| Jill Kinmont | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Jill Kinmont Boothe |
| Born | February 16, 1936 Los Angeles, California, United States |
Jill Kinmont Boothe (born February 16, 1936 in Los Angeles, California) is a former alpine ski racer, who competed in the mid-1950s.
Jill Kinmont grew up in Bishop, California, skiing and racing at Mammoth Mountain. In early 1955, she was the reigning national champion in the slalom, and a top prospect for a medal at the 1956 Winter Olympics, a year away. While competing in the downhill at the Snow Cup in Alta, Utah, on 30 January, 1955, [1] she suffered a near-fatal accident which resulted in paralysis 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 magazine dated 31 January 1955. [2]
After her rehabilitation, she went on to graduate from UCLA with a B.A. in German [3] and earned a teaching credential from the University of Washington. She had a long career as an educator first in Washington and then in Beverly Hills, California. She taught special education at Bishop Union Elementary School from 1975-96 in her hometown of Bishop. 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 in 1975, and The Other Side of the Mountain Part II in 1978. Both films starred Marilyn Hassett 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 in 1967.