Memorial Page for Ueli Kestenholz

Ueli Kestenholz (born 10 May 1975 in Thun; died 11 January 2026 in Sion) was a Swiss snowboarder, freerider and speedrider. In 1998 he won bronze in the Olympic snowboard giant slalom in Nagano, when snowboarding was part of the Olympic Winter Games for the first time.

Snowboarding in Switzerland

Kestenholz grew up at a time when snowboarding was still young within alpine sport. He moved early between competition, mountains and his own riding culture. In Switzerland he became known through results in giant slalom, boardercross and later projects away from classic race courses.

Nagano 1998

On 8 February 1998, Kestenholz finished third at Mount Yakebitai in Nagano. Ahead of him were Ross Rebagliati of Canada and Thomas Prugger of Italy. For Switzerland, the bronze medal was an early Olympic marker in snowboarding; the race was also among the first Olympic decisions in the sport.

Boardercross and freeride

After Nagano, Kestenholz remained active internationally. He won at the Winter X Games in snowboardcross and competed at further Olympic Games. After his racing career, his focus moved more strongly toward freeride, speedriding and film projects in the Alps. He connected snowboard, paraglider and high-alpine terrain.

Later projects

His later work included appearances, films and alpine projects, among them collaborations with Mathias Roten. Kestenholz belonged to a generation of snowboarders who carried the sport from racing into open terrain and new forms of movement.

Farewell

Ueli Kestenholz was seriously injured in an avalanche accident in the Lötschental in Valais on 11 January 2026 and died at the hospital in Sion. He was 50 years old. Obituaries connected his career with Nagano 1998, boardercross and speedriding.