GB Snowsport are delighted to announce a new partnership with Soft Life Ski, Europe’s leading Afro-Caribbean snowsport and music festival.
Building on commitments set out in GB Snowsport’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan and recommendations made by the Snowsport Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group, the partnership between GB Snowsport and Soft Life Ski will see Britain’s high performance snowsport National Governing Body lend support to the team behind Soft Life Ski both here in the UK and at SLS 2025, which will be held in the iconic resort of Laax, Switzerland, from 30 March to 4 April this year.
Born from a desire to introduce Black and ethnic minority communities to the magic of the slopes, Soft Life Ski has created an unforgettable, culture-rich winter experience. Soft Life Ski brings people together to try new experiences and build lasting connections through music. Their mission goes beyond skiing and snowboarding focusing on building communities and creating new opportunities for people of different backgrounds to experience adventure in some of the world’s greatest snowsport environments.
Soft Life Ski’s journey has seen the event grow from small beginnings in 2023 to an established highlight on the Afro-Caribbean diaspora entertainment calendar, selling out their 2025 festival in Laax, Switzerland in 7 minutes, with a reputation for delivering extraordinary musical experiences in settings central to GB Snowsport’s training and competition environments.
Commenting on the partnership, GB Snowsport Chief Executive, Vicky Gosling, said:
“Since we were first introduced to Soft Life Ski, we’ve been bowled over by their successes in introducing new and diverse communities to the sports that we are so passionate about.
“Making a difference and helping to open up skiing and snowboarding to more diverse communities is something that we’re really passionate about, and the opportunity to partner with and support Soft Life Ski is something we really value. The team at SLS are building something incredible, and we are really honoured to be able to support them on that journey.”
SLS Co-Founder, Edmund Antwi, said:
“It’s an incredible honor to have GB Snowsports partner with Soft Life Ski. Their belief in our mission and their support for our work is truly inspiring.”
“We’re excited about this partnership and look forward to seeing it blossom into something that will have a significant impact on promoting inclusivity and diversity on the slopes, both in the UK and internationally. “
To find out more about Soft Life Ski, visit www.softlifeski.com or their Instagram page. For additional inquiries, please contact them at contact@softlifeski.com.
Former Alpine World Cup skier and two-time Olympian elected from pool of eighteen candidates
Charlie Guest, who retired from competitive skiing at the end of the 2023/24 season, has been elected to the British Olympic Association Athletes’ Commission.
Guest joins fellow first-time Commission members Lewis Richardson (Boxing), Emily Muskett (Weightlifting) and Jessica Piasecki (Athletics) alongside the re-elected Bryony Page (Trampoline) and Eve Muirhead (Curling) in securing one of the available seats at the latest round of Commission elections.
The Commission was formed in 2010 ad is made up of current and former athletes from both summer and winter Olympic sports to provide athletes with representation across the BOA, with the Chair of the Commission ensuring its views are reflected to the BOA Board.
Commenting after the election, Charlie Guest said:
“Team GB has been a huge part of my life, from my first experience competing for Team GB in 2009 at the Winter European Youth Festival in Poland, right through two Olympic Winter Games in 2018 and 2022. The pride I have felt putting on those t-shirts remains to this day.
“Now, in the process of transitioning from professional sport, I am thrilled to be able to put my knowledge, enthusiasm, and passion for one of the greatest teams on this earth to good use, and be a voice for our future, current and past Olympians across all sports.”
Everyone at GB Snowsport is delighted for Charlie, who we know will serve the Commission with all the diligence and professionalism she exhibited throughout her storied competitive career.
In memoriam
Everyone at GB Snowsport was saddened to hear of the passing of Susie Berry OBE this week.
A former British international skier and later FIS Technical Delegate and FIS British Delegate, Susie was a familiar presence to many in the British Alpine Skiing scene, and was a staunch backer of British athletes’ ambitions at every level of the sport.
A widely admired and respected figure, not least for her exhaustive knowledge of the technical intricacies of the sport and her dedication as a supporter, volunteer, and advisor, Susie was also highly influential in the development and growth of the British Ski and Snowboard Federation, the predecessor organisation to today’s GB Snowsport.
GB Snowsport extends its warmest wishes and condolences to Susie’s family, friends, and to everyone within the snowsport community who knew her.
We are pleased to note the newly-announced partnership between FIS and the World Meteorological Association
As we have long stated, the impact of manmade climate change on our sports is real, present, and significant, not only in the competition cancellations that we have seen in recent seasons, but also in the profound changes in training opportunities and climactic reliability that our athletes witness day in, day out. There is no issue more critical to the future of snowsport than addressing the impacts of climate change, and we are pleased that FIS’ partnership with the WMA will help to ensure climate change and environmental sustainability remains at the forefront of considerations around the future of snowsport.
We would also urge all partners, including the whole FIS family, to actively and urgently explore ways that we can minimise our own impact on the environment, while using our collective leverage and influence to encourage all parts of society to act responsibly for the good of our sport and our planet.
Responding to news of the partnership, a GBS spokesperson said:
“Not only are the impacts of climate change that we have seen over recent seasons alarming for the sustainability of our sport, but it is important that we see them for what they are: a bellwether for the impacts that climate change is having on the planet.
“We all want a world in which snowsport can continue to thrive in the coming years and decades, and the only way we can secure that is by taking meaningful actions today. FIS and the WMA’s partnership is a welcome step in the right direction, and we will continue adding our voice to efforts to ensure that the snowsport community is acting to protect the sport and the planet.”
GBS x FT partnership sees iconic snowsport achievements promoted across Financial Times print versions
Eagle-eyed snowsport fans and readers of the Financial Times might have spotted the first of a new GB Snowsport advertising campaign in yesterday’s UK edition of the country’s preeminent business newspaper.
Following the announcement of a partnership between GBS and the FT in August, we are delighted to bring the first in a series of four adverts introducing Britain’s successes, heritage, and achievements on the slopes to the paper’s readership. Designed in collaboration with the celebrated brand agency, BMB, the ads feature iconic imagery of British snowsport athletes from Sam Mellish and Jamie Matthews, and will help readers to get a closer understanding of the remarkable victories and longstanding history that Britain has in international skiing and snowboarding.
Ads will continue to appear across the FT between now and early December, with the GBS x FT partnership gaining further exposure through the FT’s presence on GB Snowsport’s Alpine World Cup team’s 2024/25 race suit from the start of the Alpine World Cup season.
Partnership will see Financial Times appear on Alpine and Para-Alpine World Cup race suits throughout 2024/25 season
GB Snowsport are delighted to announce the Financial Times as an official partner to Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic ski and snowboard teams ahead of the 2024/25 season.
The partnership will see the media brand appear on British Alpine and Para Alpine World Cup Squad race suits throughout the season, with GB Snowsport and the Financial Times collaborating on new opportunities to promote the success of Britain’s snowsport athletes to the publication’s worldwide readership.
British snowsport athletes head into the new season with two years’ of historic performances under their belt, with the nation crowning World Champions in Freestyle Snowboard (Mia Brookes), Team Snowboard Cross (Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale) and Para Alpine (Neil Simpson) among almost 100 World Cup, World Championships, and X Games podiums since the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2022.
The partnership seeks to elevate the successes of British skiers and snowboarders and raise the visibility of their achievements to new audiences as the Milan-Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games qualifying period begins at the start of the 2024/25 season.
Commenting on the partnership, Vicky Gosling OBE, GB Snowsport Chief Executive said:
“We’re so pleased to announce this partnership with the Financial Times. The FT is a brilliant fit for the type of British excellence that our athletes demonstrate week in, week out, and we’re really looking forward to working with the team to help make more people aware of the extent of Britain’s successes on and off the slopes.”
Danny Aldred, Financial Times Commercial Director – Key Accounts & Investment, added:
“We are delighted to be partnering with GB Snowsport at such an exciting time of their growth. The FT continues to publish outstanding coverage of the business of sport, and we believe this to be a growing and engaging market for our subscribers and advertisers. We are proud to be partnering with an organisation at the forefront of promoting British talent to the world.“
Race suits featuring the Financial Times brand will appear for the first time at the Levi Slalom World Cup in November.
Policy sets out criteria for GB Snowsport athletes seeking to qualify for 2026 Olympic Winter Games
GB Snowsport has published its Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games selection policy, setting out the pathway to qualification for British skiers and snowboarders targeting the 2026 Games.
The policy, developed in coordination with the British Olympic Association, comes into effect immediately and outlines the process by which GB Snowsport athletes will be able to secure nomination by GB Snowsport to form part of the Team GB contingent for the Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games.
The full Selection Policy is available for athletes, coaches, and other interested parties to review here.
We look forward to working with Eve Muirhead in the build-up to the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games
Following Team GB’s confirmation that Gold medal winning curler Eve Muirhead OBE will lead the British team into the Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games as Chef de Mission, GB Snowsport welcomes Eve’s appointment and looks forward to working with her and the team in the build-up to the 2026 Games.
Having worked closely with Eve at the 2024 Gangwon Youth Olympic Winter Games, which saw Zak Carrick-Smith make history in the Alpine events, we are confident that she will be an outstanding leader at the first European-held Olympic Winter Games since 2014.
Following two record-breaking seasons for British ski and snowboard athletes, we look forward to working alongside Eve and everyone at the British Olympic Association in the build-up to the Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games and through a busy Olympic Qualification Period beginning next season.
Myall to take up role with immediate effect ahead of Olympic and Paralympic Qualifying Period
We are pleased to announce that GB Snowsport Head of Sport Science and Medicine, Kearnan Myall, will be our new Performance Director.
Kearnan initially joined GB Snowsport in March 2021 as Human Performance Lead before taking on the Head of Sport Science and Medicine brief in October 2022. His appointment as Performance Director will see him work alongside Pat Sharples, who takes on a joint Head Coach / Technical Director role, in a new Performance Team structure designed to provide GB Snowsport athletes with the best opportunity to succeed as the Milan-Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games draw closer.
Kearnan, who holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Neuroscience and is currently undertaking a DPhil in Psychiatry from the University of Oxford, spent fifteen years as a professional Rugby Union player for Yorkshire Carnegie, Sale Sharks, and Wasps. He has overseen GB Snowsport’s Sport Sciences and Medicine practices during a period of unprecedented success for GB Snowsport athletes over the past two seasons.
Kearnan said:
“I am delighted and honoured to be stepping into the Performance Director position in the lead up to Milan-Cortina ‘26. We have an incredible team of coaches and staff supporting some of the world’s best Snowsport athletes. I couldn’t be more excited to continue building on the historic success of the last two seasons to position British skiers and snowboarders in the best place to deliver medals at the next Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Vicky Gosling, GB Snowsport Chief Executive, said:
“I’m delighted that Kearnan has agreed to step up to the new Performance Director role. Throughout an exhaustive process, Kearnan has shown himself to be an outstanding candidate as we prepare for a critical period ahead of the Milan-Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
“Alongside Pat’s new role as Head Coach/Technical Director, I am convinced that we have the right performance leadership structure to give our skiers and snowboarders every chance of success in the coming seasons and to build on the incredible results we’ve seen over the past two years.”