Ski and Snowboard employee from 2006-10, said she filed a report with SafeSport last week alleging that Foley "coerced her into taking nude photos and later sexually assaulted her at a World Cup ski race in December 2008."
Nikola also alleged Foley said he "wants to do something physical with me" after he crawled into her bed and asked to rub her back, which she initially consented to after initially feeling uncomfortable.
"I am stunned because my gut was trying to tell me all along that I should remove myself from the situation and I was telling myself I was overreacting," Nikola explained. "But I wasn't. I said 'no.' I said, 'Listen. No. You're married. There's a million reasons why this isn't going to happen, but no.'"
She said Foley eventually touched her breasts and genitals without her consent.
Allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior by Foley became public last month when Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, a member of the 2010 U.S. Olympic snowboard team, wrote a series of posts on Instagram accusing him of taking naked pictures of athletes for more than a decade and making inappropriate and racist comments to athletes.
Erin O'Malley, former U.S. snowboarder, alleged Foley pinned her against a wall and tried to kiss her after a postrace event.
"What I can see in my mind is Peter's body pressed against me and my back against the wall of the elevator," O'Malley said. "From there I remember thinking 'Oh s---, Peter is following us to our room.'"
U.S. Ski and Snowboard announced Sunday that Foley was no longer employed by the organization. Rob Fagen has taken over as interim head coach.
The U.S. Center for SafeSport announced a temporary suspension for Foley on March 18 pending a formal investigation into the allegations of sexual misconduct.
Foley spent 27 years as head coach of the United States snowboard team since its inception in 1994.
Olympic Snowboarding Women's Cross 2022 TV Schedule, Live Stream and Picks
Feb 8, 2022
Charlotte Bankes of Britain, left, and Pia Zerkhold of Austria compete during a quarterfinal of women's snowboard cross at the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup, a test event for the 2022 Winter Olympics, at the Genting Resort Secret Garden in Zhangjiakou in northern China's Hebei Province, Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The women's snowboard cross competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics will take place without one of the top medal contenders.
Two-time Olympic medalist and 2014 champion Eva Samkova could not recover from an ankle injury in time to make it to Beijing.
Samkova's absence makes it easier for Italy's Michela Moioli to repeat as gold medalist in the event.
Moioli is one of a few medal contenders who come into China off success on the FIS World Cup circuit.
The Italian and Charlotte Bankes of Great Britain have traded victories all season, while France's Chloe Trespeuch and Lindsey Jacobellis of the United States have been in the mix for podiums since December.
Jacobellis is looking for her first medal in the event since 2006, when she famously crashed while she was in the lead and settled for silver.
Women's Snowboard Cross Schedule
Seeding Run: Tuesday, February 8 at 10 p.m. ET (USA)
Round of 16: Wednesday, February 9 at 1:30 a.m. ET (USA)
Quarterfinals: Wednesday at 2:07 a.m. ET (USA)
Semifinals: Wednesday at 2:28 a.m. ET (USA)
Final: Wednesday at 2:45 a.m. ET (USA)
All rounds can be live-streamed on NBCOlympics.com and Peacock
The women's snowboard cross gold medal should come down to Moioli and Bankes.
The snowboarders from Italy and Great Britain have done battle across the World Cup circuit since Samkova went down with her ankle injury.
Samkova's absence can't be overstated. She won gold in 2014 and took bronze in 2018. Her injury opens up one spot on the medal podium for another competitor.
Moioli finished second to Samkova on the World Cup circuit last season, and she picked up two victories this season, both of which occurred on home soil in Italy.
Bankes won back-to-back races in Russia at the start of January and she took third behind Moioli and Trespeuch in the final competition prior to Beijing.
Bankes comes into China as the World Cup points leader from her five podium finishes over six events.
Trespeuch has not won a World Cup event this season, but she is second to Bankes in the World Cup standings thanks to three straight second-place marks.
The Frenchwoman's consistency makes her one of the top medal threats. She should be one of the locks to reach the snowboard cross final.
Australia's Belle Brockhoff and the American duo of Faye Gulini and Jacobellis are the only other podium finishers on the World Cup circuit this season.
Brockhoff has a second- and third-place finish, Gulini took second behind Moioli in Italy in December, and Jacobellis turned in a pair of bronze-medal performances in Russia on January 8 and 9.
It seems likely that the six podium finishers from the World Cup season end up in the six-woman final heat on Wednesday morning. Moioli, Jacobellis and Trespeuch competed in the final in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018.
The athletes have to go through three rounds of heats to reach the final. They should all get past the qualification round and quarterfinals. A surprise or two may occur in the semifinals, but the gap between the top six and the rest of the field is significant.
Moioli has the experience advantage over Bankes, but the British woman holds the edge in form, and that could be the boost she needs to become the fifth different winner of snowboard cross since it was introduced at the Olympics in 2006.
Picks: 1. Charlotte Bankes, 2. Michela Moioli, 3. Chloe Trespeuch
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The Beijing 2022 opening ceremony isn't until Friday, but Olympic competition is already underway as of Wednesday, with curling and luge events kicking off the Games...
Winter X Games 2022: Full Results, Medal Winners and Best Trick Highlights
Jan 24, 2022
ASPEN, CO - JANUARY 21: Tess Ledeux, of La Plagne, France, smiles as she shows off her gold medal after winning the Jeep Women's Ski Big Air finals at Buttermilk Mountain for the X Games on January 21, 2022 in Aspen, Colorado. This is the third time she has won the event at the X Games. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
The 2022 Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, brought a return of fans and plenty of memorable tricks and performances.
Here is a look at the full results of competitions that started Friday and ran through Sunday's Men's Ski SuperPipe.
The results are courtesy of the X Games' official website.
Friday, Jan. 21
Women's Snowboard Slopestyle
1. Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
2. Jamie Anderson
3. Laurie Blouin
Women's Ski Big Air
1. Tess Ledeux, 94.00
2. Megan Oldham, 89.00
3. Olivia Asselin, 72.00
Snowboard Knuckle Huck
1. Marcus Kleveland
2. Fridtjof Sæther Tischendorf
3. Dusty Henricksen
Women's Ski SuperPipe
1. Kelly Sildaru
2. Brita Sigourney
3. Hanna Faulhaber
Men's Snowboard SuperPipe
1. Scotty James
2. Ayumu Hirano
3. Kaishu Hirano
Saturday, Jan. 22
Women's Ski Slopestyle
1. Tess Ledeux
2. Mathilde Gremaud
3. Megan Oldham
Men's Snowboard Slopestyle
1. Mark McMorris
2. Marcus Kleveland
3. Sven Thorgren
Women's Snowboard Big Air
1. Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, 85.00
2. Jamie Anderson, 82.00
3. Miyabi Onitsuka, 78.00
Women's Snowboard SuperPipe
1. Sena Tomita
2. Queralt Castellet
3. Haruna Matsumoto
Men's Ski Big Air
1. Alex Hall, 94.00
2. Mac Forehand, 92.00
3. Teal Harle, 91.00
Men's Snowboard Big Air
1. Marcus Kleveland, 82.00
2. Max Parrot, 81.00
3. Rene Rinnekangas, 80.00
Sunday, Jan. 23
Men's Ski Slopestyle
1. Andri Ragettli
2. Max Moffatt
3. Alex Hall
Ski Knuckle Huck
1. Quinn Wolferman
2. Jake Mageau
3. Alex Hall
Men's Ski SuperPipe
1. Nico Porteous
2. Aaron Blunck
3. David Wise
It didn't take long for the drama to start at Buttermilk Mountain.
The Men's Snowboard SuperPipe is always one of the headline events, and Scotty James went head-to-head with Ayumu Hirano. While Hirano narrowly earned the gold over James the last time he competed in the X Games in 2018, it was James' time to shine on his way to a fourth X Games gold medal.
Elsewhere, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott was brilliant on her way to gold in the Women's Snowboard Slopestyle. ESPN's Grace Coryell suggested she unleashed "arguably the best Women's Snowboard Slopestyle run in contest history—Cab 270 on the down bar, a switch boardslide pretzel out, frontside bluntslide 450 out, switch backside 900 Indy, frontside double cork 1080 melon and backside double cork 1080 Weddle grab."
She wasn't the only one who dazzled, as Tess Ledeux became the first woman to land a double cork 1620 in competition as the Women's Ski Big Air winner, and Kelly Sildaru captured gold in the Women's Ski SuperPipe to win her 10th X Games medal and break a tie with Shaun White and Nyjah Huston for the most as a teenager.
Sunday was a big day for men's skiing, and Switzerland's Andri Ragettli held off challenges from Canada's Max Moffatt and the United States' Alex Hall.
Hall also took bronze in the Men's Ski Knuckle Huck behind Quinn Wolferman and Jake Mageau before the grand finale of the Men's Ski SuperPipe. Nico Porteous closed the festivities with a brilliant showing in that final event.
That Men's Ski Super Pipe final was a true nail biter, coming down to the final run to determine the podium order. A thrilling way to end #XGames Aspen 2022. 🥇 Nico Porteous (2nd year in a row with X Games Aspen super pipe gold) 🥈 Aaron Blunck 🥉 David Wise pic.twitter.com/M1gcoY44XA
It fittingly came down to the final run, but the defending champion was able to outlast Aaron Blunck for the second straight year in dramatic fashion.
Shaun White Fails to Medal, Finishes 8th in Halfpipe at 2021 FIS Snowboard World Cup
Dec 11, 2021
COPPER MOUNTAIN, COLORADO - DECEMBER 09: Shaun White of Team United States trains prior to the Men's Snowboard Halfpipe qualifying round of the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Copper Mountain on December 09, 2021 in Copper Mountain, Colorado. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White headlined the men's field at the first of three 2021-22 FIS Snowboard Halfpipe World Cups at Copper Mountain in Frisco, Colorado, on Saturday.
The event kicked off the season's U.S. Grand Prix tour and was also second of four U.S. Olympic selection events for snowboard halfpipe leading up to February's Olympics in Beijing.
While the participants took part in three runs, only their best run counted.
White started the day in impressive fashion, scoring a 75.50 on his first run after throwing down two switch-frontside double cork 1080s into a frontside 540, a double McTwist 1260 before finishing with an alley-oop backside rodeo.
He finished the first run ranked third behind Japanese competitors Ruka Hirano (89.25) and Raibu Katayama (81.25).
However, the 35-year-old struggled in his second run, scoring a 64.25 after performing two frontside 1080s, a pair of frontside 540s and a double McTwist 1260.
Big performers in the second run included Americans Taylor Gold (87.00) and Chase Josey (85.25) and Japan's Yuto Totsuka (87.75), who bounced back from a rough first run in which he recorded a 14.25.
White had an even worse performance on his third and final run of the afternoon, scoring a 5.00 after performing a double cork 1080 but failing to stick the landing. He finished the afternoon ranked eighth, while Hirano, Switzerland's Jan Scherrer and Totsuka finished on the podium.
Before Saturday's event, White last competed in March, placing fourth at the U.S. Grand Prix in Aspen. That event ended his three-year hiatus following his victory at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.
