Competitor & Innovator
A Jackson Hole native, Karen Budge Eaton skied to the podium early, representing the Jackson Hole Ski Club as the valley's first Junior National Champion at age 14. Named to the US Ski Team at age 17, Karen skied on the US FIS Team or the US Olympic Team every year between 1967 and 1972, when she retired from racing. Among her most notable achievements are top-10 finishes in World Cup, 1969-70; 11th in the World Championships, 1970; 1st in the Slalom, Giant Slalom, and Combined in the Canadian National Championships, 1971; winning the 1971 North American Canadian-American Trophy; 3rd in the Combined in the French National Championships at LaPiagne, France; and 2nd in the World Cup GS in Heavenly Valley, CA, 1971. She capped off her racing career with a 14th place finish in the downhill in the 1972 Olympic Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan. Beyond skiing, her hobbies include floating the Snake River, waterskiing, horseback riding, and pack trips in the mountains around Jackson Hole.
