One of the top female alpine ski racers that the United States has ever produced, Cooper brought her eight-year career full circle in 1984 when she skied to the silver medal in the Olympic giant slalom in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia – behind teammate Debbie Armstrong to mark the first ever one-two U.S. Olympic sweep. Leading the race following the conclusion of the opening run, Christin slipped in the second run near the top of the Olympic course, a mistake that allowed Armstrong to slip past to the gold medal.

In 1982, Christin Cooper posted the highest finish ever for an American woman in the final overall World Cup rankings with her 3rd place finish, a result that stood until Tamara McKinney’s overall triumph in 1983. That same season, she collected a trio of medals at the World Championships in Schladming, Austria, a first for any U.S. skier, male or female.

The 1981 season was to have been the one in which Cooper continued her climb to the top of the women’s World Cup but that season ended for Christin January 28 in Les Diablertes, Switzerland when a downhill training fall resulted in a compression fracture of the bone below the knee. Prior to the injury, Cooper sat in 5th position in the overall World Cup standings and was coming off an impressive 2nd place giant slalom finish behind teammate McKinney. Despite missing the final two months of the 1983 season, Christin still found herself in 12th position in the final overall rankings.

In addition to her Olympic silver medal, Cooper’s 1984 campaign was also highlighted by a World Cup giant slalom win in Lake Placid, New York as well as a U.S. National Victory in giant slalom in Copper Mountain, Colorado. She finished the winter of 1984 ranked 6th in the final overall World Cup standings and earned the runner-up position in the World Cup giant slalom rankings.

First named to the “B” Team in 1976, Cooper was elevated to the “A” Team the following season and was selected to represent the U.S. as a member of the Olympic Team in 1980 at Lake Placid. In those Winter Games, she recorded the best finish for an American woman in both the slalom and the giant slalom, finishing 8th in the slalom and 7th in the giant slalom. She has also been a member of both the 1978 and 1982 World Championship Teams, earning a bronze medal in the combined along with two silver medals in slalom and giant slalom in Schladming in 1982.

Christin Cooper was elected to the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1984.