Was January 2017 the best-ever month for British snowsports?
Kitzbühel podiums. X-Games golds. Telemark triumphs. British skiing has never looked better
Ryding high
It’s probably the most excited we’ve been about British racing since Alain Baxter (kind of) made the podium at the
Salt Lake City Olympics. Alpine skier Dave Ryding came second (SECOND!) in the Slalom World Cup in Kitzbühel in January, matching Britain’s best-ever World Cup result.
As well as nailing that second place – the first Briton in the Alpine World Cup to do so since the downhiller Konrad Bartelski came second at Val Gardena in 1981 – Dave has had a superbly consistent season, with seven top 15 finishes and a current overall ranking of sixth.
“Although I knew Kitzbühel would suit me, I wasn’t expecting a podium this season,” he said. “But I am a consistent skier and I have been in the top 15 or 10 consistently this season so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised.”
X-Games glory
It’s not only between the slalom poles that British skiers have been making us proud. Our park and pipe team have long been strong, with golden boy James ‘Woodsy’ Woods consistently performing well in everything from World Cup meets to the Winter Olympics. Now he’s gone and topped it all with an X Games gold medal in Big Air, widely regarded as the biggest and best competition in freestyle. Snowboarding was also well represented, with Katie Ormerod scoring a bronze in the Slopestyle. Way to go!
Meanwhile, we’re starting to see a new generation of freestyle skiers coming through the ranks. Teenager Mike Rowlands claimed third place in the Slopestyle Europa World Cup in St Anton, and his teammate Chris McCormick came in sixth. We predict total world domination by 2026.
Telemark triumphs
In telemark, Jasmin Taylor scored her first World Cup podium of the season in La Thuile, Italy, in January, taking silver
in the Sprint and fourth in the Classic. She is currently third in the overall World Cup standings, and third in the Sprint standings. Not bad for a girl who learnt to ski on Ipswich Dry Ski slope…
To the flats now, where Andrew Musgrave was in action at the Ulricehamn Cross Country World Cup. After a tense battle for the podium in the 15km Freestyle event, he eventually came in sixth.
Keep up to date with all the news from British Ski and Snowboard at www.teambss.org.uk