Karen Annette Budge (born November 14, 1949) is a former

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

alpine ski racer from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. She had three podium finishes and 30 top ten results in World Cup competitions between 1967 and 1972; overall her best result was 15th place in the 1969–70 season. At the

1972 Winter Olympics The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the and commonly known as Sapporo 1972 ( ja, 札幌1972), was a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside Europe ...

she placed 14th in the downhill and 23rd in the

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

events. Born and raised in

Jackson, Wyoming Jackson is a town in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 10,760 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 9,577 in 2010. It is the largest town in Teton County and its county seat. Jackson is the principal town of ...

, Budge married

Gordi Eaton Gordon Ladd Eaton (born November 28, 1939), known as Gordi Eaton, is an American alpine skier. He competed in the men's downhill at the 1960 Winter Olympics. Eaton is a Middlebury College Class of 1962 graduate, and competed on the school's alp ...

, a former alpine ski racer and coach. They reside in

Middlebury, Vermont Middlebury is the shire town (county seat) of Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 9,152. Middlebury is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History. History One of ...

and co-own a restaurant in

Lincoln, New Hampshire Lincoln is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the second-largest town by area in New Hampshire. The population was 1,631 at the 2020 census. The town is home to the New Hampshire Highland Games and to a portion of Fran ...

, in the White Mountains near

Loon Mountain Loon Mountain is a mountain in Lincoln and Livermore, New Hampshire, in Grafton County. It is in the White Mountain National Forest. The mountain is known for Loon Mountain Ski Resort, which, like most New England mountain resorts, has expand ...

and Cannon Mountain ski areas. At the

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, eighteen-year-old Budge was testing her wax on a practice course an hour before the women's downhill at

Chamrousse Chamrousse () is a ski resort in southeastern France, in the Belledonne mountain range near Grenoble in the Isère department. It is located in a commune of the same name and is situated on the Recoin at and the Roche Béranger at . The ski- ...

, and narrowly avoided a full collision with a member of the Moroccan men's team,

Said Housni Said Housni (born 1949) is a Moroccan alpine ski racer who competed in the technical events of giant slalom and slalom at the 1968 Winter Olympics in France. In the giant slalom, Housni finished in 83rd place, and did not advance out of the sla ...

, who had been warned once before to stay off the hill. She fell, suffered a dislocated shoulder, and did not start.

References

External links

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Karen Budge
World Cup standings at the International Ski Federation * *
Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame – inducted 2012 – Karen Budge-Eaton
1949 births Living people American female alpine skiers Olympic alpine skiers for the United States Alpine skiers at the 1968 Winter Olympics Alpine skiers at the 1972 Winter Olympics People from Middlebury, Vermont 21st-century American women {{US-alpine-skiing-bio-stub