Allan Rabbit

Forty-seven seasons on the ski patrol — nine of them paid

Legend of Showdown

Born: 1961, Hampton, Iowa
First skied at Showdown: about 1971, with the Murphy family of Great Falls
First worked here: on the Great Falls Ski Patrol from 1979
Years at Showdown: 1979–, forty-seven seasons
Positions: Great Falls Ski Patrol, volunteer, 1979 to about 1981
Professional ski patroller at Showdown, nine seasons, full-time, to 1989 — covering patrol director Wayne Ellington's day off in the seven-day seasons
Great Falls Ski Patrol, volunteer, 1989 to the present
Director of the volunteer side of the patrol, three terms, seven years in all
Lodge maintenance and building projects for Showdown
Awards: Selected for the ski patrol at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics
Mike Bell Lifetime Service Award
National Ski Patrol Distinguished Award, 2021
National Ski Patrol Gold Merit Star, 2022
Chair Evac Training Superstar, 2025

What they did

10 entries

1979Joined the Great Falls Ski Patrol at Showdown, eight years after his first day on the hill
1988Selected as one of five Great Falls Ski Patrol members to work the alpine events at the Calgary Winter Olympics, at Nakiska
1989Left Showdown's professional patrol after nine full-time seasons, went back to college, and returned to the volunteer patrol
c.2002Co-founded Showdown's New Year's Eve fireworks show with Mel Carnahan (the Boom Crew)
2021National Ski Patrol Distinguished Award
2022National Ski Patrol Gold Merit Star
2023Helped build the new deck on the lodge
2025Named a Chair Evac Training Superstar by the patrol
Received the Mike Bell Lifetime Service Award, the Great Falls Ski Patrol's honour for a lifetime of service — his name is cast on Mike's Bell
Directed the volunteer side of the Great Falls Ski Patrol on three separate occasions, seven years in all