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Sam Chaffey

1934 – 1998

New Zealand alpine skier

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About Sam Chaffey

Lived 1934 – 1998 (aged 63). Sam Chaffey was a New Zealand alpine skier and farmer.

Robin Samuel Anderson (Sam or Rob) Chaffey (22 July 1934 – 6 April 1998) was an alpine skier from New Zealand.

He competed for New Zealand at the 1960 Winter Olympics. He came 48th in the Downhill and 58th in the Giant Slalom, but was disqualified in the Slalom.

Sam was a downhill ski-racer, national ski champion in 1958, and was involved in setting up and managing Porter Heights, the first commercial ski-field in Canterbury. He was a high-country farmer and a businessman whose activities included setting up a reindeer farm in Alaska and a cattle breeding programme in Brazil.

He was called Sam at school and in the ski industry, but changed to Rob for everything else by family agreement because of all the Sams in the family (including his father and one of his sons). He married Jan Prain (a sister of skier Trish Prain) in 1958; they had two daughters and two sons. He was born in Timaru, brought up on a farm at the back of Mount Somers, and died at home in Tai Tapu.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality

People in Sam Chaffey's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Sam Chaffey's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Sam Chaffey?

New Zealand alpine skier

When was Sam Chaffey born?

Sam Chaffey was born on 22 July 1934 in Ashburton.

When did Sam Chaffey die?

Sam Chaffey died on 6 April 1998.

What was Sam Chaffey's occupation?

Sam Chaffey was an alpine skier and farmer.

What nationality was Sam Chaffey?

Sam Chaffey was New Zealand.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Sam Chaffey

· Wikidata: Q7407304

· DBpedia: Sam Chaffey

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Sam Chaffey. https://biography.guide/sam-chaffey/

MLA: "Sam Chaffey." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/sam-chaffey/.

Chicago: "Sam Chaffey." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/sam-chaffey/.

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