Ueli Kestenholz, a former Olympic bronze medalist who represented Switzerland at the 1998 and 2022 Winter Games, has died. He was 50.

The Swiss Ski Federation confirmed his death in a statement shared with People on Tuesday, Jan. 13.

According to the federation, Kestenholz was trapped in an avalanche on Sunday while snowboarding with a friend in the Lötschental valley in Switzerland. He later died from his injuries.

Kestenholz was remembered as a highly respected and accomplished winter sports athlete, with a career that included an Olympic bronze medal and years representing Switzerland on the international stage.

According to the Valais Cantonal Police, Kestenholz was caught in a sudden avalanche shortly after noon on Sunday.

He was snowboarding with a friend, who was skiing, on the eastern slope of the Lötschental valley in southern Switzerland when the avalanche struck.

“The skier was able to get himself to safety,” police reported. “As for the snowboarder, he was buried and was freed by his colleague and the Valais Cantonal Rescue Organization (OCVS), with the support of three Air Zermatt helicopters.”

Kestenholz was rescued and taken to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Ueli Kestenholz was a Swiss snowboarder and Olympic medalist best known for representing Switzerland on the world’s biggest winter sports stage. He was born in 1975 and became one of the country’s most respected figures in competitive snowboarding.