Gretchen Fraser first became known as a top skier years before the 1948 Olympics. She won the first revival of the Silver Belt trophy in 1940, won the 1941 National Alpine Combined, and the 1942 National Slalom titles. At St. Moritz in 1948, Fraser took another slalom title and her proficiency in the technical event helped her to an overall second place in the alpine combined. For her performance she was awarded the National Ski Association’s Beck International Trophy After retiring from competition, Gretchen Fraser became an officer of the National Ski Association and active in ski development in the Pacific Northwest.