21-year-old snowboarding champion Estelle Balet dies in avalanche

Via YouTubeEstelle Balet.

According to reports, 21-year-old Swiss snowboarding champion Estelle Balet died in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps on Tuesday morning.

According to the New York Times, Balet was filming a movie on Le Portalet, a mountain in southwestern Switzerland, when she was struck by the avalanche.

The Times reports she was wearing protective equipment, including a helmet and air bag, and was taken by an air ambulance, but efforts to revive her were unsuccessful.

Balet was a freeriding snowboarder, which is a style that occurs on natural terrain as opposed to courses with jumps, rails, or halfpipes. She won her second Freeride World Tour in Switzerland earlier this year and was ranked No. 1 in the world.

Free Ride World Tour released a statement, saying, “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.”