Jill Kinmont Boothe is a former alpine ski racer

Alpine skiing

Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...

, who competed in the mid-1950s.

Jill Kinmont grew up in Bishop, California

Bishop, California

Bishop is a city in Inyo County, California, United States. Though Bishop is the only city and the largest populated place in Inyo County, the county seat is Independence. Bishop is located near the northern end of the Owens Valley, at an elevation of 4147 feet . The population was 3,879 at the...

, skiing and racing at Mammoth Mountain

Mammoth Mountain Ski Area

Mammoth Mountain Ski Area is a large ski resort located in Eastern California, along the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the Inyo National Forest.- Description :...

. In early 1955, she was the reigning national champion in the slalom

Slalom skiing

Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...

, and a top prospect for a medal at the 1956 Winter Olympics

1956 Winter Olympics

The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. This celebration of the Games was held from 26 January to 5 February 1956. Cortina, which had originally been awarded the 1944 Winter Olympics, beat out...

, a year away. While competing in the downhill at the Snow Cup in Alta, Utah

Alta, Utah

Alta is a town in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 370 at the 2000 census, a slight decrease from the 1990 figure of 397....

, on 30 January, 1955,
she suffered a near-fatal accident which resulted in paralysis

Paralysis

Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...

 from the neck down. It ironically occurred the same week that Kinmont, weeks shy of her 19th birthday, was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

magazine dated 31 January 1955.
After her rehabilitation, she went on to graduate from UCLA with a B.A. in German and earned a teaching credential from the University of Washington

University of Washington

University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

. She had a long career as an educator first in Washington and then in Beverly Hills, California

Beverly Hills, California

Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...

. She taught special education

Special education

Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...

 at Bishop Union Elementary School from 1975-96 in her hometown of Bishop

Bishop, California

Bishop is a city in Inyo County, California, United States. Though Bishop is the only city and the largest populated place in Inyo County, the county seat is Independence. Bishop is located near the northern end of the Owens Valley, at an elevation of 4147 feet . The population was 3,879 at the...

. She is an accomplished painter who has had many exhibitions of her artwork.

Kinmont was the subject of two movies: The Other Side of the Mountain

The Other Side of the Mountain

The Other Side of the Mountain is a 1975 American film based on a true story of ski racing champion Jill Kinmont.In early 1955, Kinmont was the national champion in slalom and was a top U.S. prospect for a medal in the 1956 Winter Olympics, a year away...

in 1975

1975 in film

The year 1975 in film involved some significant events, with Steven Spielberg's thriller Jaws topping the box office.-Events:*March 26 - The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London....

, and The Other Side of the Mountain Part II in 1978

1978 in film

The year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....

. Both films starred Marilyn Hassett

Marilyn Hassett

Marilyn Hassett is an American screen and television actress.-Biography:Hassett is best known for her portrayal of Jill Kinmont is the film The Other Side of the Mountain , which was directed by Larry Peerce, who chose her for the lead from several hundred hopefuls...

 as Kinmont.

Jill married trucker John Boothe in November 1976, and they made their home in Bishop where they continue to reside today.

She was inducted into the National Ski Hall of Fame

National Ski Hall of Fame

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum is located in the City of Ishpeming in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States...

in 1967.

External links

• National Ski Hall of Fame - Jill Kinmont - inducted 1967
• Sports Illustrated - cover - 31-Jan-1955
  • Apple Pie in Sun Valley
• Sports Illustrated - six months after accident - 25-Jul-1955
• Sports Illustrated - Jill Kinmont Boothe, 42 years later - 24-Feb-1997
• Internet Movie Database - The Other Side of the Mountain - 1975
• Internet Movie Database - The Other Side of the Mountain Part II - 1978