Rhona and Rhoda Wurtele

They began skiing at age five when their father strapped two planks of wood onto their feet and pushed them out the front door; on top of Mount Royal in Montreal.

In 1943 Rhoda swept the Taschereau downhill at Mont Tremblant, Quebec, winning by 24 seconds, bettering both the women and all the men in the competition.

[7] Rhoda was able to recover enough to tie for third place in the prestigious Arlberg Kandehar at Chamonix just a few weeks later.

[8] She later competed in all three alpine skiing events at the 1952 Winter Olympics with the best result of ninth place in the giant slalom.

As pioneers, they set the stage for Canadian women in skiing, directly influencing a long line of medal winners from Lucile Wheeler, the first woman to win an Olympic skiing medal for Canada, to Anne Heggtveit, Nancy Greene, Kathy Kreiner and Kerrin Lee-Gartner.

[6][7] They were named Members of the Order of Canada, by Governor General Julie Payette, on December 27, 2018.