| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1946-12-13)December 13, 1946 |
| Died | May 8, 1979(1979-05-08) (aged 32) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Australia |
| Sport | Alpine skiing |
Christine Idris Smith (13 December 1946 – 8 May 1979[1]) was an Australianalpine skier. She has been described as a "long-haired blonde with an 'all-Australian girl next door' image."[2]
Born inCooma, Smith learned to ski at an early age. She was a "stylish and aggressive skier"[2] who competed in the 1962Commonwealth Winter Games[1] and won the Thredbo Cup in Australia in 1963–64.[3] At the1964 Winter Olympics, Smith came 27th out of 43 in the downhill. She also came 28th and last in the slalom and was disqualified in thegiant slalom.[4][5] Her performances were affected by the death of a fellow competitorRoss Milne.[2]
In 1965, while recuperating from a ski accident in Europe, she was enlisted to teachThe Beatles to ski for their filmHelp!, 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 atThredbo and other venues before establishing an interior design business in 1974.
In 1977 she married Wayne Arthur Garland.[1]
Smith died in 1979, at the age of 32. The cause of death wassuicide.[2]
