Early SBX action gives promising glimpses for season ahead amid weekend of strong performances
Bankes edged out in Cervinia World Cup Big Finals
Charlotte Bankes’ customary racing instincts were fully on show across the first of the season’s Snowboard Cross World Cup meets as she shot her way to an excellent fourth place at the Cervinia World Cup. Having come through qualifying in excellent form, Bankes made serene progress to the Big Final before seeing herself edged out of the podium positions in a high-quality Final, which saw Lea Casta, Josie Baff, and Maja-Li Iafrate Danielsson take the podium spots.
In the Men’s competition, Huw Nightingale experienced a challenging day’s racing, finishing 43rd after qualifying.
Ryding in top-10 and Taylor impresses at Val d’Isere Slalom
Dave Ryding secured his second top-10 finish of the season and Laurie Taylor his second top-30 at an exhilirating Val d’Isere Slalom World Cup on Sunday. Drawn in bib 1, Ryding looked fast and assured throughout his two runs as he took ninth spot, securing a sixth top-10 finish since the beginnign of last season, and his second in three races during the 2024/25 season, after his seventh place at the Gurgl World Cup.
Taylor again showed his outstanding second run skill to take the second-best World Cup result of his career with a dynamic 12th place finish, only the third time he’s finished in the top-20 after his 19th placed finish at last year’s Kitzbuehel World Cup, and an eighth place finish in Aspen in March.
Billy Major finished just outside the second run qualifying spots as he looks to recepture the form which saw him register back-to-back top-20 finishes at the start of the year.
Clugnet pick of the bunch at DAvos World Cup
James Clugnet took his best World Cup result since February with a 15th place finish in the Sprint F at this weekend’s Davos World Cup and a 17th place finish in the Team Sprint alongside Andrew Young. The SP F result gives Clugnet his fifth top-20 finish of the calendar year, and marks a promising performance ahead of the Tour de Ski over the festive period.
Fresh from his exploits at the Lillehammer World Cup, Andrew Musgrave came 21st in the Team Spring and 27th in the 20km C, while Young added to his Team Sprint result with 56th place in the Sprint F and 63rd in the 20km C.
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.
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
SBX Star’s World Cup season drew to a close with dual victories in Mt. St. Anne SBX Double Header
Charlotte Bankes’ 2023-24 World Cup campaign drew to a close with back-to-back wins in the double header Mt. St. Anne Snowboard Cross World Cup this weekend.
The victories – Bankes’ fourth and fifth individual Gold medal performances this season – saw her secure second spot in the cup standings, and came amid an eight-podium season with Silver in Montafon and Bronze in Sierra Nevada adding to Gold in the opening Team SBX race of the season in Les Deux Alpes back in December.
Bankes’ first victory of the weekend came ahead of eventual Crystal Globe winner Chloe Trespeuch with another French athlete, Lea Casta, in the Bronze medal slot, while Sunday’s race saw her triumph ahead of Michela Moioli of Italy and Australia’s Josie Baff, with Trespeuch in fourth but crucially having progressed far enough in the final race of the season to guarantee the overall title.
Amid a season that got started slowly, Bankes can now point to twenty individual World Cup victories since 2015 to add to two World Championship titles and two Crystal Globes, in a career which is fast becoming one of the greatest ever in British snowsport history.
Third victory of season for SBX star
Charlotte Bankes scored her third Snowboard Cross individual World Cup win of the season with a consummate performance in this evening’s Cortina World Cup.
Fresh from dual podiums in Sierra Nevada last weekend, Bankes qualified in first spot and never looked back storming to victory with first place finishes in both the Quarter and Semi Finals before holding off the challenge of Eva Adamczykova and Michela Moioli in the Final.
The result gives Bankes her fourth individual World Cup podium of the season, all coming since the beginning of February.
Speaking afterwards, Charlotte said:
“Tonight was a crazy night, some really tight racing.
“To come away with the win tonight is just unbelievable after quite a tough week.
“Thanks to Abi for her help and work even if she’s not on the road with us and to the coaches for helping me be fit to race tonight and supporting me during this week.
“JP did an incredible job with the boards, they were missiles.
“Another great team effort and just amazing to come away with the win.“
Charlotte Bankes was in flying form in Sierra Nevada, while in Aspen, USA, the Men’s Slalom team made history
Bankes seals dual podiums in Sierra Nevada SBX
Charlotte Bankes was back to her dominant best at the Sierra Nevada Snowboard Cross World Cup, with Gold and Bronze medal performances over the weekend’s back-to-back races.
Coming into the weekend fresh from victory at the Gudauri World Cup last month, Bankes was sensational in Saturday’s races, cruising through amid difficult conditions to secure her second solo victory of the season. Having looked set fair for a repeat performance in Sunday’s second World Cup, Bankes found herself in a close battle with Chloe Trespeuch of France during the Big Final, which saw both riders fall while contesting first spot, with Bankes getting back up to seal Bronze.
The results push Bankes up to fourth in the overall standings after a difficult first half of the season, closing in on Australia’s Josie Baff in third spot.
Ryding and Taylor make British Slalom History
The Aspen Slalom World Cup saw Dave Ryding and Laurie Taylor make British Slalom history, as two British skiers finished in the top-10 in a Slalom World Cup race for the first time ever. Amid a weekend of heavy snowfall, which saw the race start time pushed back following blizzard conditions the night before, both delivered a superb display of Slalom racing, with Taylor smashing his previous personal best to take an astonishing eighth place finish.
Ryding, coming into the second run from fifth spot, ended up taking seventh for his fourth top-10 finish of the season and the 29th of his career, while Taylor delivered a second run for the ages, the fastest among the field, to pull himself up from 19th spot at the turn.
The result makes it the first time Britain has had two skiers in an Alpine World Cup top-10 since Gina Hawthorn and Divina Galica finished in the top-10 in March and April 1968 at the Aspen and Heavenly Valley GS World Cups.
Musgrave in top-10 and Young & Clugnet top-10 at successful Levi World Cup
Andrew Musgrave added another top-10 finish to his impressive 2023/24 season with eighth place at the Levi World Cup 20km C. The result, Musgrave’s eighth top-10 of the season, puts the 33-year-old at fifth in the overall season Distance race rankings and continues an impressive year, which also saw him take the fourth World Cup podium of his career.
In the Team Sprint, Andrew Young and James Clugnet finished in a credible 19th spot adding to their impressive body of Team Sprint performances in recent years.
SBX star takes third consecutive World Cup podium
Charlotte Bankes backed up her first place showing yesterday with a third place finish at the second of the weekend’s double-header Snowboard Cross World Cups in Sierra Nevada.
Having made serene progress through the knockout phases, a hard-fought final saw Bankes come in in third place behind Michela Moioli of Italy and Australian Josie Baff in first and second spot.
The result gives Bankes her fourth podium of the season after two consecutive Gold medal performances followed Team Gold in the first race of the season.
Afterwards, Charlotte said:
“This was another good day of racing, a great team effort and I really built my runs.
“The final was tight I was in good position slip streaming Chloe and saw space on the inside. We came out neck and neck form that turn and on last rollers unfortunately there was contact and we both crash out.
“A shame to finish like that for both of us as we were in front fighting for the win. But hopefully we’ll both be fit for the next race in Cortina next weekend.”
SBX superstar takes second consecutive World Cup victory with a superb display in Sierra Nevada
Charlotte Bankes recorded her second consecutive Snowboard Cross World Cup victory with a perfectly executed charge through the Sierra Nevada SBX World Cup.
Bankes, who came through both her Quarter and Semi Final contests in first place, appears to have put early season struggles behind her as she returned to the dominance that saw her take back-to-back Crystal Globes in 2022 and 2023 to take the seventeenth solo World Cup victory of a storied career.
At the Finals stage in Sierra Nevada, Bankes saw off the challenge of Czechia’s Eva Adamczykova in silver, and the French pair Chloe Trespeuch and Manon Petit Lenoir in third and fourth respectively.
Speaking afterwards, Charlotte said:
“It was great to get the win today going into this big block of racing ahead. Today was tough conditions but a great team effort with a fast board and a great game plan that I was able to finish off.
“Thanks to everyone involved; it’s another big team effort as we go again tomorrow.”
2023/24 season explodes into life with day of stunning results
Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale take sensational Team SBX Victory
Reigning Mixed Team Snowboard Cross World Champions, Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale, opened their season in outstanding style with Britain’s first ever Team Snowboard Cross World Cup victory at Les Deux Alpes. In a strong field and amid challenging conditions, Nightingale and Bankes rode flawlessly to back up their breathtaking World Championships win with another superbly executed demonstration of Team Boardercross action.
The following day’s solo competition saw disappointment for Bankes as she failed to make it through the qualifying heats, but Nightingale recorded a personal best 16th place finish, improving on his previous PB set at the Mt. St. Anne World Cup in March.
Muir Majestic in Beijing
Returning to the site of the Beijing Olympic Winter Games Big Air competition, Kirsty Muir delivered an astonishing display of Big Air skiing to land second place among a field of the world’s strongest Big Air athletes. The result gave Muir her third career World Cup podium and a first in the Big Air discipline, having recorded top-10 finishes in her previous two Big Air competitions in Chur and Copper Mountain last year.
In the Freestyle Snowboard competition, Mia Brookes delivered another excellent performance to take fourth place in one of the highest calibre Big Air World Cup contests of recent years. Mia, who qualified in first place, looked on course for another podium position before high-scoring jumps from Anna Gasser, Tess Coady, and Miyabi Onitsuka nudged her just out of the top-3.
In the Men’s competitions, Billy Cockrell’s first World Cup of the season saw him finish in 39th spot, while Freeskiers Tom Greenway and Chris McCormick finished in 29th and 46th spot respectively.
Musgrave pushing for podiums in Cross-Country
Andrew Musgrave’s strong start to the Cross-Country World Cup season continued in Gallivare with fifth place in the 10km Free Interval Start. Once again, Musgrave was the only non-Norwegian skier in the top-5, finishing just 1.3s outside of the podium places and only 6.4s behind race winner Paal Golberg. The result continues Musgrave’s excellent early season form which has already delivered three top-10 finishes in four World Cup races.
Andrew Young put in an impressive showing to break into the top-30, while Joe Davies finished 34th putting him in third spot in the U23 rankings.
Jeannesson breaks new ground in Ruka Moguls World Cup
19-year-old Mateo Jeannesson obliterated his previous World Cup personal best with an astonishing sixth place finish at the Moguls World Cup opener in Ruka. Marking his first time making the Super Finals stage of a World Cup competition, Mateo skiied with skill and verve to push himself into the top-6 for the first time at World Cup level, as one of only two teenage skiers to make the top-10.
The result demolishes a previous personal best of 19th set in Deer Valley in February.
Para Snowboard Season gets underway in Landgraaf
The first events of the Para Snowboard season saw Nina Sparks and James Barnes-Miller both take a sixth and seventh place finish in back-to-back Banked Slalom World Cup races in Landgraaf. In the Europa Cup competition, Matt Hamilton was the standout performer with third and fourth place finishes, while Jack Silverwood took a fifth and a seventh, and Scott McNeice seventh and ninth.