An instructor at the US Army Mountain Warfare School breaks down every piece of gear a mountain soldier would carry on a cold-weather mission, including tactical gear, mountaineering equipment, and avalanche rescue tools. Sgt. 1st Class Tim McLaughlin explains why each item is integral to the mission of the mountain soldier, who must traverse near-vertical terrain in extreme cold-weather conditions to move troops safely in and out of battle. The US Army trains soldiers for mountain warfare at the Army Mountain Warfare School at Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in Jericho, Vermont.
Sophie Hediger, a Swiss snowboarder who represented the country in the 2022 Winter Olympics, died following an avalanche at a ski resort, officials said Tuesday. She was 26.
The incident occurred Monday at the Arosa resort in Switzerland, the country’s ski federation said in a statement.
"We are stunned and in our thoughts with Sophie's family, to whom we express our deepest condolences," Swiss-Ski CEO Walter Reusser said in a statement.
"With the tragic death of Sophie Hediger, a dark shadow has been placed over the Christmas days for the Swiss ski family. We are immeasurably sad. We will keep Sophie an honorable memory," he added.
Hediger was a participant in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. She competed in snowboard cross and in the mixed team snowboard cross. She failed to qualify for the quarterfinals in the singles event and her team lost in the mixed event in the semifinals.
Hediger bounced back in 2023 when she won a gold medal in the FISU World University Games in Lake Placid, New York. She was one of three Swiss participants who won gold medals.
She then achieved two World Cup podium finishes, including a second-place finish in St. Mortiz in January.
NHL referee Mitch Dunning was stretchered off of the ice during a game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night.
Dunning was skating away from the puck when Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson collided with him in the first period. Dunning hit the ice hard and was down for several moments as trainers and medical staff came out and attended to him.
"Referee Mitch Dunning has been taken to hospital for precautionary reasons following a collision in the @Avalanche / @NHLFlyers game," the league said in a post on X. "All neurological signs are normal, he is fully communicative and can move all his extremities."
Dunning is a former professional hockey player in the Ontario Hockey League. He played parts of three seasons with the Sarnia Sting and Windsor Spitfires. He suffered a serious knee injury during the 2010-11 season with the Spitfires.
He retired from hockey after he played for Windsor University during the 2012-13 season and turned to coaching before eventually getting into officiating in the Windsor Essex Referee Association in 2014.
He worked his way up the officiating ladder through the OHL, East Coast Hockey League, American Hockey League and later the NHL. He was offered a minor league refereeing contract in 2018 and promoted to the NHL in 2022.
Dunning’s first NHL game was between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators in March 2019, according to his NHL Officials Association bio.
