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21-Year-Old World Champion Snowboarder Dies in Avalanche

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World champion Switzerland's Estelle Balet waves with the overall belt after she won the women's snowboard event at the Bec des Rosses during the Verbier Xtreme Freeride World Tour final on April 2, 2016 above the Swiss Alps resort of Verbier.
World champion Switzerland's Estelle Balet waves with the overall belt after she won the women's snowboard event at the Bec des Rosses during the Verbier Xtreme Freeride World Tour final on April 2, 2016 above the Swiss Alps resort of Verbier.Fabrice Coffrini—AFP/Getty Images
By Alexander Smith & Emma Ong / NBC News

A 21-year-old world champion snowboarder was killed by an avalanche in Switzerland on Tuesday, sports officials said.

Described as a “naturally gifted shining star,” Estelle Balet died in the canton of Valais, on Switzerland’s southwest border with Italy and France, according to a statement from the Freeride World Tour.

Balet had earned her second world title as part of the Freeride World Tour in Verbier, Switzerland, earlier this year.

“Estelle Balet was a naturally gifted shining star and demonstrated remarkable talent as she quickly became a household name on the Freeride World Tour,” tour officials said in a statement….

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