Oregon State Alum Jean Saubert Became Cascadia's First Winter Olympian

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Jean Saubert, an Oregon State University alumna, was the first known Beaver to compete in the Winter Olympics. Born in Roseburg and raised in Cascadia, Saubert learned to ski at Hoodoo Ski Bowl and went on to win eight U.S. national titles before earning a spot on the 1964 U.S. Olympic team. At the Innsbruck Games, she won a silver medal in the giant slalom and a bronze in the slalom, becoming the first Oregonian to win two Olympic medals.

Why it matters

Saubert's success at the 1964 Olympics helped put Oregon and the Pacific Northwest on the map as a hotbed for winter sports talent. Her story also highlights the region's long history of producing elite winter athletes, even as the state's major universities have traditionally been more associated with summer sports.

The details

Saubert grew up in Cascadia, learning to ski at Hoodoo Ski Bowl with her U.S. Forest Ranger father. She went on to win six U.S. junior national championships before enrolling at OSU, where she continued to train and compete while pursuing her education degree. Saubert made the U.S. Ski Team in 1962 and over the next four years won eight national titles and placed in several World Championships.

• Saubert was born in Roseburg in 1942.
• She won her first of several national junior championships at age 14.
• Saubert enrolled at Oregon State University in 1960 after graduating as valedictorian from Lakeview High.
• Saubert made the U.S. Ski Team in 1962 and competed in the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.
• Saubert won a silver medal in the giant slalom and a bronze medal in the slalom at the 1964 Olympics.

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