Bengtson wins slalom at International Whistler Cup

Colter Bengtson, who ski races with the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation, represented the Northern Division of the US Ski and Snowboard Association at the U14 Western Regional Championships in Mammoth Lakes, California. He also competed against an international field of U14 racers in Canada and won. 

The Whistler Cup is a prestigious international youth alpine ski race held annually in Whistler, British Columbia, and is the only event of its kind in North America. The competition has become one of the most prominent youth ski races globally since its inception in 1992. The Whistler Cup attracts top young alpine ski racers from across the world, particularly in the U14 and U16 age categories, providing these athletes with the opportunity to compete against the best in their age group on an international stage. 

Colter was one of six U14 boys and six U14 girls who qualified to represent the United States based on their results from the Western Regionals. At that event, Colter was third in the super-G, fourth in the giant slalom and sixth in the slalom, which put him third in the series overall standings for U14 boys. 

At Whistler, Colter skied strong in the giant slalom on Saturday, to place third behind Yuto Narita of Japan and Cody Martz-Feige of France. U.S. teammate Paxton Harris was fourth. Colter came back even stronger on Sunday to take the win in the slalom, finishing ahead of Balthazar Sachs of Australia and Martz Feige. The U.S. team also won the Nations Cup for the event, with the highest points total of all teams in the U14 division. 

While this was the high point of his season, Colter is set to attend a Western Region ski camp next week at Mammoth Mountain with a focus on managing air and terrain in speed events such as the super-G and downhill. 

Colter’s coaches recognize his focus and effort this season and congratulate him on his successes. 

    Colter Bengtson of West Glacier won first in the U14 boys slalom. (Photo provided)