Hall of Famer
Elizabeth Betsy Clifford
Betsy Clifford blazed a golden path for Canadian ski racers through dedication, resiliency, sportsmanship and grace.
She made her Olympic debut in alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble as the youngest Canadian athlete ever to compete at the Olympics at age 14. Two years later, at just 16, she became the youngest skier to win a world title, capturing giant slalom gold in Italy in 1970. Four years after that, she won the downhill silver medal at the 1974 world championships.
Clifford earned three World Cup victories — two in slalom and one in giant slalom — along with seven additional career podium finishes and eight Canadian giant slalom titles. Raised on the slopes of her father’s Camp Fortune ski area, she began skiing at five, was the national junior champion at 12 and senior national champion at 13. Her uncle Harvey Clifford also represented Canada at the 1948 Winter Games in St. Moritz.
Clifford received the John Semmelink Memorial Award from the Canadian Ski Association for sportsmanship, conduct and ability representing Canada in international competition. From 1968 to 1976, she was voted Ottawa’s Outstanding Skier, and in 1970 and 1971 was named Ottawa’s Athlete of the Year.
She was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1970 and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1971. She was later nominated to the American National Ski Hall of Fame (1978), the Canadian Ski Museum Honour Roll (Canadian Ski Hall of Fame, 1982), the Greater Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame (1983), Les Panthéon des sports de l’Outaouais (1995) and the Laurentian Ski Hall of Fame (1995).
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- 1967 — 1st Canadian junior slalom, Mont Sutton, Que.
- 1968 — Selected at age 14 as the youngest member of the Canadian national women’s alpine ski team; competed at the Grenoble Winter Olympics, placing 23rd in downhill.
- 1969 — 5th downhill, World Cup Alpine, Grindelwald, Switzerland.
- 1970 — 2nd slalom, World Cup Alpine, Grindelwald, Switzerland; 2nd slalom, World Cup Alpine, Bad Gastein, Austria; gold medal, world giant slalom champion, Val Gardena, Italy — youngest female to win a world championship medal.
- 1971 — 1st slalom, World Cup Alpine, Schruns, Austria; 1st slalom, World Cup Alpine, Val d’Isère, France; 2nd overall, World Cup standings.
- 1974 — Silver medal, downhill, world championships, St. Moritz, Switzerland; 1st giant slalom, Canadian national championships, Owl’s Head, Magog, Que.; 1st giant slalom, Chilean national championships, Portillo, Chile.
- 1975 — 1st giant slalom, Canadian national championships, Jasper, Alta.; top-10 finishes in 12 World Cup races including 4th in giant slalom at Whistler Mountain, B.C.
- 1976 — 1st slalom, Canadian national championships.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
- 1970 — Inducted, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.
- 1971 — Inducted, Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame.
- 1978 — Nominated, American National Ski Hall of Fame.
- 1982 — Nominated, Canadian Ski Museum Honour Roll (Canadian Ski Hall of Fame).
- 1983 — Nominated, Greater Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame.
- 1995 — Nominated, Les Panthéon des sports de l’Outaouais and Laurentian Ski Hall of Fame.
Note: Information compiled from several sources; may not include all accomplishments. © Canadian Ski Museum & Hall of Fame. For personal/educational use only. All rights reserved.
Betsy Clifford at 1970 FIS World Championship, Val Gardena, Italy. Alpine Canada Alpin.
Betsy Clifford wins gold at 1970 FIS World Championship, Val Gardena, Italy. Alpine Canada Alpin.
Canadian Olympic Alpine Ski team at 1976 Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria [L to R]: Jim Hunter, Jane Helder (physiotherapist), Kathy Kreiner, Andrzej Kozbial (alpine program director), Laurie Kreiner, Ken Read, Betsy Clifford, Dave Murray, Scott Henderson (head coach-men), Wayne Gruden (coach), Luc Dubois (manager), Robert Safrata, Lynden McIntosh (coach), Dr. Bernie Lalonde (head coach-women). Alpine Canada Alpin.
Betsy Clifford. Alpine Canada Alpin.
Gold medalist Betsy Clifford at 1970 FIS World Championship, Val Gardena, Italy. Air Canada / Sirois Thompson and Co.
Betsy Clifford inside the wind tunnel at the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa, ON. National Research Council (NRC).
Betsy Clifford inside the wind tunnel at the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa, ON. National Research Council (NRC).
Betsy Clifford inside wind tunnel at the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa, ON. National Research Council (NRC).
Betsy Clifford inside the wind tunnel at the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa, ON. National Research Council (NRC).
Judy Crawford, Betsy Clifford (right). Alpine Canada Alpin.
~ Canadian Ski Association / Alpine Office / Lolly Moss.
~ Canadian Ski Association / Alpine Office / Lolly Moss
National Alpine Ski Team c. 1970 [L to R]: Kathy Kreiner, Karen Cloutier, Betsy Clifford, Laurie Kreiner, Susan Clifford. Canadian Ski Association / Alpine Office / Lolly Moss.
1971-72 National Alpine Ski Team [L to R]: Nancy Greene, Reto Barrington, Russel Goodman, Diane Culver, ?, Doug Woodcock, Carolyn Oughton, ?, Derek Robbins, Diane Pratte, Paul Carson, Peter Bellos, Virginia Honeyman, Doug Temple, Luc Dubois (coach), Rick Hunter, Betsy Clifford, Aidan Ballantyne, Mike Culver, Judy Crawford, Al Raine (alpine program director), Jim Hunter, Robert Butler (coach), Don Lyon (coach). McLeod and Yee Photography / 9600-04.
National Alpine Ski Team 1971-72 [top row]: Doug Woodcock, Betsy Clifford, Judy Crawford, Kathy Kreiner, Diane Culver, Laurie Kreiner, Carolyn Oughton, Diane Pratte, Virginia Honeyman, Russel Goodman [middle row]: Luc Dubois (coach), Don Lyon (coach), Robert Butler (coach), Al Raine (Alpine Program Director) [bottom row]: Peter Bellos, Aidan Ballantyne, Jim Hunter, Rick Hunter, Doug Temple, Mike Culver, Derek Robbins, Reto Barrington, Paul Carson. D. Richard Houlding Photography, Toronto.
National Alpine Ski Team 1971-72 [top row]: Al Raine (Alpine Program Director), Diane Pratte, Diane Culver, Judy Crawford, Robert Butler (coach) [bottom row]: Betsy Clifford, Laurie Kreiner. Rene Korot for St-Tropez Enrg., St Leonard.
National Women’s Alpine Ski Team [L to R]: Verne Anderson, Pat Ramage, Karen Dokka, Betsy Clifford, Judy Crawford, Judi Leinweber, Nancy Greene c. 1968. Source: Fotostudio Hoss Oberstaufen.
Official opening of the Canadian Ski Museum on Sparks Street, Ottawa, ON, May 10, 1971 [L to R]: Jackrabbit, Lucile Wheeler, Anne Heggtveit, Betsy Clifford. Dominion Wide Photos.
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