Kestenholz was snowboard world champion in 2000 and 2001. He was one of the first-ever recipients of an Olympic medal in snowboarding (bronze) at the 1998 Winter Olympics (giant slalom). He was a two-time gold medalist at the Winter X-Games in snowboard cross (also known as boardercross). After his third Olympic Games, at Turin 2006, Kestenholz quit the World Cup circuit to focus 100% on freeriding.
Besides freeriding on a snowboard, he became one of the pioneers of speed flying and speed riding in Switzerland. In May 2009, he made the first speedriding descent of the Matterhorn.[1] Together with Mathias Roten, he produced PlayGravity, an award-winning multisport-movie, showing their speedriding descent of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau in one day.[1][2]
Kestenholz died at the Spital Sion in Sion on 11 January 2026, after an avalanche accident in the Valais Alps. He was 50.[3][4]
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Switzerland
