Barbara Henneberger

Barbi Henneberger

— Alpine skier —
Disciplines	Downhill, Giant Slalom, Slalom, Combined
Club	TAK München
Born	(1940-10-04)4 October 1940 Oberstaufen, Bavaria, Germany
Died	Trais Fleur slope near St. Moritz, Switzerland
Height
Olympics
Teams	2 – (1960, 1964)
Medals	1 (0 gold)
World Championships
Teams	3 – (1960, 1962, 1964)     includes two Olympics
Medals	2 (0 gold)
Medal record Women's Alpine skiing Representing  Germany Olympic Games 1960 Squaw Valley Slalom World Championships 1960 Squaw Valley Combined

Barbara-Maria "Barbi" Henneberger (4 October 1940 – 12 April 1964) was an alpine ski racer and Olympic medalist from West Germany. She competed for the Unified Team of Germany at the 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympics, and at the 1962 World Championships.

Ski racing

Born in Oberstaufen, Bavaria, Henneberger competed in the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley at age 19. She won the bronze medal in the slalom, finished eleventh in the downhill, and 15th in the giant slalom. Henneberger was third in the combined, which earned a world championship medal. Four years later in 1964 at Innsbruck, she finished fifth in the downhill, seventh in the giant slalom, and tenth in the slalom.

In North America to model clothes after the 1963 season ended in Europe, Henneberger was not planning to compete at the U.S. Alpine Championships in Alaska at Alyeska in early April. Using borrowed skis, she won the downhill and slalom and finished second in the giant slalom.

Death

Following the 1964 season, Henneberger and a dozen others were in Switzerland near St. Moritz in April to film the promotional movie Ski-Fascination for Willy Bogner, Jr.. Caught in a spring avalanche, she died at age 23 in Val Selin along with U.S. racer Buddy Werner. Both had raced ahead of the first avalanche, but were caught by a second from an opposite slope. Found hours later under 8 to 10 feet (2.4 to 3.0 m) of snow, their deaths were attributed to suffocation, and were the only two fatalities in the group. Her funeral and procession in Munich were attended by thousands.

Bogner, 22, and Henneberger were to be engaged that summer; he was tried by a Swiss court for homicide by negligence. Initially acquitted, the prosecution later won a conviction on appeal, of manslaughter by negligence, and Bogner received a two-month suspended sentence.

World championship results

Year	Age	Slalom	Giant   Slalom	Super-G	Downhill	Combined
1960	19	3	15	not run	11	3
1962	21	5	1x		4	4
1964	23	10	7		5	5

From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.

Olympic results

Year	Age	Slalom	Giant   Slalom	Super-G	Downhill	Combined
1960	19	3	15	not run	11	not run
1964	23	10	7		5

External links

• Barbara Henneberger at the International Ski Federation
• – Olympic results
• Alpine Style 56 – photos – Barbi Henneberger
• Barbara Henneberger at Find a Grave