Betty Weir began skiing only in 1948 but improved quickly to make the 1952 Winter Olympic team. A native of Omaha, she finished second in the 1951 Harriman Cup races at Sun Valley, and second in the Olympic Trials downhill. She later married Ned Bell of York, Nebraska, their wedding taking place in Sun Valley. They settled in that small town where Weir-Bell worked for many years with the local newspaper, the Idaho Mountain Express. Weir-Bell also opened a Nordic cross-country center with a small retail shop on the Bigwood Golf Course in Sun Valley. She became a private pilot and flight instructor in her 40s and later was considered a good club golfer and tennis player.