Washington State's Colby Granstrom made a statement at the 2003 Whistler Cup races. At the year’s biggest event for J3 (13-14 years) and J4 (11-12) racers, he won both the slalom and giant slalom – at only 12 years old. A solid, all-around racer, Granstrom is a Junior World Champion, a U.S. Champion and fighting to join the world's slalom elite.

Nagging knee injuries heavily limited what Granstrom was able to accomplish during the 2013 season. Basically, he was sidelined until mid-December, then on a very light schedule for the remainder of the winter. With Sochi on the horizon, it wasn't a time to take unnecessary risk. He spent the time getting strong at the Center of Excellence in Park City while serving as an intern in the Utah State Governors Office.

He also snuck in a training camp on the 2014 venue, landed a few NorAm slalom podiums, claimed his first NorAm win and took third in slalom at the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships at Squaw Valley. Such solid results should easily slingshot him into the next season.

FIRST TRACKS
Granstrom, who comes from a skiing family, first clicked into a pair of skis as a two-year-old. He started racing at Stevens Pass when he was five, and he was eight when he won an event for kids 12 and under from Washington, Oregon and Idaho. At 12, he won two gold medals at the Whistler Cup, an international competition in Whistler, B.C. for kids 11-14. From there it was onto the U.S. Development Team and beyond.

OFF THE SNOW
Granstrom kicks around the soccer ball and loves waterskiing and fishing. His musical taste is all over the map; you’d find both Taylor Swift and Bryon Friedman on his iPod. When not at Team camps or in Park City, you'll find him at the Team Fitness gym in Lake Stevens, coaching for PVA and hanging with his girlfriend, fellow racer Brooke Wales.