Kiki Cutter facts for kids
| Alpine skier | |
| Disciplines | Giant slalom, slalom, Downhill, combined |
|---|---|
| Club | Bend Skyliners |
| Born | July 24, 1949 Bend, Oregon, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) |
| World Cup debut | March 1967 (age 17) |
| Retired | February 1970 (age 20) |
| Olympics | |
| Teams | 1 – (1968) |
| Medals | 0 |
| World Championships | |
| Teams | 2 – (1968, 1970) includes Olympics |
| Medals | 0 |
| World Cup | |
| Seasons | 3 – (1968–70) |
| Wins | 5 – (4 SL, 1 GS) |
| Podiums | 12 – (10 SL, 2 GS) |
| Overall titles | 0 – (4th in 1969) |
| Discipline titles | 0 – (2nd in SL, 1969) |
Meet Christina "Kiki" Cutter, an amazing American ski racer! Born on July 24, 1949, Kiki made history as the very first American to win a World Cup ski race. This big win happened in Oslo, Norway, on February 25, 1968, when she won a slalom race. Even though Kiki only raced professionally for a short time, her five wins were a record for the U.S. ski team for many years!
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Kiki's Early Life and Skiing Start
Kiki Cutter was born in Bend, Oregon, in the United States. She was one of six children. Her family moved to Bend in 1948, and Kiki was the first of her siblings born in Oregon.
Kiki learned to ski and race at Mount Bachelor ski area, a popular mountain in Oregon. She quickly became known for her skiing skills. In 1967, when she was 17, Kiki won the U.S. junior downhill championship. This was a big step in her racing career!
Kiki's Exciting Racing Career
Kiki Cutter's professional ski racing career was short but very successful. She competed on the World Cup circuit for less than three years.
Joining the Olympic Team
In January 1968, Kiki, who was 18, and another young skier named Judy Nagel, 16, traveled to Europe. They went to compete for spots on the U.S. Olympic team for the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. Both Kiki and Judy earned their places on the team!
Competing in the Olympics
At the 1968 Olympics, Kiki was the only American woman to compete in all three alpine skiing events: slalom, giant slalom, and downhill. She finished higher than any other American woman at those games.
World Cup Victories
After the Olympics, Kiki's career really took off. She won her first World Cup race in Norway, a slalom event, at just 18 years old. In 1968, she finished ninth in the overall World Cup standings.
The next year, 1969, was even better! Kiki won three more World Cup races: a giant slalom in West Germany and two slalom races in Canada and the U.S. She finished fourth in the overall standings and second in the slalom standings that year.
Kiki won her fifth and final World Cup race in France in 1970. In her short but amazing amateur career, Kiki had five World Cup wins and stood on the podium (finished in the top three) 12 times! Most of her wins and podium finishes were in slalom and giant slalom races.
Retiring from International Racing
After the 1970 World Championships in February, Kiki decided to retire from international competition. She was only 20 years old! After that, she raced professionally on the women's Pro Tour in North America for several years.
Kiki's World Cup Results
Kiki Cutter had a strong presence in the World Cup standings during her racing years.
Season Standings
| Season | Age | Overall | Slalom | Giant Slalom |
Downhill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 18 | 9 | 5 | 9 | — |
| 1969 | 19 | 4 | 2 | 6 | — |
| 1970 | 20 | 19 | 9 | — | — |
Points were only awarded for top ten finishes.
Race Podiums
Kiki had 5 wins (4 slalom, 1 giant slalom) and 12 podium finishes (10 slalom, 2 giant slalom) during her World Cup career.
Kiki's Olympic Results
Kiki competed in one Winter Olympics.
| Year | Age | Slalom | Giant slalom |
Super-G | Downhill | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 18 | DQ1 | 21 | not run | 17 | not run |
Kiki's Life After Skiing
After her skiing career, Kiki Cutter continued to be active. From 1971 to 1973, she was married to Bob Beattie, who was a coach for the U.S. Ski Team.
Kiki also took part in two nationally televised "Superstars" competitions, where athletes from different sports competed against each other. She finished third and fourth in these events.
In 1993, Kiki helped create the Kiki Cutter World Cup Ski Racing Scholarship. This scholarship helps young ski racers develop their careers. She also appeared in advertisements for Ray-Ban sunglasses in the late 1980s.
Today, Kiki lives in her hometown of Bend, Oregon. She is the founder, publisher, and president of Bend Living magazine.
