Dale Begg Smith

Early years and career

Begg-Smith was skiing for his native Canada as a teenager when his coaches told him he was spending too much time on his successful business, and not enough time in training. He subsequently quit the Canadian ski program because it clashed with his business interests and, along with his brother Jason Begg-Smith, moved to Australia at age 16 to live with his cousin Nicole. The brothers chose to ski for Australia because the country had a smaller ski program that offered them more attention and flexibility. This ensured that they could still successfully manage their business. The brothers stayed out of competitive skiing for three years and instead trained with the Australian team, living in Jindabyne each winter. The pair qualified for Australian citizenship after these three years in 2003–04, and were then free to compete for their adopted country.

Alisa Monk, coordinator of the moguls program, said that she booked Begg-Smith's hotels and flights economically, despite his wealth. "Wherever the team stays, he stays. There are certainly no big demands. You wouldn't know he had a bit of money." She also said, "When he is at Perisher he stays in the same hut as the other mogul skiers and his brother which is small and old and almost falling down", and that "He just doesn't try to stand out at all."

Begg-Smith won silver at the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, leading to some complaints about biased-judging from members of the Australian coaching staff. “Sometimes you’re in the good graces of the judges, sometimes you’re not,” Gold medalist Alex Bilodeau said. “Judged sports can’t be perfect. It can be a bad part of my sport. I see it. But everybody is going to be equal in the end.”

He is considered a recluse by many, and has repeatedly refused to communicate with non-Australian media, Canadian media in particular. NBC dubbed him "the most mysterious man of the Winter Olympics" in a piece aired on 14 February 2010, during the Vancouver games.

Begg-Smith holds the record for qualifying for the most consecutive World Cup finals in events he entered. In March 2010 he reached his 48th consecutive final, in events he entered, leading Australian moguls coach to say of the accomplishment that "he always qualifies. He has now qualified for 48 straight finals, which is incredible – I don't know if that's a record or not, but I would presume it is."

After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Begg-Smith donated his prize money – about $13,670 – to earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.

Begg-Smith represented Australia at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, reaching the 2nd qualifying round.

Business controversy

There are claims that Begg-Smith's internet advertising business had been linked to the distribution of malware. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that they had "...followed a trail of digital fingerprints scattered over the web which shows Mr Begg-Smith's long and rewarding involvement in the distribution of "malicious software". Begg-Smith's manager, David Malina, said reports about his client's business had been "exaggerated", and that "it's not really something that he's involved with anymore ... he's minimised his involvement to concentrate on his sport.".

Honours

On 21 February 2006 Australia Post issued a postage stamp commemorating Begg-Smith's achievement, saying his gold put him in a "small and honoured group of athletes". In 2005 Dale was awarded Ski and Snowboard Australia's Snowsports Athlete of the Year.