Harry Birkenbuel

Racer, patrol president, and the coach of a generation of juniors

Legend of Showdown

Born: 19 February 1933, Great Falls
First skied at Showdown
First worked here: April 1956, as a race official and racer at the Great Falls Ski Club's races
Years at Showdown
Positions: Great Falls Ski Patrol, from 1957; president of the patrol, 1959-60
Director of the Kings Hill Junior Racing School, 1963-64, with Tony Angland and Lee Robinson
Junior Racing Program, with Tony Angland, 1965-66
Racing coach and director of the Kings Hill junior racing program, 1967-68
Junior racing for advanced skiers, with Bruce Steele, 1968-69
Kings Hill Racing Program, 1969-70 and 1970-71
Great Falls High School ski coach

What they did

19 entries

1956Took one class B share in Ski Tow, Inc., for twenty-five dollars
April 1956Raced, and helped run the races, at the Great Falls Ski Club's annual meet at Kings Hill
December 1959Pictured in the Great Falls Leader with patrol leader Bob Olds and Butch Hoard, making a toboggan out of skis and lashings; the Kings Hill Ski Patrol's twenty members had just done an eight-hour refresher
January 1960On the cover of Montana Parade, the Tribune's Sunday magazine, throwing powder on the Kings Hill run as president of the ski patrol; the photograph, by Dr. Lester F. Howard, had won the Great Falls Camera Club's January contest
16 April 1961Second in the men's class at the club's annual giant slalom, behind Tony Angland, at a meet of 72 racers
24 March 1962Third in Men's Class C at the second Kings Hill Invitational, the only Great Falls man in that class's top three
1962-63Ran a junior racing program whose racers won trophies and high honors
31 March 1963Won the men's 30 to 40 at the club's city race in 1:19.8, the second-best time of the day
December 1963Joined the Kings Hill Ski School to direct its new Junior Racing School, assisted by Tony Angland and Lee Robinson: downhill and slalom, four hours every Saturday and Sunday
8–9 February 1964Coached the club's junior racers, with Tony Angland, at the American Legion invitational at Libby
March 1964The Kings Crier's joke page advertised his book for young racers, 101 Ways to Cheat at Slalom Racing
1965-66Ran the Junior Racing Program with Tony Angland, scheduled from 11 December 1965 to 27 March 1966
Winter 1966-67Timed at 39 seconds down a cleared, packed Hall-O while an electronic timing clock was being tested
1967-68Directed the Kings Hill junior racing program, starting 9 December 1967: boys and girls of 12 to 15, four hours a day every weekend to mid-March, more than 100 hours for $65, and meets at Bozeman, Dillon, Whitefish, Helena and Red Lodge on the way to the Junior Nationals
1 December 1968Named to teach junior racing for advanced skiers, with Bruce Steele
1969-70Ran the King's Hill Racing Program and signed its notice in the Kings Crier
December 1970Wrote in the Kings Crier, in his own hand, that he had coached at Kings Hill for fifteen years
March 1971Named to set the course for the club's annual race of 7 March
The Kings Hill ski school's registration brochure: “Harry Birkenbuel will again be coaching the King's Hill team. Harry's excellent coaching has produced many fine racers for the Great Falls area.”