Canada's Olympic Skiing/Snowboarding Memories

1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

The twin towns of Garmisch and Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany, hosted the IV Olympic Winter Games. In spite of a heavy snowstorm, Germany's Fuhrer, Adolph Hitler, presided over the opening ceremonies in the Olympic stadium.

Alpine events made their debut amidst an altercation between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the ruling body of international skiing, the Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS). The IOC ruled that all ski instructors were considered professionals and were ineligible to compete, a decision that consequently led to a boycott of the Games by Swiss and Austrian skiers.

The Canadian Amateur Ski Association (CASA), plagued by budgetary and time constraints, was unable to conduct a fair nationwide search to select qualified women skiers to represent Canada. Instead, it learned of four Canadian women living in Europe, each of whom had ski-racing experience in the Alps, and invited them to represent the women's ski team.

The women's team skied with great determination and tenacity considering the injuries they sustained while training in Grindelwald, Switzerland. Undeniably, Mrs. Gordon-Lennox became the most recognizable figure to the applause of the 30,000-plus crowds because of her fluency in the Viennese-inflected German language, unusual eye glass monocle, and great sense of humour.

To match the success of the European skiers, the entire Canadian team undertook to receive instruction in both the new alpine and nordic techniques.

Opening date: February 6, 1936
Closing date: February 16, 1936
Candidate cities: St. Moritz (SUI)

To return to 'Canada's Olympic Skiing/Snowboarding Memories' exhibit, please click here.

For a brief history of the Olympic Games, please click here.

To learn more about the skiing disciplines at the Olympic Winter Games, please click here.