Hall of Famer
Laurie Kreiner
Two-time Olympian Laurie Kreiner was born into a family with a deep passion for skiing in many forms.
In the 1960s, the Kreiner family invested in developing the Timmins Ski Club in northern Ontario. The older sister of 1976 Olympic champion Kathy, Laurie blazed a trail, committing to ski racing from an early age. She went on to compete at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, and the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.
During the early years, Laurie spent many days helping her father and family manage the ski area. She pitched in by cutting new runs, maintaining equipment, cleaning outhouses and performing other volunteer work.
By age 13, Laurie had qualified for the Canadian alpine championships in Thunder Bay. A year later, she travelled west to join a new program at the Kokanee Glaciers near Nelson, B.C.—an initiative that eventually sparked the creation of the national ski team. At the camp, racers such as the Kreiner sisters learned the value of hard work when coach Dave Jacobs introduced high-intensity dryland training and long days hiking in and out of the glacier training site.
It was a turning point for the sisters, who impressed coaches and teammates with their tenacity and work ethic.
Laurie’s career progressed rapidly, culminating in a heartbreaking fourth-place finish in Sapporo, just 0.13 seconds off the podium. She posted 10 top-10 results in World Cup races across giant slalom, slalom and downhill, including back-to-back fourth- and fifth-place finishes in downhill at Pfronten, Germany, in 1973.
Career Highlights
- 1971 – 10th, downhill, World Cup, Sestriere, Italy
- 1972 – 4th, giant slalom; 12th, slalom, Winter Olympics, Sapporo, Japan
- 1972 – 6th, downhill, World Cup, Crystal Mountain, Wash., U.S.
- 1972 – 6th, giant slalom, World Cup, Banff, Alta.
- 1973 – 6th, slalom, World Cup, St. Gervais, France
- 1973 – 4th, downhill, World Cup, Pfronten, Germany
- 1973 – 5th, downhill, World Cup, Pfronten, Germany
- 1974 – 10th, slalom, World Cup, Bad Gastein, Austria
- 1976 – 14th, slalom, Winter Olympics, Innsbruck, Austria
- 1976 – 7th, combined, FIS World Ski Championships, Innsbruck, Austria
Note: The information gathered in this biography was compiled from a number of sources; it may not be inclusive of all accomplishments. Copyright © Canadian Ski Hall of Fame & Museum. For personal and/or educational use only. All rights reserved.
Canadian Ski Council, Small Town Olympic Ski Dreams: The Kreiners – Ski Canada.
1972 Canadian Olympic Women’s Alpine Ski Team [L to R]: Peter Franzen (coach), Judy Crawford, Laurie Kreiner, Dianne Pratte, Kathy Kreiner. Michael Burns Photography.
Canadian Olympic Alpine Ski Team at the 1976 Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria. Left to right: Jim Hunter, Jane Helder (physiotherapist), Kathy Kreiner, Andrzej Kozbial (alpine program director), Laurie Kreiner, Ken Read, Betsy Clifford, Dave Murray, Scott Henderson (men’s head coach), Wayne Gruden (coach), Luc Dubois (manager), Robert Safrata, Lynden McIntosh (coach), Dr. Bernie Lalonde (women’s head coach). Source: Alpine Canada Alpin.
Women’s National Alpine Ski Team, 1972, Val d’Isère. Left to right: Laurie Kreiner, Kathy Kreiner, Judy Crawford. Source: Alpine Canada Alpin.
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 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.
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. Source: D. Richard Houlding Photography, Toronto.
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