Ski Cross and Snowboard Cross World Cup seasons resume, as athletes spread across Europe, North America, and Asia
Park & Pipe World Cup – Aspen
Aspen plays host to one of the biggest Park & Pipe World Cup meets of the season, with Freeski and Freestyle Snowboard athletes in action across Halfpipe, Slopestyle, and Big Air competitions.
A sizeable British contingent will be set to compete, with Kirsty Muir set to make her return from injury after more than 12 months out of action, Mia Brookes looking to cement a second consecutive Big Air Crystal Globe, and Caoimhe Heavey lined up for her first World Cup appearance of the season.
Zoe Atkin will be back in action in Freeski Halfpipe as will Liam Richards, while in Freestyle Snowboard Halfpipe, Gidget Holden, Siddhartha Ullah, and Aaron Wild are all set to compete.
The Freestyle Snowboard Big Air and Slopestyle contests will see Maisie Hill and Txema Mazet-Brown line up alongside Brookes, and in the Freeski contests, Chris McCormick is confirmed to compete, with Tom Greenway on the standby list.
Aspen World Cup – British Line-Up:
- Zoe Atkin
- Mia Brookes
- Tom Greenway
- Caoimhe Heavey
- Maisie Hill
- Gidget Holden
- Txema Mazet-Brown
- Chris McCormick
- Kirsty Muir
- Liam Richards
- Siddhartha Ullah
- Aaron Wild
Alpine Slalom World Cup – Schladming
The legendary Schladming Night Slalom race will see Billy Major, Dave Ryding, and Laurie Taylor in action, after a successful Kitzbuehel race which saw Ryding and Taylor share 16th spot.
One of the most iconic races on the annual Slalom circuit, Britain’s best Schladming result remains Ryding’s eighth place finish in 2020, while last year’s race saw Ryding finish highest of the Brits in 14th position.
Schladming World Cup – British Line-Up:
- Billy Major
- Dave Ryding
- Laurie Taylor
Para Biathlon World Cup – Val di Fiemme:
Scott Meenagh‘s 2024/25 campaign continues with the first of the year’s Para Biathlon World Cups in Val di Fiemme. Coming just ahead of the Para Biathlon World Championships early next month, Meenagh is set to compete across two days of action in the well-regarded Italian resort.
Val di Fiemme World Cup – British Line-Up:
- Scott Meenagh
Snowboard Cross World Cup – Beidahu
The next step on the Snowboard Cross World Cup circuit takes Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale to Beidahu, in the Chinese province of Jilin, made famous as the site of the 2007 Winter Asian Games.
Following the cancellation of the Dolni Morava World Cup races, Beidahu marks just the second stop on the 2024/25 SBX World Cup calendar, with competitions coming thick and fast throughout February and March, following this weekend’s double-header.
Beidahu World Cup – British Line-Up:
- Charlotte Bankes
- Huw Nightingale
Moguls World Cup – Val St. Come
Following successful returns from injury at least weekend’s Waterville World Cup from Makayla Gerken Schofield and Will Feneley, the full Moguls squad heads to Val St. Come with some encouraging results and positive progress under their belt.
Joining Makayla and Will in the line-up will be the two youngest members of the team, Cali Carr and Mateo Jeannesson.
Val St. Come World Cup – British Line-Up:
- Cali Carr
- Will Feneley
- Makayla Gerken Schofield
- Mateo Jeannesson
Ski Cross World Cup – Veysonnaz
The two-man World Cup line-up of Ollie Davies and Scott Johns are both set to compete in this weekend’s Veysonnaz World Cup, a race which marks the mid-point of the Ski Cross World Cup season.
Double header races will see qualification runs on 30 and 31 January, with Finals set for 1 and 2 February.
Veysonnaz World Cup – British Line-Up:
- Ollie Davies
- Scott Johns
Where to Watch
British audiences can tune in to Eurosport to follow the Schladming Slalom, Val St Come Moguls, Veysonnaz Ski Cross, and Aspen Park & Pipe World Cup competitions throughout the week.
Mia Brookes and Jaz Taylor delivered World Cup podiums on another weekend of British snowsport successes
Brookes dominant in Brilliant Laax showing
An already spectacular season from Mia Brookes added another World Cup victory as the teenager laid down a phenomenal display at the Laax Open Slopestyle World Cup.
After a comfortable qualifying run at a venue that practically counts as a home park, Brookes set the bar at an unmatchable 84.86 in the first Final run, ensuring her second run counted for little more than a victory lap. In a performance shot through with the style and technical supremacy that has become a hallmark of her riding, Brookes’ margin of victory stood at more than seven points, with Zoi Sadowski Synnott in second on 77.29 and Kokomo Murase in third on 71.15.
The performance gave Brookes her fifth World Cup podium and third World Cup victory of the season, while also marking a first World Cup victory in the Slopestyle discipline, which she famously took a World Championship title in at 16.
Elsewhere in Laax, Maisie Hill took 16th in the Women’s Freestyle Snowboard competition, Chris McCormick delivered his best Slopestyle World Cup performance of the season to finish in 16th in the Men’s Freeski, Siddhartha Ullah and Aaron Wild finished 28th and 34th respectively in Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe, Txema Mazet-Brown was solid with 30th in Men’s Freestyle Snowboard, and James Pouch came 52nd in Men’s Freeski.
Ryding and Major secure World Cup points in Wengen
On the notoriously challenging Wengen piste, Dave Ryding and Billy Major took more Slalom World Cup points with 19th and 26th place finishes respectively, while Laurie Taylor just missed out on a second run coming in 34th.
The result gives Ryding his sixth top-20 finish in seven World Cup races this season, while Major made the top-30 for the second consecutive World Cup, while Ryding’s second run saw him deliver the second fastest time in the field.
Taylor delivers double podiums in Carezza
Jaz Taylor‘s imperious Telemark Sprint World Cup form continued with first and second place finishes at the Carezza World Cup this week. The results leave Taylor, the defending Crystal Globe holder, top of the overall standings with 340 points to Argeline Tan’s 265, with Tan’s fellow French athlete Augustine Carliez in third.
In the Men’s races, Hamish Ross finished 23rd and 25th.
The Telemark tour continues into Melchsee-Frutt with Sprint and Parallel Sprint World Cups in the coming week.
Musgrave continues to impress in Les Rousses
The evergreen Andrew Musgrave continued his impressive form with an 11th place finish at the Les Rousses 10km F World Cup race this weekend, alongside 31st spot in the 20km C Mass Start. The result gives the 34-year-old his sixth top-20 finish of the season as well as his best ever result in Les Rousses, improving on the 17th place he secured at the same event in 2023.
And the rest…
The Pyha Para Snowboard World Cup saw heavy disruption after overnight rain ahead of the first day of competition saw the opening World Cup of the weekend cancelled due to dangerous conditions. In the second scheduled set of races, James Barnes-Miller was pick of the bunch with an eighth place finish.
Victoria Palla continued her Alpine Slalom World Cup progress with another outing in Flachau, but was unable to complete the first run, while in Ski Cross Ollie Davies managed 41st in the first World Cup’s qualification run followed by a DSQ in the second.
Header Image: Kristina Lubyova/GB Snowsport
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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:
- Ollie Davies
- Scott Johns
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:
- Billy Major
- Dave Ryding
- Laurie Taylor
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:
- Mateo Jeannesson
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:
- Zoe Atkin (Freeski)
- Gidget Holden* (Freestyle Snowboard)
- Liam Richards (Freeski)
- Siddhartha Ullah (Freestyle Snowboard)
- Aaron Wild (Freestyle Snowboard)
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:
- Neil Simpson and Rob Poth
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:
- Matthew Deane
- Jamie Dykes
- Hamish Ross
- Jaz Taylor
- Josh Wisbey
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.
Cross-Country and Slalom seasons continue alongside first action for three disciplines
Snowboard Cross World Cup, Cervinia
Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale will face their first World Cup action of the season in the Italian resort of Cervinia this weekend. With qualification scheduled for Friday and finals set for Saturday, the season opener takes the team to a course which has seen three podiums for Bankes, with bronze in 2018 followed by bronze and gold in the 2022 double-header contest.
Cervinia Snowboard Cross – British Line-Up:
- Charlotte Bankes
- Huw Nightingale
Para Biathlon World Cup – Vuokatti
Scott Meenagh‘s Para Nordic season also begins this week with three Para Biathlon races at the Vuokatti World Cup. Across the five day contest, Meenagh is slated to start in the Biathlon Sprint, Biathlon Individual, and Biathlon Sprint Pursuit competitions, marking the start of an intense season of Para Nordic competition, including World Championships in early 2025.
Vuokatti Para Biathlon – British Line-Up:
- Scott Meenagh
Alpine Slalom World Cup – Val d’Isere
The Alpine Men’s Slalom team of Billy Major, Dave Ryding, and Laurie Taylor head for the French resort of Val d’Isere for the latest race in the Slalom World Cup calendar. Site of a fifth place finish for Ryding in 2021, the course will be hosting its first World Cup since 2022, when Lucas Braathen, Manuel Feller, and Loic Meillard took podium places.
Val d’Isere Alpine Slalom – British Line-Up:
- Billy Major
- Dave Ryding
- Laurie Taylor
Cross-Country World Cup – Davos
Fresh from their exploits at last weekend’s Lillehammer World Cup, James Clugnet, Andrew Musgrave, and Andrew Young represent British interest at the Davos World Cup races this weekend. The resort, which will feature a 50th-anniversary celebration this weekend, has fond memories for British Cross-Country skiing, marking the venue of Young’s storming second-place finish in the 2020 Sprint World Cup races, which stands as the joint best World Cup result for a British Cross-Country skier.
Across the weekend’s races, Brits will feature in the Team Sprint F, the Sprint F, and the 20km C.
Davos Cross-Country World Cup – British Line-Up:
- James Clugnet
- Andrew Musgrave
- Andrew Young
Ski Cross World Cup – Val Thorens
The first Ski Cross World Cups of the season saw disappointment for Ollie Davies and Scott Johns, with both eliminated during qualification stages. Amid difficult weather conditions which saw the first day’s qualification run suspended and rescheduled, both athletes fell short of the cut-off for Finals, with attention now turning to next week’s Arosa World Cup.
Val Thorens World Cup – British Line-Up:
- Ollie Davies
- Scott Johns
How to Watch:
Viewers in the UK can follow the action for the Alpine, Snowboard Cross, and Cross-Country World Cups live on Eurosport.
We are delighted to confirm that Prime Accountants Group will fully fund the Ski Cross team for the 2024-25 season
Prime Accountants Group, a West Midlands accountancy practice, has been announced as a partner for GB Snowsport for the upcoming season to fund the Ski Cross team’s athletes’ coaches, technicians, and expenses.
Prime, which has offices in Solihull, Birmingham, and Coventry, has stepped in to support GB Snowsport and provide much-needed additional investment in the run-up to the Milan-Cortina Olympic qualifying period.
Morgan Davies, Managing Director of Prime Accountants Group, said:
“Ski Cross is a sport where hundredths of a second matter and can be the difference between qualifying for major events.
“Countries such as Canada, France, and Switzerland provide significantly more funding to their athletes and for GB athletes to compete at this level without backing is an impossible task.
“Supporting the team is bigger than looking after one individual and is simply about providing the athletes with an environment to deliver. It is increasingly up to businesses to help fund those dreams.”
Ski Cross World Cup Squad racer Ollie Davies has raced regularly on the World Cup circuit and in 2023 took silver at the Reiteralm World Cup.
However, there is very limited UK funding in place for the discipline and an athlete in Ollie, who has already demonstrated the ability to compete with the best in the world.
Alongside its backing for Ollie and the GB Snowsport Team, Prime has supported Solihull skier Scott Johns – son of Prime director Kevin Johns – since he first qualified for the Youth Olympic Winter Games in 2020.
“We’ve taken the decision to support GB Snowsport for at least the 2024/25 season and we are committed to continuing to work with the organisation longer-term to find solutions to funding challenges,” added Morgan.
Vicky Gosling, GB Snowsport Chief Executive, said:
“We’re delighted to welcome Prime Accountants Group on board for the 2024/25 season.
“Our Ski Cross team have delivered some really impressive results in recent years, and the support that Prime bring coming into the new season will allow us to invest int he team set-up as the critical Milan-Cortina Olympic qualifying period gets underway.
“This is a really exciting time for British Ski Cross, and we look forward to getting the season started at the Val Thorens World Cup this month.
The Ski Cross season gets underway with the Val Thorens World Cup this weekend, with World Championships set to take place in St Moritz in March 2025.
Returning three-athlete World Cup Squads joined by seven Europa Cup Ski Cross Squad
GB Snowsport have confirmed a three-athlete Ski Cross and Snowboard Cross World Cup Squad and a seven-athlete Europa Cup Ski Cross Squad for the coming season.
At World Cup Squad level, Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale will once again line up in the individual and Team Snowboard Cross World Cup events for Britain, while in Ski Cross Ollie Davies continues to represent the nation at World Cup level.
The Europa Cup Squad, meanwhile, sees two athletes named for the first time in 2023 Youth Olympian Axel Rose Green and seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Pragnell.
Full Squad Selections:
World Cup Squad
- Charlotte Bankes – Snowboard Cross
- Ollie Davies – Ski Cross
- Huw Nightingale – Snowboard Cross
Europa Cup Squad
- Gregory Baillie – Ski Cross
- Tommy Dade – Ski Cross
- Faith Davie – Ski Cross
- Axel Rose Green* – Ski Cross
- Scott Johns – Ski Cross
- Alannah Lawrie – Ski Cross
- Elizabeth Pragnell* – Ski Cross
*new selection for 2024/25 season
Two Moguls and Five Ski cross athletes named for April Championships
GB Snowsport are pleased to confirm the selection of two Moguls and five Ski Cross athletes for next month’s World Junior Championship competitions.
The Moguls WJC, held in Valmalenco from 3-6 April, will see Mateo Jeannesson and Cali Carr represent Britain in Moguls, Dual Moguls, and Mixed Team Dual Moguls.
The Ski Cross WJC meanwhile sees Tommy Dade, Jake Dade, Scott Johns, Emily Keen, and Alex Rose Green selected to compete in Idre Fjall with Individual and Team events both in the running.
Moguls WJC – Valmalenco – 3-6 April – Selected Athletes
- Cali Carr
- Mateo Jeannesson
Ski Cross WJC – Idre Fjall – 14-15 April – Selected Athletes
- Jake Dade
- Tommy Dade
- Axel Rose Green
- Scott Johns
- Emily Keen
GB Snowsport congratulates all selected athletes, and wishes them good luck in the coming Championships.
British Alpine history was made on the slopes of Kitzbuehel and Gangwon on a superb weekend of British snowsport action
Kitzbuehel sees three in top-20
All three members of the Men’s Slalom team finished inside the top-20 at the Kitzbuehel Slalom, marking the first time in modern history that Britain has delivered three top-20 finishes at an Alpine World Cup.
Billy Major roared out of the first run to finish in joint-10th spot alongside teammate Dave Ryding at the end of the first run, while Laurie Taylor showed superb grit to see out tricky conditions and qualify for the second run in 29th spot.
From there, with five skiers failing to finish the second run, Dave Ryding delivered his now typical second run brilliance with the second fastest second run of the day to catapult himself to the top of the standings, before being overhauled in the latter stages of the race for an eventual fifth place finish. Taylor landed the seventh best second run of the day to bring himself a 19th place finish and a person best, while Major also secured a World Cup personal best with 13th spot, less than 0.3s outside of the top-10.
Elsewhere on the Alpine World Cup circuit, Charlie Guest finished just outside of the top-30 at the Jasna Slalom World Cup, missing out on the second run by hundredths of a second.
Carrick-Smith takes Gold in Gangwon
Zak Carrick-Smith delivered a sensational performance in Team GB colours at the Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon to take Britain’s first ever Alpine gold medal in an Olympic competition, with victory in the Alpine Combined.
Find out more about Carrick-Smith’s history-making victory here.
Taylor goes four-from-four in stunning Telemark SPrint run
Jaz Taylor’s sensational World Cup season rolled on with back-to-back victories in the Carezza Dolomites Telemark Sprint World Cup, leaving her with four victories from four World Cup races this season, and a firm grasp on top spot in the overall rankings.
The wins, the 10th and 11th of Taylor’s career, mean she has now equalled the best season of her career which saw her take four victories across the 2017/18 season, just four races into the season.
Makayla Gerken Schofield, Maisie Hill, and Katie Ormerod make injury comebacks
Moguls skier Makayla Gerken Schofield, and Freestyle Snowboarders Maisie Hill and Katie Ormerod all made their World Cup comebacks this week after significant injury lay-offs. Hill and Ormerod were both back in action at the Laax Freestyle Snowboard Slopestyle World Cup finishing in 15th and 12th spots respectively, while Gerken Schofield marked their return with a 19th place finish at the Val St. Come Moguls World Cup.
Elsewhere in Laax, Mia Brookes cruised through to Finals in the Freestyle Snowboard Slopestyle competition before finishing eighth, while Matty Cox marked his first World Cup in British colours with a 36th place finish in the Men’s Freestyle Snowboard Slopestyle contest. Siddhartha Ullah’s sixth World Cup appearance finished with a 38th place in the Men’s Halfpipe.
In Freeski, Ash Clayton was the pick of the bunch taking tenth place in the Women’s Freeski Slopestyle in only their second World Cup appearance.
In Moguls, Mateo Jeannesson came 33rd in Moguls and 17th in Dual Moguls in the first World Cup of 2024, with the latter marking the best Dual Moguls result of his World Cup career to date.
Davies takes 16th in Nakisaka
Ollie Davies’ World Cup season took off with an excellent 16th place finish in the Nakisaka Ski Cross World Cup. In a difficult season, Davies showed serious grit and application to make it through to the Quarter Final stage, and the best result of his season to date.
Andrew Musgrave returns from illness in Oberhot
Andrew Musgrave returned from the bout of illness that put paid to his Tour de Ski endeavours, finishing just outside the Top-20 at the Oberhof 20km C Mass Start World Cup. A 21st place finish there along with a run out in the Sprint C event marked his first appearance of the year, having had to drop out of the 2023/24 Tour de Ski after the 10km C on 31 December.