Overview
- He was buried on Sunday while snowboarding in the Lötschental valley and later died in hospital after rescue and airlifts from Visp to Sion.
- He was riding with a skiing friend who dug him out before Valais rescuers and Air Zermatt helicopters arrived.
- Police said the avalanche started around 2,400 meters and the cause remains undetermined.
- Kestenholz won bronze at Nagano in snowboarding’s Olympic debut, competed at two more Winter Games, and twice won X Games snowboardcross.
- Swiss-Ski expressed grief and offered condolences to his family, and Swiss daily Berner Zeitung first reported his identity.