Christine Smith (skier)
Australian alpine skier
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Christine Idris Smith (13 December 1946 – 8 May 1979[1]) was an Australian alpine skier. She has been described as a "long-haired blonde with an 'all-Australian girl next door' image."[2]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 13, 1946 |
| Died | May 8, 1979 (aged 32) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Australia |
| Sport | Alpine skiing |
Born in Cooma, Smith learned to ski at an early age. She was a "stylish and aggressive skier"[2] who competed in the 1962 Commonwealth Winter Games[1] and won the Thredbo Cup in Australia in 1963–64.[3] At the 1964 Winter Olympics, Smith came 27th out of 43 in the downhill. She also came 28th and last in the slalom and was disqualified in the giant slalom.[4][5] Her performances were affected by the death of a fellow competitor Ross Milne.[2]
In 1965, while recuperating from a ski accident in Europe, she was enlisted to teach The Beatles to ski for their film Help!, and performed in the movie in a short skiing sequence.[3] Smith competed in the World Ski Championships in Chile in 1966, and taught skiing at Thredbo and other venues before establishing an interior design business in 1974.