Nancy Greene Raine

Nancy Greene Raine was one of the dominant female ski racers of the 1960s and has remained one of Canada’s most celebrated athletes. More than 30 years after winning medals at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, she was named Canada’s Female Athlete of the 20th Century in 1999.

Her racing career unfolded during a period of rapid change in alpine skiing. Nancy began in lace-up boots on wooden skis and retired with plastic buckle boots and fibreglass skis. She also witnessed the rise of a national ski team program in Canada and the launch of the World Cup circuit.

She represented Canada at three Winter Olympics: 1960 in Squaw Valley, U.S.A.; 1964 in Innsbruck, Austria; and 1968 in Grenoble, France and at World Championships: 1962 in Chamonix, France, and 1966 in Portillo, Chile.

During her nine-year career, Nancy won seventeen Canadian titles and three U.S. championship titles. The highlight of her career was winning gold and silver medals in the 1968 Winter Olympics. She was also awarded the FIS World Championship combined medal at those games.  Nancy won the inaugural overall World Cup title in 1967 and again in 1968. Her total of 13 World Cup victories is still the most by a Canadian.

In 1969 she married Al Raine. Together they helped shape British Columbia’s ski tourism industry — first at Whistler and later at Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops — while raising twin sons, Willy and Charley. Nancy was Director of Skiing at both Blackcomb Mountain in Whistler and then at Sun Peaks where she skied regularly with resort guests.  She and Al built and operated hotels in both Whistler and Sun Peaks. She is still associated with  Nancy Greene’s Cahilty Lodge and continues as an Ambassador for Sun Peaks.

After retiring Greene Raine took part in two Canadian Olympic Winter Games opening ceremonies: along with other Olympians she bore the Olympic flag into the stadium at the 1988 Calgary Games and carried the torch into BC Place at the 2010 Vancouver Games along with Rick Hansen, Steve Nash, Catriona Le May Doan and Wayne Gretzky.

In 2009, Nancy was appointed to the Senate of Canada for British Columbia, where she championed health and fitness initiatives and helped establish the first Saturday in June as National Health and Fitness Day.

Inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1967 and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1971, Greene Raine remains one of the most recognizable names in Canadian alpine skiing. In 1999 Nancy was named Canada’s Female Athlete of the 20th Century.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• 1959 — Selected to Canada’s national alpine ski team
• 1960 —  1st, downhill, US National Championships.  Olympic Team, Squaw Valley, Calif., at age 16
• 1961 — 2nd, giant slalom, U.S. national championships; 2nd, slalom, U.S. national championships
• 1962 — 1st, downhill, Toni Mark Memorial Races, Austria (first European victory), 5th World Championship downhill. Chamonix, France
• 1963 — 1st, downhill and slalom, Canadian championships, 1st, downhill and slalom, Quebec Kandahar races
• 1964 — 7th, downhill, Olympic Winter Games, Innsbruck, Austria
• 1965 — 1st, downhill and slalom, Roch Cup, Aspen, Colo.; 1st, downhill, slalom and giant slalom, Canadian championships; 1st, slalom and giant slalom, U.S. national championships, Crystal Mountain, Wash.; 1st, slalom, Far West Kandahar races, Alpine Meadows, Calif.
• 1966 — 1st, slalom, Bad Gastein, Austria; 2nd, slalom, Maribor, Yugoslavia; 2nd, slalom, Grindelwald, Switzerland; 4th, giant slalom & 7th slalom FIS world championships, Portillo, Chile
• 1967 — Overall World Cup Champion including multiple podiums: victories in giant slalom and slalom, Oberstaufen, Austria; downhill and giant slalom, Grindelwald, Switzerland; slalom, Schruns, Austria; giant slalom and slalom, Jackson Hole, USA and multiple other podiums
• 1968 — Gold in giant slalom, silver in slalom, 10th in downhill  Olympic Winter Games, Grenoble, France; Gold in FIS World Ski Championship combined, Grenoble: Overall World Cup Champion including victories in Grindelwald, Chamonix, Aspen, Sun Valley, Rossland and Heavenly Valley; Canadian national titles in slalom and giant slalom, Collingwood, Ont.
• Retired from completion.in 1968, married Al Raine 1969. Twin sons born 1970
• Appointed to the Senate of Canada 2009, served until 2018.

HONOURS & AWARDS

• 1967 — Canadian Athlete of the Year; Amateur Athletic Union Female Athlete of the Year
• 1968 — Officer of the Order of Canada; Canadian Athlete of the Year; B’nai B’rith Woman of the Year; Order of the Dogwood (British Columbia’s highest award); member, federal Task Force on Sport; honorary chair, Nancy Greene Ski League
• 1988 — British Columbia Ambassador of Tourism
• 1991 — Whistler Citizen of the Year (with husband Al)
• 1999 — Canada’s Female Athlete of the 20th Century
• Inductions — Canadian Sports Hall of Fame; B.C. Sports Hall of Fame; Canadian Ski Hall of Fame; U.S. Ski Hall of Fame

Note: The information gathered is compiled from a number of sources; it may not be inclusive of all accomplishments. Copyright © 2023, Canadian Ski Hall of Fame & Museum. For Personal & Educational use only. All Rights Reserved.