GB Snowsport

How Britain’s Para Alpine Development Team programme is setting the foundations for future success

Britain’s legacy in Para Alpine skiing is indelibly associated with the Paralympic Winter Games. From John Watkins’ Alpine Combined bronze at the 1984 Games in Innsbruck – one of two British skiing medals in a Games where Britain took its first ever Paralympic Winter Games podiums – to Millie Knight, Menna Fitzpatrick, and Neil Simpson’s five medals at the last Games in Beijing, Britain’s track record in Para Alpine skiing is among the world’s finest.

It’s a sport, though, where the international standard is increasing exponentially. With every passing season, keeping up with the best in the world requires a higher level of performance, and the work to reach the World Cup circuit and ultimately the Paralympic Winter Games becomes ever harder.

For Britain to continue to succeed, the preparations at the earliest stages of a Para Alpine skier’s career needed to begin ever earlier.

As Blake Williams, Para Alpine Development Coach outlines, “reaching the top in Para Alpine skiing is just significantly harder than it used to be.

“If you think about the development of a Para Alpine athlete as steps on a ladder, way back in the early days of Para Alpine racing there would be far fewer steps than there are today, you’d be getting into the highest levels of international competition relatively quickly.”

“Now, you’ve got to climb a lot higher on that ladder, which means the demands – and the investment needed – are a lot more than they used to be.”

The start of the 2024/25 season saw a radical reset in approach. Months of discussions between Williams and others in the GB Snowsport and Home Nations set-up had recognised that the progress of the Para Alpine Development Team had become too diffuse, with athletes at too many different stages in their progression, to justify a unified team approach.

As Williams explains, “to take everyone along to the same development camps last season just wouldn’t have been right; there would have been too many compromises there.

“The courses being set wouldn’t have been right, the terrain wouldn’t have been right, and we’d have been making compromises on performance or compromises on safety, and I couldn’t allow for that.”

What emerged was a dedicated ‘bespoke’ development model, with Williams analysing every athlete individually across the Development Team to identify what training terrain, disciplines and races each athlete needed to reach their own highest level as methodically as possible.

It meant “a lot more work” for Williams and for the infrastructure around the Development Team, but work which yielded results both in terms of individual athlete technical progression as well as building understanding of the individual pathway to success for British Para Alpine prospects.

For most athletes on the Development Team – across Para winter sport as a whole, in fact – the Paralympic Winter Games has a totemic importance. Unlike the FIS Alpine World Cup circuit which enjoys iconic, highly-attended, widely-broadcast races in every week of the World Cup season, regular Para Alpine competition is more sparsely supported and has less of the week-to-week glamour of its able-bodied counterpart.

It’s hardly surprising, then, that the Paralympic Winter Games features prominently in the thinking of many athletes on the Para Alpine circuit; a factor which, as Williams sees it, offers promise as well as challenge.

“In some ways,” he says, “it’s a bit more like some of the Summer Olympic Sports, where the Games really is the biggest thing in terms of that sport.

“On the Olympic Alpine side, it’s a bit different. You’ve got events like Kitzbuehel, Schladming, Adelboden, where you’ve got thousands and thousands of people at the bottom. On the Para Alpine side, it’s really at the Paralympics where it comes into the public eye a lot more.”

It’s a factor that Williams sees play out in the day-to-day dealings with athletes training and racing in the Para Alpine development system.

“It’s a motivating factor, for sure, but my job as a coach is to try and make them see that the Paralympics isn’t the be-all-and-end-all. It’s just one step on an incredible journey in ski racing, and I don’t want them to lose sight of that.

“Inevitably they will, there’s no getting away from that, but it’s my job to try and make it not their sole focus. Actually there’s plenty of things that are more important – that they get up, eat well, train well both on and off the hill, commit, rather than just focusing on this thing at the end of the journey which might or might not happen.

“It’s about getting everyone to buy in to the journey, not just the destination.”

It’s a part of the approach of the Development Team that forms a major focus for Williams and the wider coaches and staff around the team.

One of the key challenges facing Para Alpine, like many Para sports, is financial. Funding below the highest levels is a familiar issue for everyone involved in or following Para sport, and for the Para Alpine Development Team it has made the support of two prominent sponsors, in Get Kids Going! and Arnold Clark, paramount to the success of the team’s plans.

“Without the funding we get, it’s difficult to see how the Development Team could function,” Williams explains. “It’s that simple.

“The impact is really, really substantial. Travel and accommodation in particular are huge costs in winter sport and particularly for Para Alpine skiing, and what the funding allows for is for each athlete to get something in the region of ten weeks of training per season which, for our ambitions and for the ambitions of the athletes, we need to be doing.

“With this sport, beyond all the complexities of tactics and technique, the equation is pretty simple: time on snow makes you a better skier. And without this sort of financial support, we just wouldn’t be able to progress in the way we need to.

“We’ve got a body of around fifteen athletes on the development pathway at various stages. And while that’s not loads, it’s a good number for a nation that’s not traditionally seen as a winter sport powerhouse. If we were to overlay the filter of those athletes who could afford the time on snow that’s needed without the financial support our funders bring, though, that number would be a lot closer to zero.”

It’s a journey and an ambition that both funders have bought into in a significant way.

Jane Emmerson, Chief Executive, Get Kids Going! said:

“Get Kids Going! has been delighted to give support to the GB Para Alpine Development Team and all its amazingly talented young skiers for many years.  It has been a great pleasure seeing these youngsters develop highly successful athletes, travelling around the world, winning competitions at both World Cup and Paralympic levels – including many bronze, silver and gold medals!  The charity is delighted to continue its support and work closely with the team to bring on even more talented, young disabled athletes in the future.  We are thrilled to be an integral part of the team’s future development.”

John Clark, Chief Commercial Officer at Arnold Clark, said:

“At Arnold Clark, we believe in the power of sport to inspire, break barriers and create opportunities for everyone. We’re incredibly proud to support the Para Alpine Development Team as they continue to push boundaries and achieve success on the slopes. 

“Their determination, resilience and passion reflect values that resonate deeply with our company, and we’re honoured to play a part in their journey.”

James Redpath, GB Snowsport’s Head of Paralympic Programmes, sees the progress of the Para Alpine Development Team in clear terms.

“Our previous experience with a ‘one size fits all’ approach to the Development Team didn’t really yield the results that we had hoped for,” Redpath explains. “So, when Blake suggested that we try a more bespoke setup I was really keen to see what could be achieved.

“The initial results indicate that it’s definitely working, with athletes’ individualised programmes allowing them to grow and develop at a pace that is right for them. That has allowed us to fast track some athletes who we think could potentially be in contention for selection for the 2026 Games, while also being able to build training plans for other athletes who are on longer development timelines”, timelines that Redpath suggests could extend as far forward as the 2034 Paralympic Winter Games.

Like Williams, Redpath is also clear on the importance of sponsor and funder support for the short and long-term successes of the development programme.

“The support and funding we get from Get Kids Going! and Arnold Clark has meant that we have been able to make all this happen,” he says. “I’m so grateful to both organisations for their continued support.”

While the eyes of the world are increasingly drawn towards Milan-Cortina next year, the ambitions for the Para Alpine Development Team have a longer-term view.

“What we’re looking to do here, really, is make sure that when an athlete has met the level to join the World Class Programme and be training and competing alongside the best Para Alpine skiers in the world,” Williams explains, “that they’re ready for that jump.

“We’re working really hard to bring the Development Team and World Class Programme closer together, to make sure athletes are prepared and supported, there’s a conscious effort to make that happen, because we know its impact.

“The decisions we’re making are designed to be the right decisions for each athlete, because that’s ultimately what’s going to help us grow and bring us the success we’re looking for.”

Development Team Season Highlights

6 March 2024 marks the start of the one year countdown to the Milan-Cortina Paralympic Winter Games

One year from now, British Paralympic athletes will be readying themselves for the opening of the Milan-Cortina Paralympic Winter Games, the first Winter Paralympics on European soil since Sochi 2014.

Standing behind them will be a proud track record of British snowsport success in the world’s biggest Paralympic competition, including six medals from the last Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing in 2022.

Of Britain’s Beijing medallists, Neil Simpson (Gold, Men’s Super-G VI; Bronze, Men’s Super Combined VI), Menna Fitzpatrick (Silver, Women’s Super-G VI; Bronze, Women’s Super Combined VI) and Ollie Hill (Bronze, Men’s Snowboard Banked Slalom LL2) will all be aiming to make a return to the Paralympic stage having built an impressive body of results in the years since in the World Cup and World Championships arenas, while Millie Knight (Bronze, Women’s Downhill VI) announced her retirement shortly after the Beijing Games.

Over the coming year, we are committed to continuing our work with our Para Alpine, Para Nordic, and Para Snowboard athletes and ensuring we prepare the strongest possible team ready for competition in Milan-Cortina in 2026.

All eyes on World Championships, while Freestyle World Cup action continues

Alpine World Championships – Saalbach

The Austrian resort of Saalbach plays host to an Alpine World Championships for the first time since 1991, with Britain sending its largest ever contingent of athletes to an Alpine WSC.

Action gets underway today with the Team Parallel featuring Gieslle Gorringe, Lois Jackson, Calum Langmuir, and Owen Vinter, with the schedule then shifting to Super-G, Downhill, Team Combined, and Giant Slalom before closing with the Slalom races on 14-16 February.

Alongside the Team Parallel racers, Roy Steudle, Billy Major, Molly Butler, Abi Bruce, Jack Irving, Dominic Shackleton, Victoria Palla, Reece Bell, Dave Ryding, and Laurie Taylor are all set to compete across twelve days of action.

Viewers in the UK will be able to catch live action from the 2025 Alpine World Championships across BBC Sport.

Alpine world championships – British Line-Up:

Para Biathlon World Championships – Pokljuka

Scott Meenagh will be Britain’s sole representative at the Pokljuka Para Biathlon World Championships, competing in three races across the Championships.

A silver medallist at the 2023 World Championships, Meenagh’s campaign will open with the Biathlon Sprint, followed by the Biathlon Sprint Pursuit and finally the Biathlon Individual.

Biathlon World Championships – British Line-Up:

Para Alpine World Championships – Maribor

Weather impact has forced a late change to the Para Alpine World Championships schedule, where Neil Simpson and guides Rob Poth and Andrew Simpson are set for action.

With the Downhill programme cancelled, the Championships will open with Super-G races tomorrow, and will close with Slalom later in the week.

Para Alpine World Championships – British Line-Up:

Cross-Country World Junior championships – Schilpario

The next generation of Cross-Country skiers are underway in their U23/WJC campaigns in the Italian resort of Schilpario.

Tabitha Williams, Gabriel Gledhill, and James Slimon will feature across the U23 Championships, with Thomas Duncan, Ewan McAdam, Elke Hammerstein, Elspeth Cruickshank, and Sophie Forth set for the Junior Championship races.

Cross-Country World Junior Championships – British Line-Up:

Moguls World Cup – Deer Valley

The North American leg of the Moguls World Cup calendar continues in Deer Valley with a full contingent of British athletes set for action. Makayla Gerken Schofield and Mateo Jeannesson will be looking to build on excellent performances in Val St Come last weekend, joined by Cali Carr and Will Feneley.

Deer Valley Moguls World Cup – British Line-Up:

Park & Pipe World Cup – Aspen

The Aspen Park & Pipe World Cup concludes with the Freeski and Freestyle Snowboard Big Air competitions following a brace of podiums for Zoe Atkin and Mia Brookes in last week’s Halfpipe and Freestyle Snowboard Slopestyle contests.

Brookes will be joined by Maisie Hill, Tom Greenway, Caoimhe Heavey, Txema Mazet-Brown, Chris McCormick and Kirsty Muir for the final contests of one of the biggest World Cup meets of the season.

Aspen Big Air World Cup – British Line-Up:

Ski Cross World Cup – Val di Fassa

Ollie Davies and Scott Johns will return to Ski Cross World Cup action in Val di Fassa across 6-9 February, marking a first World Cup visit to the Italian resort.

Val di Fassa Ski Cross World Cup – British Line-Up:

Where to Watch

British audiences can catch live coverage of the Alpine World Championships across BBC Sport and Eurosport, with the Aspen and Deer Valley World Cups available via Eurosport.

Neil Simpson and Scott Meenagh set for Para Alpine and Para Biathlon World Championships

GB Snowsport will be represented at the Para Alpine and Para Biathlon World Championships by Neil Simpson and Scott Meenagh.

In the Para Alpine Championships, Simpson will be accompanied by Rob Poth and Andrew Simpson as guides as he looks to defend the Slalom and Giant Slalom medals and Super-G title he secured at the 2023 Championships, while also lining up for the Combined and Downhill events. The Championships, which will be hosted in Maribor, Slovenia, run from 4-11 February.

Meenagh’s Para Biathlon World Championships campaign will take him to the Slovenian resort of Pokljuka, where he will be looking to build on the best ever British result recorded at the last World Championships, where he left with silver from the 12.5km individual biathlon. Races get underway with the opening events taking place on 6 February.

Everyone at GB Snowsport wishes the best of luck to Neil, Rob, Andrew, and Scott.

Pre-Christmas podium rush in excellent week for GBS athletes

Simpson and Poth take Gold in Courchevel

Neil Simpson and Rob Poth delivered a timely reminder of their class and racing capabilities at the Courchevel Para Alpine GS World Cup this week, securing Gold in the week’s second race, after a second run DNF when well positioned in the opening contest.

The result marks a first World Cup podium for Simpson since the 2022/23 season, having been absent from snow for the majority of the 2023/24 season, and provides a meaningful springboard back into elite competition as the clock ticks towards the Milan-Cortina Paralympic Winter Games, where he will be due to defend the Super-G title won alongside his brother, Andrew, in Beijing.

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Atkin strikes Silver in Copper

Zoe Atkin delivered her finest performance of the season so far, and one of the best demonstrations of the richness of her talent as a Halfpipe skier, with a Silver medal winning show at the Copper Mountain Halfpipe World Cup.

Having finished outside of the podium positions in Cardrona and Secret Garden Atkin soared to her fourth World Cup podium of the calendar year in a brilliant contest that saw the Brit battling it out with China’s Eileen Gu and Cassie Sharpe of Canada in a contest which saw the rankings determined on the third and final run.

In the end, Atkin’s score of 89.75 was enough to hold off Sharpe, who secured third with an 89.00, and sat only marginally behind Gu whose first round score of 90.50 took the honours on the day.

In the Men’s Freeski contest, Liam Richards impressed again with a 16th place finish, while in Freestyle Snowboard, Siddhartha Ullah took the best result coming 23rd, with Aaron Wild and Gidget Holden also representing Britain in the men’s and women’s competitions respectively.

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Taylor doubles up in Telemark Sprint opener

Jaz Taylor‘s reign as Telemark Crystal Globe holder got off to a strong start at the Pinzolo Sprint World Cup opening races, taking Gold and Bronze across the week’s two races.

At the venue which marked the springboard towards her overall title glory last season, Taylor’s racing instinct and technical strength was on clear display amid challenging conditions, with weather rapidly setting in.

The results leave Taylor top of the nascent Overall World Cup standings with two races completed, ahead of Bjoernstad Konow of Norway, and France’s Augustine Carliez and Argeline Tan who share third spot.

Elsewhere, Jamie Dykes, Josh Wisbey, Hamish Ross, and Matthew Deane all competed in the Men’s Sprint races, with Dykes’ second race 25th place the pick of the performances.

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Ski Cross team impress in Arosa and Innichen

Ollie Davies and Scott Johns delivered impressive showings in Arosa and Innichen, with Davies landing two top-10 finishes, and Johns the highest World Cup finish of his career to date.

For Davies, the pick of the races was the first Innichen World Cup, which saw him take victory in the Small Final, securing fifth place and the second best World Cup finish of his career, behind his Reiteralm Silver medal in 2023. The Arosa World Cup, meanwhile, saw him clinch tenth spot and an at-the-time sixth top-10 World Cup finish, marking a promising return from the season’s early races.

Johns, meanwhile, in his first season of full-time World Cup racing managed a career-first top-30 finish and the first FIS World Cup points of his career with an excellent performance in Arosa, highlighting the 21-year-old’s excellent potential in only his sixth World Cup race.

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Ryding lands yet another top-10 in Alta Badia

Dave Ryding continued to fly the flag for British Alpine skiing with a powerful top-10 finish in the Alta Badia Slalom. His eighth place finish, 2.04s behind race winner Timon Haugan, marked a third consecutive top-10 performance for the 38-year-old, putting him only one top-10 finish behind his overall record from last season with the majority of the race calendar still to come.

Fellow Brits Laurie Taylor and Billy Major took 32nd and 36th spots respectively, each narrowly missing out on a second run in the final pre-Christmas Slalom races.

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Jeannesson 15th in Bakuriani

Mateo Jeannesson landed an impressive fifteenth place finish at the Bakuriani Dual Moguls World Cup, following up a 26th place finish in the individual Moguls the previous day.

Para Alpine and Telemark stars top standings in Courchevel and Pinzolo

Neil Simpson and Rob Poth take top spot in Courchevel

Neil Simpson and Rob Poth secured Gold at the second GS World Cup of the week in Courchevel with a superb display of technical racing.

Coming in first at the turn, the pair battled a trickier second run but came through with the third fastest run time to secure Gold by a margin of 0.13s from Austria’s Johannes Aigner in second, with Giacomo Bertagnolli of Italy in third.

The result marks an outstanding return to competitive racing for Simpson after an extended period off snow last season, and a strong beginning to the Milan-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games qualifying period.

Taylor continues Pinzolo dominance

Jaz Taylor’s reign as Telemark Crystal Globe holder got off to a confident start with a dominant victory in the season opening Sprint World cup in Pinzolo.

Taking the lead in the first run, Taylor’s finishing time of 2:36.26 was enough to take victory, coming in 1.40s ahead of Augustine Carliez and 1.62s from Camille Bourbon both of France.

Speaking afterwards, Taylor said:

“It’s a different feel coming into this season after last year, it’s a new challenge for me. I’m really pleased with my first race and hope to hold onto my form!“

Para Alpine and Telemark teams set for first World Cups, with busy calendar across six disciplines

Ski cross World Cups – Arosa and Innichen

Ollie Davies and Scott Johns will face their second and third World Cup contests of the season in a busy pre-season blast of European competition. After disappointment in the opening Val Thorens World Cup, Davies and Johns have both qualified for Finals in this evening’s Aroso World Cup, with both then making the cross-country journey to Innichen for races across 19-21 December.

Arosa and Innichen Ski Cross – British Line-Up:

Alpine Slalom World Cup – Alta Badia

After a promising weekend of action in France, the Men’s Slalom team are headed for the Italian resort of Alta Badia for the final pre-Christmas World Cup of the season on 23 December. A tenth place from Dave Ryding in 2020 marks the best British World Cup result at the resort, where the team will be looking to build on an encouraging start to the 2024/25 Slalom calendar.

Alta Badia Slalom – British Line-Up:

Moguls World Cup – Bakuriani

Mateo Jeannesson marks the sole British entrant for the Bakuriani Moguls World Cup this weekend, bringing to a close the team’s pre-Christmas calendar. The competition will mark Jeannesson’s second visit to the Georgian resort following the 2023 World Championships, which saw him secure a brace of top-30 finishes.

Bakuriani Moguls – British Line-Up:

Halfpipe World Cup – Copper Mountain

A potential five-athlete line-up awaits for the first North American Halfpipe World Cups of the season, hosted at Copper Mountain. Zoe Atkin and Liam Richards are set for action in the Freeski competition, while Siddhartha Ullah, Aaron Wild, and potentially Gidget Holden (if a late entry spot becomes available) will step up in the Freestyle Snowboard contest.

Copper Mountain Halfpipe – British Line-Up:

Para Alpine GS World Cup – Courchevel

Neil Simpson and Guide Rob Poth are set for their first action of the season with a double-header GS World Cup across 19-20 December. The iconic French resort of Courchevel will mark its first instance hosting a Para Alpine World Cup, with a strong field expected to compete.

Courchevel Para alpine GS – British Line-Up:

Telemark Sprint World Cup – Pinzolo

The first Telemark World Cup races of the season will see reigning Crystal Globe holder Jaz Taylor looking to pick up where she left off last season, as part of a five athlete British line-up featuring three World Cup debutants. Matthew Deane, Hamish Ross, and Josh Wisbey will make the first World Cup level starts, with Jamie Dykes rounding out the British line-up for the traditional season openers.

Pinzolo Telemark Sprint – BRitish Line-Up:

How to Watch:

Alpine, Ski Cross, Moguls and Halfpipe action will all be available for broadcast in the UK on Eurosport, while the Courchevel Para Alpine World Cup races are due to be streamed via the Courchevel website.

GB Snowsport has issued the following statement on Para Alpine World Cup skier, Menna Fitzpatrick

Following a broken leg sustained in summer training, Menna Fitzpatrick has undergone a successful surgical procedure and is now underway with a dedicated rehabilitation plan. She is making positive progress, and while a good case scenario would see her back in training this winter, we will be assessing Menna’s recovery under the supervision of the GB Snowsport medical team to ensure she is in the best possible position ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Everyone at GB Snowsport is fully focused on supporting Menna in her recovery and return to snow in the coming months.

Thirteen athletes named across three squads for beginning of Milan-Cortina qualifying period

GB Snowsport are delighted to confirm the selection of 13 athletes to represent Britain in Para Snowsport competition for the season ahead.

Marking the beginning of the qualification period for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Paralympic Winter Games, the coming season is expected to feature a full World Cup and World Championships calendar across Para Alpine Skiing, Para Nordic Skiing, and Para Snowboard.

British representation features three Paralympic medallists in Para Alpine skiers Menna Fitzpatrick (who will again be guided through the season by Katie Guest), Neil Simpson (with Andrew Simpson and Rob Poth sharing guiding duties), and Para Snowboarder Ollie Hill, while Scott Meenagh (Para Nordic) and James Barnes-Miller and Nina Sparks (both Para Snowboard) also boast World Championships podiums among their notable results. Matt Hamilton, rounds out the Para Snowboard team following some strong performances in his debut season.

The Para Alpine team will also see one new athlete in Hester Poole, who is joined by her guide Alistair Hall, while Adam Hall is also named as an additional guide.

Full Squad Selections:

Para Alpine
Para Snowboard
Para Nordic

The Para Alpine World Cup season is due to get underway with speed races from Steinach am Brenner from the 10th – 13th December. Para Snowboard kick off their season in familiar territory with the Banked Slalom World Cup in Landgraaf from the 27th – 29th November whilst the first Para Nordic competitions are in Vuokatti from the 11th – 16th December.

Header Image: Tom Hardman