Estelle Balet, Snowboarding World Champion, Tragically Killed In Avalanche Days After Winning Title

Estelle Balet, a 21-year-old snowboarding world champion, lost her life on Tuesday after she was caught in an avalanche during a snowboarding film shoot featuring her. According to NBC News, the accident took place in the Swiss Alps on the slope of a mountain known as the La Portalet. Estelle was snowboarding along with another person through a narrow ravine on the slope of the mountain, located on the southwest border of Switzerland, not very far from the border with Italy and France, when the avalanche was triggered.

According to initial reports, the avalanche carried on for over three quarters of a mile down the mountain slope. Even though an expert snowboarder, Estelle Balet was unable to escape and was caught in the wake of the avalanche and was trapped underneath it.

The organizers of the shoot confirmed that Estelle was equipped with the best and the most modern safety kits and emergency gear available. These included a rescue beacon, a helmet, and an airbag. The airbag is particularly useful during avalanches which the trapped snowboarders can use to create an air pocket, allowing them to breathe. However, in the case of Estelle Balet, none of them could save her. It remains unclear how and why Balet was unable to save herself even after being equipped with the best safety gear.

After Estelle was freed from the snow, she was tended to by mountain rescue specialists who reached the accident site by helicopter within minutes. However, she was pronounced dead at the scene before any medical help could reach her, local police officials said.

The tragic accident happened just a few weeks after Balet won the Freeride World, a tour of independent freeride events all around the world, for the second time. The Freeride World Qualifier Facebook page issued a statement expressing shock at the death of the talented snowboarder. The statement read,

“The Freeride community has experienced a tremendous loss today as we learned that one of the most hopeful young talents and current snowboard World Champion, Estelle Balet, has tragically passed away in an avalanche. The mortal avalanche occurred earlier this morning in the canton of Valais. Estelle Balet was a naturally gifted shining star and demonstrated remarkable talent as she quickly became a household name on the Freeride World Tour, bringing home her second title as World Champion just a few weeks ago in Verbier. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Estelle Balet as we send our deepest sympathy and condolences during this very difficult time.

Estelle was very active on social media and often interacted with her fans using her official Facebook fan page and her Instagram account. Her last Instagram post can be seen below. It was posted just a day before her fatal accident.

She had uploaded a video as well.

She had also posted about the same on her Facebook account.

Estelle Balet was born on December 19, 1994, and started skiing when she was very young. Her focus shifted from skiing to snowboarding at the age of 10. She was very talented and managed to complete the Freeride World qualifier and enter the Freeride World Tour when she was just 18. When Balet won the Freeride World Tour in 2015, she was the youngest person ever to do that. This is the same event she won just a few weeks ago.

[Image Via Estelle Balet Official Facebook Page]