Jill Kinmont Boothe (February 16, 1936 – February 9, 2012) was an American

alpine ski racer Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether ...

and schoolteacher. Her life story was turned into two major Hollywood movies ''

The Other Side of the Mountain ''The Other Side of the Mountain'' is a 1975 American drama romance film based on the true story of ski racing champion Jill Kinmont. The film was titled ''A Window to the Sky'' in the United Kingdom. In early 1955, Kinmont was the national c ...

'' and its sequel ''

The Other Side of the Mountain Part 2 ''The Other Side of the Mountain Part 2'' is a 1978 film directed by Larry Peerce. It stars Marilyn Hassett and Timothy Bottoms. It is a sequel to '' The Other Side of the Mountain''. Plot Jill Kinmont, now recovered, goes to Southern California ...

''. Born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, Kinmont grew up in

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

and learned to ski race at

Mammoth Mountain Mammoth Mountain is a lava dome complex partially located in the town of Mammoth Lakes, California, in the Inyo National Forest of Madera County, California, Madera and Mono County, California, Mono counties. It is home to a large Mammoth Mounta ...

in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

mountains. In early 1955, she was the reigning national champion in the slalom, and a top prospect for a medal at the

1956 Winter Olympics The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 ( or ), were a multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from 26 January to 5 February 1956. Cortina, which ...

, a year away. At age 18, Kinmont competed in the

giant slalom Giant slalom (GS) is an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding competitive discipline. It involves racing between sets of poles ("gates") spaced at a greater distance from each other than in Slalom skiing, slalom but less than in Super-G. Giant sl ...

at the prestigious ''Snow Cup'' in

Alta Alta or ALTA may refer to: Acronyms * Alt-A, short for Alternative A-paper, is a type of US mortgage * American Land Title Association, a national trade association representing the land title industry * American Literary Translators Association, ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, on January 30, 1955. She suffered a near-fatal accident that resulted in

paralysis Paralysis (: paralyses; also known as plegia) is a loss of Motor skill, motor function in one or more Skeletal muscle, muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory d ...

from the shoulders down. That same week, she had been featured on the cover of ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'' magazine, dated January 31, 1955. Kinmont was engaged to ski racer and "daredevil"

Dick Buek Richard (Mad Dog) Buek (November 4, 1929 – November 3, 1957) was an American alpine ski racer and later a daredevil stunt pilot. The fiancé of champion ski racer Jill Kinmont, whose tragic life story was made into the inspirational hit Ho ...

(1929–1957) at the time of his death, according to her autobiography. After her rehabilitation, she went on to graduate from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

with a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and earned a teaching credential from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. She had a long career as an educator, first in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

and then in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

. She taught

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

at Bishop Union Elementary School from 1975 to 1996 in her hometown of

. She was an accomplished painter who had many exhibitions of her artwork. Kinmont was the subject of two movies: ''

'' in

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, and ''

'' in

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

. Both films starred

Marilyn Hassett Marilyn Hassett (born December 17, 1947) is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Jill Kinmont Boothe, Jill Kinmont in the romance drama film ''The Other Side of the Mountain'' (1975) for which she received Golden Globe Aw ...

as Kinmont. Following "fifteen long days of incessant questioning and picture-taking" by ''Life'' reporter Janet Mason and ''Life'' photographer Burk Uzzle, ''Life'' magazine published a 14-page photographic article about Jill's status nine years after the accident. At age forty, she married trucker John Boothe of Bishop in November 1976, and they made their home in Bishop until shortly before her death. Jill Boothe died February 9, 2012, at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. The cause of death was not released, and a report that Boothe died of complications related to surgery was not confirmed by the coroner. She lived 57 years past her paralyzing ski accident and is buried in the East Line Street Cemetery in Bishop. Boothe was inducted into the

National Ski Hall of Fame The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Ishpeming, Michigan, the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States. Located in the state's Upper Peninsula, the building includes the hall of fame and museum, as well as a ...

in 1967.

References

External links

National Ski Hall of Fame
- Jill Kinmont, inducted 1967
''Sports Illustrated''
cover, January 31, 1955
Apple Pie in Sun Valley ''Sports Illustrated''
six months after accident, July 25, 1955

- Jill Kinmont Boothe, 42 years later, February 24, 1997 * * *

''Los Angeles Times'', Sunday, May 22, 2011. * ttps://web.archive.org/web/20120503043400/http://www.davemccoyphoto.com/247-a-tribute-to-jill-kinmont-boothe/ Photo tribute to Jill Kinmont-Boothe* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boothe, Jill Kinmont 1936 births 2012 deaths American female alpine skiers People from Bishop, California People with tetraplegia Skiers from Los Angeles Sportspeople from Washington (state) University of California, Los Angeles alumni American wheelchair users 20th-century American sportswomen 20th-century American educators 20th-century American women educators