2026 Skiing Roster
Johannes Flaaten
- Position:
- Nordic
- Height:
- 5-9
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Moss, Norway
- High School:
- Hovden Ski Gymnas
- Prev School:
- Norwegian Junior National Team
Honors
2025 (Sophomore)—Flaaten took a solid freshman campaign into a stellar sophomore one, as he finished all 12 races he competed in, finishing outside the top 16 just one time and compiling seven top 10 and three top five finishes, which include his first two career podium finishes and his first collegiate victory. His race win came at the DU Invitational, as did his second-place finish, taking first in the 7.5K classic race and then second after the 10K freestyle pursuit race. For the second-straight season, he was in the top 5 at the RMISA Championships in the freestyle race, and for the second straight season, he was named second-team All-American at the NCAA Championships by finishing eighth in the freestyle race. On top of his All-America honor, he was again a second-team All-RMISA selection, named the CU Academic Student-Athlete of the Month, CU Athlete of the Week multiple times, was the team’s Laura Sharpe Flood Award winner and named to the National All-Academic Ski Team. He was named the RMISA Skier of the Meet for the RMISA Championships and received the RAPID Core Values Award at the Academic Breakfast for his outstanding performance on the slopes and in the classroom at CU.
2024 (Freshman)—Flaaten put together a solid freshman season in which he finished all 13 races and didn’t place lower than 15th in any race. He had eight top 10 finishes and three top five performances on the season. He took seventh place in the freestyle race at the NCAA Championships to pick up second-team All-America honors, and his 11th-place finish in the 20K classic race was one for the ages. He was the final skier through the finish line between the Buffs and rival Utah Utes, and he held off some surging skiers and when he crossed the finish line, the Buffs won the championship by just two points after being behind 51 points entering the day, the second-largest final day comeback in NCAA Championship history to win by the smallest margin in the coed era of the championship (1983-present). He had a run of eight straight top 10 finishes, including a run of three straight top five finishes within that larger run. He was at his best at the DU Invitational, taking fifth in both the classic and freestyle race there, and then took fourth at the RMISA Championships in the freestyle race. On top of being a second-team All-American, he was second-team All-RMISA and to the National All-Academic Ski Team.
Prior To CU—Flaaten has skied competitively since 2010 for three clubs, Moss SK from 2010-19, Morgedal IL from 2019-22 and Seljord IL since 2022 under coach Stein Olsvik. He was a member of the Norwegian Junior National Team from 2021-22. He has one World Cup start coming in March 2022 when he took 47th in the Classic Sprint race. He won the World Junior Championship in the freestyle sprint at Lygna, Norway, in February 2022 when he was also part of the silver medal winning relay team. He has four starts at the Norwegian National Championships from 2019-23 and has a best of 35th in the freestyle sprint in Vind in 2023. He has five top 10 performances at the Norwegian Junior National Championships in 2020 and ‘22, including a silver medal in the 10K classic race in 2022 and a fifth place in the classic sprint race in 2020. He did not ski in FIS races in either 2021 or ‘23, but in 2019, ‘20 and ‘22 he compiled 40 race starts with 10 podium appearances.
High School—Flaaten graduated from Hovden Ski Gymnasium in Hovden, Norway, in 2021.
In the Classroom—Flaaten intends to major in Sociology at Colorado.
Personal—His birthday is March 21 and hew as born in Rjukan, Norway. His parents are Hans and Anne Gro and he has one older brother, Mathias. He would be interested in working in Finance or another profession that challenges him after his competitive ski career is over. He enjoys reading books, cooking food and hanging out with friends and family when not skiing or working out. When he was 12 years old, he had a role in a Norwegian commercial that had more than 18 million views. He has spent time coaching kids for his local ski clubs.
Why CU—”I chose CU because of what I heard from former students about the amazing community, and amazing city of Boulder, and one of the greatest athletic programs in the nation. I was only interested in CU and luckily they were interested in me.”
- Two-Time Second-Team All-American (2024 FS, 2025 FS)
- Two-Time Second-Team All-RMISA (2024, '25)
- Two-Time National All-Academic Ski Team (2024, '25; 3.5 Cumulative GPA)
- RMISA Skier of the Meet (2025 RMISA Championships)
- CU Student-Athlete of the Week (Feb. 16, 2025)
- CU Academic Student-Athlete of the Month (April 2024)
- Laura Sharpe Flood Award (2025)
- RAPID Core Values Award (2025)
- Two-Time Letterwinner (2024, '25)
2025 (Sophomore)—Flaaten took a solid freshman campaign into a stellar sophomore one, as he finished all 12 races he competed in, finishing outside the top 16 just one time and compiling seven top 10 and three top five finishes, which include his first two career podium finishes and his first collegiate victory. His race win came at the DU Invitational, as did his second-place finish, taking first in the 7.5K classic race and then second after the 10K freestyle pursuit race. For the second-straight season, he was in the top 5 at the RMISA Championships in the freestyle race, and for the second straight season, he was named second-team All-American at the NCAA Championships by finishing eighth in the freestyle race. On top of his All-America honor, he was again a second-team All-RMISA selection, named the CU Academic Student-Athlete of the Month, CU Athlete of the Week multiple times, was the team’s Laura Sharpe Flood Award winner and named to the National All-Academic Ski Team. He was named the RMISA Skier of the Meet for the RMISA Championships and received the RAPID Core Values Award at the Academic Breakfast for his outstanding performance on the slopes and in the classroom at CU.
2024 (Freshman)—Flaaten put together a solid freshman season in which he finished all 13 races and didn’t place lower than 15th in any race. He had eight top 10 finishes and three top five performances on the season. He took seventh place in the freestyle race at the NCAA Championships to pick up second-team All-America honors, and his 11th-place finish in the 20K classic race was one for the ages. He was the final skier through the finish line between the Buffs and rival Utah Utes, and he held off some surging skiers and when he crossed the finish line, the Buffs won the championship by just two points after being behind 51 points entering the day, the second-largest final day comeback in NCAA Championship history to win by the smallest margin in the coed era of the championship (1983-present). He had a run of eight straight top 10 finishes, including a run of three straight top five finishes within that larger run. He was at his best at the DU Invitational, taking fifth in both the classic and freestyle race there, and then took fourth at the RMISA Championships in the freestyle race. On top of being a second-team All-American, he was second-team All-RMISA and to the National All-Academic Ski Team.
Prior To CU—Flaaten has skied competitively since 2010 for three clubs, Moss SK from 2010-19, Morgedal IL from 2019-22 and Seljord IL since 2022 under coach Stein Olsvik. He was a member of the Norwegian Junior National Team from 2021-22. He has one World Cup start coming in March 2022 when he took 47th in the Classic Sprint race. He won the World Junior Championship in the freestyle sprint at Lygna, Norway, in February 2022 when he was also part of the silver medal winning relay team. He has four starts at the Norwegian National Championships from 2019-23 and has a best of 35th in the freestyle sprint in Vind in 2023. He has five top 10 performances at the Norwegian Junior National Championships in 2020 and ‘22, including a silver medal in the 10K classic race in 2022 and a fifth place in the classic sprint race in 2020. He did not ski in FIS races in either 2021 or ‘23, but in 2019, ‘20 and ‘22 he compiled 40 race starts with 10 podium appearances.
High School—Flaaten graduated from Hovden Ski Gymnasium in Hovden, Norway, in 2021.
In the Classroom—Flaaten intends to major in Sociology at Colorado.
Personal—His birthday is March 21 and hew as born in Rjukan, Norway. His parents are Hans and Anne Gro and he has one older brother, Mathias. He would be interested in working in Finance or another profession that challenges him after his competitive ski career is over. He enjoys reading books, cooking food and hanging out with friends and family when not skiing or working out. When he was 12 years old, he had a role in a Norwegian commercial that had more than 18 million views. He has spent time coaching kids for his local ski clubs.
Why CU—”I chose CU because of what I heard from former students about the amazing community, and amazing city of Boulder, and one of the greatest athletic programs in the nation. I was only interested in CU and luckily they were interested in me.”
Colorado Ski: Why CU?
Friday, June 27
Colorado Ski: 2025 Facility Tour
Tuesday, June 10
Colorado Ski: 2024-25 Banquet
Tuesday, April 22
2024 Ski Team Season Recap
Tuesday, April 30