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.”
Revisit the highlights of a staggering 2023/24 snowsport season
With Britain’s 2023/24 season finally at an end, it’s time to revisit the highs of a campaign that saw the country’s skiers and snowboarders scale new heights once again.
October 2023
- Mia Brookes takes first British World Cup podium of the season with Bronze at Chur Big Air World Cup
November 2023
- Mia named Sunday Times Young Sportswoman of the Year, becoming the first ever snowboarder to win the coveted accolade
- Pat Sharples recognised with the Coach Award at UK Sport’s 2023 PLx Awards
- Dave Ryding finishes fourth in Gurgl Slalom World Cup, just 0.01s outside of the podium spots, while Billy Major sets a personal best with a 16th place finish
December 2023
- Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale secure Britain’s first World Cup win of the season with Gold at the Les Deux Alpes Team Snowboard Cross World Cup
- Mia Brookes takes double World Cup podiums and confirms Big Air Crystal Globe with Silver in Edmonton and Bronze in copper Mountain
- Kirsty Muir finishes second in Beijing Freeski Big Air World Cup, marking her first ever Big Air World Cup podium before taking Bronze at Copper Mountain World Cup
- Menna Fitzpatrick and Katie Guest bag three Para Alpine World Cup podiums including Gold at the St. Moritz Downhill World Cup and the Steinach Super-G World Cup
- Andrew Musgrave equals Britain’s best ever Cross-Country World Cup result with Silver in Trondheim Skiathlon
- Jaz Taylor secures back-to-back Telemark Sprint World Cup victories in Pinzolo to kickstart record-breaking season
- Zoe Atkin begins World Cup campaign with Bronze at Copper Mountain Freeski Halfpipe World Cup
- Dave Ryding takes seventh career World Cup podium with bronze at Madonna di Campiglio Slalom
- Mia Brookes named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year breaking new ground for British snowsport athletes in the process
- Mateo Jeannesson seals his first Moguls World Cup top-10 finishes with sixth place in Ruka and ninth in Alpe d’Huez
January 2024
- Mia Brookes astounds the snowboarding world with a near-flawless Slopestyle performance to take victory at X Games 2024, while Zoe Atkin secures Superpipe Silver in an extraordinary battle with Eileen Gu
- Zak Carrick-Smith makes history for Team GB in Gangwon taking three Alpine medals, including two Golds, at Youth Olympic Winter Games
- Siddhartha Ullah becomes the first Black snowboarder to represent Team GB with his selection to compete in Freestyle Snowboard Halfpipe at the Youth Olympic Winter Games
- Dave Ryding, Billy Major, and Laurie Taylor make further British Alpine history with all three finishing inside the top-20 at the Kitzbuehel Slalom World Cup
- Jaz Taylor adds three more podiums, including a further two Golds, giving her a significant lead in the Telemark World Cup standings
- Menna Fitzpatrick and Katie Guest deliver four World Cup podiums in Veysonnaz and Cortina
- Katie Ormerod and Maisie Hill both make their long-awaited World Cup return from injury at the Laax Freestyle Snowboard Slopestyle World Cup, with Ormerod subsequently being recognised by her athlete peers with the British Elite Athletes’ Association Athlete of the Month Award
February 2024
- Zoe Atkin lands three World Cup Freeski Halfpipe podiums to finish the season with a podium in every World Cup contest entered
- Charlotte Bankes seals her first individual Snowboard Cross World Cup podium of the season with Gold at the Gudauri World Cup
- Menna Fitzpatrick and Katie Guest add another Para Alpine World Cup podium with Silver in the Cortina Slalom World Cup
- Jaz Taylor finishes in third spot at the Al Telemark Parallel Sprint World Cup to keep herself in the reckoning for the Overall World Cup title
March 2024
- Charlotte Bankes hits top form with six World Cup podiums in the month, including victories at Sierra Nevada, Cortina, and Mt. St. Anne
- Dave Ryding and Laurie Taylor both take top-10 finishes at the Aspen Slalom World Cup, putting two Brits inside an Alpine World Cup top-10 for the first time since 1968, and a first ever time in Slalom. The result confirms Britain will finish sixth in the overall Men’s Slalom standings, ahead of some of the world’s most renowned Alpine nations
- Mia Brookes and Zoe Atkin continue their astonishing season record with Gold and Silver respectively at Dew Tour 2024 in Streetstyle (Brookes) and Superpipe (Atkin)
- Jaz Taylor delivers five Telemark World Cup podiums and holds her nerve through Finals in Pra Loup to make British history with the Sprint and Overall Telemark World Cup Crystal Globes
- Menna Fitzpatrick and Katie Guest land a further three World Cup podiums, securing the Super-G and Downhill Crystal Globes in the process
- Nina Sparks grabs her maiden Para Snowboard World Cup podium, taking third in Big White
- Emily Rothney secures bronze at the Freestyle Snowboard Big Air World Junior Championships at just 15 years of age
April 2024
- Mateo Jeannesson rounds out a stellar season for British Snowsport athletes with victory at the Moguls World Junior Championships and Bronze in the Dual Moguls World Junior Championships
SmartHer, StrongHer, FastHer initiative to provide coaches and athletes with specialised sport science training for female snowsport athletes
The project, which has been pioneered by GB Snowsport Physiotherapist Abi Okell, comes as the result of ongoing explorations by the Sport Sciences and Medicine department into opportunities for performance gains among the current athlete cohort as we prepare to enter the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games qualifying period for Milan-Cortina 2026.
Drawing on cutting-edge research and insight into female athlete health, the project will provide a series of targeted education interventions for female athletes within the British high performance snowsport system, as well as coaches and support staff working with those athletes, to help optimise performance and wellbeing at a critical point in the Milan-Cortina performance cycle.
Focusing initially on breast health and support, menstrual health and pelvic floor health, and female coaching psychology, the project will aim to provide a stronger foundation to support the growth and success of Britain’s female ski and snowboard athletes across all disciplines. Among the specialists delivering the training will be Professor Joanna Wakefield-Scurr, Professor of Biomechanics at the University of Portsmouth and a world-renowned expert in bra science and breast health, and GB Snowsport Physiotherapist Abi Okell who has supported Britain’s Paralympic and Olympic programmes for over a decade and has recently completed her MSc in Sport and Exercise Medicine, as well as having led a similarly focused project for GB Taekwondo’s Development Team.
Announcing the project, GB Snowsport Chief Executive, Vicky Gosling, said:
“The health and wellbeing of our female athletes is an extraordinarily important area of focus for all of us at GB Snowsport, not least due to the amount of world-leading talent that Britain has in the ranks of women’s snowsport.
“As we build towards the Milan-Cortina Games in 2026 we want to ensure we are equipping our teams with all the necessary tools to succeed on and off snow, and we believe this project will have a material impact on the health, success, and welfare of our female athletes and the teams that work with them.”
GB Snowsport Physiotherapist and Project lead, Abi Okell, added:
“This is a topic that’s close to my heart, personally and professionally, and I’m delighted that we’re able to put it into practice this summer.
“We’ve all known for many years the shocking rate of dropout in sport among girls, and recent research has demonstrated just how important it is that targeted sport science interventions and practices are employed when working with female athletes.
“I want all our female athletes, and the coaches and staff that work with them, to feel empowered with the knowledge and awareness to improve their health literacy, body confidence, and ultimately their performance levels in sport. I’m really looking forward to working with the team, and with experts like Professor Joanna Wakefield-Scurr, to deliver this project and enhancing the support available to our incredible skiers and snowboarders.”
With the season in its final throes, Charlotte Bankes and Jaz Taylor scored more podiums, while the Cross-Country and Alpine seasons drew to a close
Bankes podiums again
Charlotte Bankes added a fifth consecutive podium with silver in the first of the weekend’s Montafon Snowboard Cross World Cup races, and looked set for a sixth before an unfortunate DNF in Sunday’s Final left her in fourth spot.
With three victories and a bronze medal in four races, Bankes looked in typically imperious form throughout the weekend and ended the Montafon races with a strong hold on third spot in the overall Snowboard Cross standings.
Bankes’ silver medal performance in Saturday’s competition saw her finish just behind Michela Moioli of Italy, with Australia’s Josie Baff in third, while a battling performance in Sunday’s races saw her finish in fourth behind race winner Chloe Trespeuch, Lindsey Jacobellis of the United States, with Baff again taking bronze.
Taylor takes three podiums in Livigno
Jaz Taylor’s storming Telemark season continued with three podiums at the Livigno World Cup, adding two Sprint silvers and a Classic bronze to an already sparkling year. With the seventh, eighth, and ninth World Cup podiums of her season, Taylor now stands in first place in the Overall and Sprint Telemark standings with Finals taking place this week.
Davies delivers season’s best finish in Veysonnaz
Ollie Davies landed his best result of the season with seventh place in the Veysonnaz Ski Cross World Cup, with a gritty display of racing. Having previously broken into the top-10 this season once in Alleghe in February, Davies’ seventh place marked the fifth top-10 finish of his career, and a joint-second best career performance having previously finishes seventh at the Innichen World Cup in 2022.
Ryding finishes Slalom season in eighth spot
Dave Ryding’s evergreen performances propelled him to joint seventh-place in the overall Slalom standings. Lining up for Finals on the back of a fourth top-10 finish of the season in Aspen, Ryding battle to 15th place in Saalbach to leave him on 288 points, tied with Daniel Yule of Switzerland and ahead of Yule’s compatriot, Marc Rochat, in ninth position.
With top-10 finishes in Gurgl, Kitzbuehel and Aspen, alongside a podium in Madonna di Campiglio, Ryding once again demonstrated the grit, speed, and skill which has long marked him out as one of Britain’s greatest ever winter sport athletes.
Cross-Country Season Draws to close in Falun
The Cross-Country squad saw their season come to an end at the Falun World Cup, with Andrew Musgrave’s 18th spot in the 10km C the pick of the results.
The season conclusion sees Musgrave equal his best ever overall Distance standings performance, finishing in eighth spot, while James Clugnet also equalled his best ever Overall All Categories standings with a promising 66th overall performance. Andrew Young’s best result of the season, meanwhile, came in a 19th place finish at the Lahti Team Sprint World Cup, one of seven top-30 finishes across the season.
Freeskiers see success in Laax and Tignes
James Pouch and Ash Clayton both delivered EC podiums at the Laax Europa Cup Premium event, with Pouch taking third in the men’s Freeski Slopestyle, and Clayton second in the women’s event.
Chris McCormick, meanwhile, secured his best World Cup result of the season in the Tignes Freeski Big Air competition, taking 18th place in highly-competitive, high-scoring field.
Gerken Schofield inside top-20 again
Makayla Gerken Schofield landed their fifth top-20 finish of the season with 13th place in the Chiesa in Valmalenco Dual Moguls World Cup. The result marks their second best Dual Moguls finish of the season, after sixth place in Deer Valley in February, and continues their positive trajectory since returning from injury in January.
In the men’s competition, Mateo Jeannesson finished 24th.
Update on World Cup Squad Members
GB Snowsport can confirm the following injury status updates on members of GBS World Cup Squads
Charlie Raposo – Alpine
At the first of last weekend’s Aspen World Cup races, Charlie sustained an ACL tear and bruising to the tibia which will keep him sidelines for a period of time. Charlie will spend the rest of the season working on recovery and rehabilitation, and will be assessed throughout his recovery to determine the appropriate steps in his return to snow.
Charlie Lane – Freestyle Snowboard
Charlie remains under an extended return-to-snow programme following the radial head injury he sustained at the beginning of the year, having sustained a head injury during his initial return-to-snow training. He is being supported by the GB Snowsport Sport Sciences and Medicine Team and UK Sports Institute practitioners.
Kirsty Muir – freeski
Kirsty has undergone successful surgery on the knee injury she sustained at Copper Mountain World Cup, as well as a second surgery on a longstanding shoulder injury which she has been managing through competition and training. Kirsty remains focused on her rehabilitation alongside GB Snowsport Sport Sciences and Medicine staff and practitioners from UK Sports Institute.
We wish Charlie, Charlie, and Kirsty well in their continued recovery processes and look forward to seeing them back on snow in due course.
GB Snowsport, Snowsport England and Snow Camp are disappointed to announce that the inaugural UK Snowsport Awards, due to take place 6th June 2024, will not be going ahead as planned.
Since the Snowsport Awards was announced, we have been encouraged by the enthusiasm for and support of our belief in an event that works to bring the British snowsport sector together in celebration of its work, achievements, and people. We are enormously grateful to everyone who has expressed support for the initiative, excitement for the event, and backing for that work.
At the same time, we fully recognise the concerns over the timings of the event, and the challenge of making it a success, not least in its ambitions to raise significant funds for the work of the three organisations and the wider British snowsport community.
Like all organisations, we are deeply conscious of the economic pressures faced by businesses and households across the country, and we recognise that there are real challenges for people to justify investing money into an event like the Snowsport Awards at this moment in time.
This is not a decision we have taken lightly given the shared passion and determination from everyone involved, and also given the positive feedback from the snowsport industry that there is a place for an event of this nature.
The need to raise funds for British snowsport at every level remains significant, and we have no intention of stepping back from our aims of providing people and businesses with an opportunity to support increased funding for the snowsport community. To that end, we hope to return with a revised approach in due course.
For now, we would like to thank everybody who has offered their support, backing, and enthusiasm for this venture, and for the continued support that the snowsport community shows. We all believe in the power of snowsport, at every level, and we look forward to finding new ways to bring the industry together in the future.
GB Snowsport’s Skin Protection Partner, LifeJacket Skin Protection, tell you what you need to know about skin safety in the mountains
GB Snowsport fans can get 10% off their first purchase of LifeJacket Skin Protection by using the code GBS2024 at check-out.
The chances are that if you’re heading to the mountains – no matter your activity of choice – you’ll be outside and active for long periods while exposed to potentially harsh elements.
Experiencing the outdoors, discovering new places and being surrounded by incredible scenery are just some of the magical aspects of being up in the mountains.
However, altitude can also wreak havoc on your skin: ice-cold winds, extreme ultraviolet (UV), low humidity and sweating can all contribute to skin issues.
To make sure your skin doesn’t wipeout, we put together a few tips so your skin can survive one of the harshest environments it comes into contact with.
First Job: understand your skin
Think of your skin as the first line of defence against outside elements.
The skin’s major role is to protect your body from environmental ‘stressors’, extreme weather and harsh conditions. These environmental stressors attack your skin on a daily basis.
If your skin becomes damaged or compromised, it might not be able to perform it’s main job of protecting you. And that could mean things like bacteria or viruses getting inside your body.
Skin damage can be anything on a spectrum from soreness, dryness, redness, cracking, spots, itchiness, wrinkles or sensitivity, all the way to skin cancer (and thousands of other things in between).
Six skin protection tips for time in the mountains
So you can enjoy the mountains to their fullest and focus on the reasons you’re there (and not the painful side-effects), here are five tips on skin safety at altitude, including why we think they’re important.
Be Very UV-Aware
For years, goggle marks and a face tan have been a status symbol for a well-enjoyed ski or snowboard trip. Nowadays, people are more aware of the serious and damaging effects the sun’s UV light can have on our skin. This couldn’t be more true at altitude, for two reasons.
Firstly, you’re 1,500+ metres closer to the sun which sounds obvious because it is. But also the air is thinner and cleaner at altitude so less UV is filtered out. The cumulative effect of this means UV levels increase by 10% for every 1,000 metres above sea level, according to the World Health Organization.
In addition to this, light reflection plays a major role in increasing your UV exposure on a mountain. In winter, UV hits you twice: once from the sun and again, as it bounces off snow and back onto you, almost doubling your exposure.
For these reasons, a mountain is one of the harshest UV environments you can find yourself in. Even during a winter whiteout, damaging UV passes through cloud cover as many of us can attest to having got home, red-faced and confused.
While UVB is the wavelength of solar radiation that causes the skin to burn or go red, UVA causes deeper and less visible damage. It’s worth nothing that both are responsible for 80% of premature skin ageing and 90% of melanoma skin cancers.
Use an SPF 50+ product (with the UVA circle sign or 5* Ultra) on any exposed skin. Reapply at every coffee or hot chocolate break. Don’t get caught out. For summer mountaineers, UPF 50+ clothing is a neat solution because it’s the ultimate physical barrier while being lightweight and sweat-proof.
2. Moisture
There’s so much going against you at altitude when it comes to maintaining skin moisture: low humidity, ice cold winds, water loss in the form of perspiration, regular switching between inside and out, and hot showers, just to name a few of the main culprits.
We wrote an entire piece on skin moisture but in short, skin dryness can causes itchiness, cracking and discomfort. The cold means our skin produces less sebum. All skin types, even greasy skin, need extra care.
Over moisturise (if that makes sense). Beginning of the day and end of the day religiously. Use a heavier moisturiser than you might be used to as it will provide a thicker layer, or barrier, on the surface of your skin. As hard as this is after a long day in ski boots, try to avoid long, hot showers. Warm is your friend.
3. Lips
Even if your lips don’t normally need any special attention, they probably will do in the mountains. Lips don’t produce sebum so can quickly become dry. They also burn more easily than other areas of skin.
Keep an SPF lip balm in your pocket for both UV protection and moisture. Reapply constantly throughout the day.
4. Eyes
When skiing, snowboarding, or mountaineering, protecting your eyes against sunlight and glare from snow and ice is really important for your eye health. As mentioned, UV levels can be high even on a cloudy day and overexposure can lead to painful inflammation, known as ‘snow blindness’. It can also increase the likelihood of developing cataracts.
Sunglasses or goggles with UV400 protection (or which have the CE kite mark) are a critical piece of kit. Low quality lenses can cause more harm than good as you can read in our blog post devoted to eye protection.
5. Drink
Healthy skin contains about 30% water, which is essential for maintaining the skin’s elasticity, strength and structure. If that drops even slightly, it can lead to dehydrated skin.
Up to half a litre of water evaporates from your skin each day, at rest, in a cool environment. This can increase to as much as 10 litres while exercising.
Maintain cellular moisture from the inside out and drink up. This really is one of the best ways to keep your skin moisture levels high. Assuming you’re skiing, hiking, walking, climbing etc. you’ll also be sweating in which case, drink more than you usually would.
6. End of Day Recovery
After hours outdoors, try to get into the habit of helping your skin recover.
In simple terms, we mean cleanse and moisturise. This can take as little as 30 seconds and it will really help the skin repair itself after harsh exposure at altitude.
Moisturisers can do two things depending on their ingredients: form a layer to block water leaving or try and add water to the epidermis. Use what you like and apply at the end of the day.
Apply straight after a bath or shower to seal in moisture while your skin is damp. Don’t forget about your hands and body – they definitely won’t say no to a daily layer of added moisture.