GB Snowsport Chief Executive, Victoria Gosling OBE, looks back a record-breaking four-year journey for GB Snowsport
As I sit down to write this, I’m in Santa Caterina, just about an hour’s drive from Livigno Snow Park. Our World Cup season may have ended over the weekend with a final burst of British successes in Silvaplana, Mt. St. Anne, and Les Contamines Montojoie, but the on-snow work isn’t quite done yet. The British Alpine Championships are in full swing and, just as we experienced in Livigno and across Italy during February and March, British athletes here are continuing to show that they’ve earned the right to be recognised among the world’s best snowsport competitors.
On Sunday, after four years of graft and fight, the clock stopped on major competitions in the Milan-Cortina cycle.
Our record: 199 major podiums across the four years, derived from athletes in eleven Olympic and Paralympic disciplines, and from Telemark.
This season alone saw British athletes climb the podium on 50 occasions. If we included podiums on the Europa Cup circuit, we’d be looking at something closer to 300 across the past four years. And, of course, some of these were on the biggest stages of all. Those three Olympic and Paralympic medals will become iconic moments in British sporting history, but I promise you every single one of those 199 podiums over these past four years was deeply special.
It is, I think most would agree, one of the most remarkable British sporting success stories of recent times: an achievement of extraordinary, perhaps unprecedented, levels.
What’s more is that this time four years ago, it’s a story that most people wouldn’t have seen coming.
The end of the Beijing cycle was brutal. There’d been incredible moments along the way – Dave Ryding’s legendary Kitzbuehel World Cup win perhaps most prominent of all – but the Beijing Olympic campaign had been harrowing. The Paralympics was hugely impressive, but after a hugely challenging few years of covid disruption, the lack of successes for our Olympians in Beijing was a real setback. That’s the reality of elite sport, though. You learn as much from your failures as you do your successes. And the lessons we learned then have been the rocket fuel that’s propelled us to where we are today.
Right from day one of the 2023 season, you could tell the energy was different. The wins we racked up along the way are victories of talent, culture, dedication, bravery, and work ethic. And they come from a place of fearless belief in our levels. We knew we had the raw ability, and every single member of the team – athlete and staff member alike – has moved mountains to ensure we saw it deliver.
In that first year of the cycle, we broke the 50-podium barrier for the first time. The next year we broke it again. And this year, we did so for the third time in four years. The one year we missed it, we still delivered 46 major podiums, a result which would have been the best in British history at any time before 2023.
It’s not been an easy journey, nor smooth sailing, along the way. Our team have faced down injuries, disappointments, challenges, fears, and barriers to achieve what they’ve delivered these past four years. We’ve had athletes who’ve helped lay the foundations of success retire, seen staff members depart, watched as other nations with deeper pockets have pushed the dial and force us to step up and respond. And every single time, we have.
What the world sees in medals, we count in resilience, belief, and an unwavering commitment to show that GB Snowsport belongs at the very top of the sport.
What we’ve accomplished couldn’t have been achieved without the amazing support we’ve received. From our partners, our sponsors, our teammates. From the friends and families of our athletes and team members, who give so much of the support that allows us to do what we do. And, of course, from the fans whose belief in what we’re building together has transmitted energy into the team time and time again.
The journey doesn’t end here. Four years from now, we’ll be looking back on another ‘home’ Games – this time, in the French Alps. Some of the names that lit up the Milan-Cortina Games will still be a driving force in the sport. Others, I’m sure, will be among the athletes lining up here at the British Alpine Champs, at the Brits in Mayrhofen this week, or elsewhere in the world, honing their skills, who aren’t yet household names but promise to become so in the next four years.
Whatever those next four years hold, it promises to be exciting. Four years ago, I hoped we could keep faith in the promise that British skiers and snowboarders could demonstrate themselves to be among the best in the world. In four years’ time, I hope we’ll be looking back at today and thinking ‘look how far we’ve come again’.
Don’t look away.
You won’t want to miss a second.
2025/26 season defined by extraordinary success draws to a close
GB Snowsport’s 2025/26 campaign drew to a close with a final burst of success on the last weekend of World Cup action, drawing the curtain on an historic season with late glory in Park & Pipe and Snowboard Cross competitions.
In a season headlined by Olympic and Paralympic medals for Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale (Team Snowboard Cross Gold), Zoe Atkin (Freeski Halfpipe Bronze), and Neil Simpson and Rob Poth (Para Alpine Combined Silver), British athletes delivered four Crystal Globes (Kirsty Muir for Overall Freeski Park & Pipe and Slopestyle, Bankes for Snowboard Cross, and Atkin for Freeski Halfpipe) and 50 major podiums, marking the third occasion in the past four years Brits have breached the 50-podium mark, having never done so prior to the 2022/23 season.
The British podium count opened with Kirsty Muir’s maiden Freeski Big Air World Cup victory on 29 November in Secret Garden, followed a week later by Mia Brookes winning the Beijing Freestyle Snowboard Big Air World Cup, and Gus Kenworthy marking his first competitive appearance in four years with a third-place Snow League Freeski Helfpipe finish in China.
The ensuing months saw British skiers and snowboarders ascend major podiums a further 47 times, with Telemark legend Jaz Taylor the most frequent medal winner, accounting for 12 podiums including four gold medals, from her first victory of the season in December in Pinzolo to her last in March in Les Contamines.
Amid a deluge of stunning performances, the three Milan-Cortina medals are likely to live longest in the memory. First, Bankes and Nightingale broke historic new ground for British Winter Olympians with the nation’s first ever gold medal on snow in the Mixed Team Snowboard Cross, before Atkin closed out the Games with Freeski Halfpipe bronze on the final day of Olympic action in Milan-Cortina. Then, with the Paralympic Winter Games in full swing, Simpson and Poth roared back from two earlier fourth place finishes to take silver in the Para Alpine Combined.
Alongside the podiums came yet more incredible performances from Brits, with fourth place finishes for Muir and Brookes, historically strong performances for the Cross-Country team including best ever British Olympic results from Andrew Musgrave, and Musgrave and James Clugnet in the Men’s Team Sprint, and fifth and sixth place Para Alpine finishes for Menna Fitzpatrick and Katie Guest in the pair’s first races for two years after successive major injuries for Fitzpatrick. The Para Snowboard team made history twice over, meanwhile, with Nina Sparks becoming the nation’s first ever female Paralympic snowboarder, and Davy Zyw believed to be the first ever person with MND to compete at a Paralympic Winter Games.
In among the extraordinary successes seen at the highest levels, Britain’s next generation of talent also experienced breakthrough seasons, with thirteen athletes making their World Cup debuts across Park & Pipe, Alpine, Cross-Country, Ski Cross, Snowboard Cross, Para Alpine, and Telemark races. Meanwhile, waves were being made at Europa Cup level including a slew of Rail Jam podiums, and an historic moment in the Alpine EC field where Freddy Carrick-Smith became Britain’s first ever Giant Slalom EC winner with victory in Valloire.
This season’s performances mean that, in the four years since the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, British athletes have now delivered 199 major podiums, 118 of which have come in Olympic and Paralympic disciplines, and with every discipline in which Britain has fielded a World Cup athlete having achieved at least one podium finish in that time.
As the final action of the season fades into the rearview mirror, the year’s lasting impression will be simple. Extraordinary, historic successes, and a strong hint at the exciting future ahead for GB Snowsport athletes.
Menna Fitzpatrick and guide Katie Guest delivered a huge performance in the Women’s Visually Impaired Giant Slalom today, finishing fifth after two competitive runs in what marked their final event of the Paralympic Winter Games.
The pair skied with confidence across both runs, producing a composed performance to secure a top-five finish. The result stands as the British duo’s best result of these Games bringing their Paralympic campaign to a close on a high.
Hester Poole and guide Ali Hall had a fast start to their first run but it heartbreakingly ended with a straddle leading to a disqualification. Despite the disappointment, the pair will take valuable experience from competing on the Paralympic stage.
Menna Fitzpatrick:
“I think its been a really successful Games for us considering where I was before the Games, especially the performance today”
HESTER POOLE:
“It sucks. I mean straddles happen, it’s slalom, it’s just the way it is. It’s so important to keep the same mentality, whatever happens”
Statement from the GB Snowsport board of directors
11 March 2026
The board of directors of GB Snowsport met on Tuesday 3 March and agreed the nomination of Victoria Gosling OBE as the GB candidate for the forthcoming FIS Presidential elections. The decision was taken following a comprehensive open process run by the GB Snowsport board.
The board was impressed by Ms Gosling’s vision for the future of FIS, the role of the Presidency, and the opportunities to continue the growth of world class skiing and snowboarding as a major global sport.
Victoria Gosling OBE said: “I am very grateful to the board of GB Snowsport for their support and confidence in nominating me as a candidate for the FIS Presidential elections. It would be a privilege to play a greater role in shaping the strategic direction of our sport alongside all other FIS nations and supporting the growth of skiing and snowboarding worldwide that we all wish to see. I am also grateful to the board and to my colleagues within GB Snowsport for their continuing work in ensuring the progress of our athletes and our programme. I will continue to take a hands-on role in delivering GB Snowsport’s work, while also looking to share the ambition and successes we have brought to British skiing and snowboarding as part of a vision for the next phase of FIS’ future.”
Jason Cobbold, GB Snowsport Chairman, said: “The board was impressed by Vicky’s vision for the future of FIS and the role the Presidency can play in strengthening and growing our sport globally. Vicky’s track record is well known and admired, and the board felt confidence that the leadership style and direction she demonstrated through the nomination process would make her a very strong candidate for our sport on the international stage.”
The board would like to place on record their thanks to everyone involved in the process. The board now looks forward to supporting Ms Gosling’s campaign for the Presidency in the coming months, and anticipates working with all our counterparts in the FIS family at this exciting time for our sport.
It was a day defined by resilience for the GB Snowsport team at the Paralympic Winter Games, as athletes competed across Snowboard Cross (Upper Limb) and Para Biathlon Individual (Sitting).
Barnes-Miller reaches Snowboard Cross quarter-finals while Zyw makes history
It was a tough fight for James Barnes-Miller in the Snowboard Cross (Upper Limb), where he battled through the fast-paced head-to-head races. In the tightly contested quarter-finals Barnes-Miller crashed out while fighting for a qualification spot. Snowboard Cross is renowned for its thrilling close contact and fine margins; however, Barnes-Miller just fell the wrong side of the margin today.
Meanwhile, Davy Zyw furhter cemented his status as a Paralympian, making history as the first Paralympian to compete with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). His presence on the start line of the Snowboard Cross marks an extraordinary milestone and powerful message on the world stage.
The Para Snowboard team will now look ahead to the Banked Slalom, where they will return the start gate on the penultimate day of the Games.
Meenagh battles through Biathlon Individual
Scott Meenagh finished in 18th place after a demanding race in the Biathlon Individual (Sitting). The event combines endurance skiing with the precision of shooting, making it one of the most physical endurance events on the Paralympic programme. Despite receiving a time penalty in the shooting, Meenagh fought hard throughout the race, continuing to show the tenacity that has defined his journey. With plenty more races still to come for Scott, he will take these lessons and prepare for his next battle on Wednesday.
Charlotte Bankes has been selected as Team GB’s flag bearer for the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games, a fitting honour for one of Britain’s most successful Snowsport athletes.
Bankes powered to the top of the podium in Milan-Cortina, securing Team GB’s first-ever Olympic gold medal on snow alongside her team-mate, Huw Nightingale in the Mixed Team Snowboard Cross. Delivering on the biggest stage is remarkable in itself but Bankes’ Olympic experience speaks to a level of mental strength and resilience found only in the very best.
Chosen by 2026 Chef de Mission, Eve Muirhead, Bankes receives the recognition in celebration of her resilience, determination and the inspiration she provides to athletes across the world of Winter Sport. The honour also acknowledges her extraordinary contribution to driving Snowsport forward in Great Britain. Milano Cortina 2026 marked Bankes’ fourth Olympic Winter Games, marking a huge testament to her longevity and consistency at the very highest level.
As Bankes leads Team GB into the Closing Ceremony, carrying the flag in front of the world, she will represent years of dedication, of barriers broken and of history made. Stories like Charlotte Bankes’ define what the Olympic Games are all about.
Charlotte Bankes
“To be asked to carry the flag is a dream come true and feels like a moment for our entire snowboard cross team. We have made history for our sport, and I will be walking out there carrying it for everyone who has been part of that journey.
“Leading Team GB out at my first Closing Ceremony will be very special. It is a chance to reflect on everything we have put into these Games and to celebrate the medals we have won, and those we have come so close to’’
It was a fitting finale to a historic Olympic Winter Games for the British Cross Country team, as Andrew Musgrave matched his best-ever Olympic result with a superb sixth place in the gruelling 50km Mass Start Classic.
The 50km is a race of pure endurance and is widely regarded as the ultimate test in Cross Country Skiing. With the world’s best fighting at the front of the pack, Musgrave, competing at his fifth Olympic Games, showed all the composure and strength that has defined his career. He held his place among the leaders, responding to surges and staying within striking distance as the kilometres ticked by. Crossing the line in sixth place, he equalled his career-best Olympic finish, underlining once again his status as one of Britain’s greatest-ever Cross Country skiers.
Alongside him, Joe Davies delivered a huge performance in his Olympic debut. His 16th place finish marked an outstanding result and confirmed his reputation on the Olympic stage. The 50km demands experience and tactical awareness, yet Davies looked composed throughout.
Together, the performances capped off an extraordinary Games for the British Cross Country squad, one defined by record-breaking, World-Class results.
Andrew musgrave
“It was a decent result, hard day. Couldn’t quite fight with the Norwegian’s but I think we did a good performance.”
joe davies
“Was good for me in Classic, I’m usually pretty useless at that so we’ll take it and without the cramp it could have been even better!”
ollie davies battles to the 1/8th final
Earlier in the day, attention focussed on the Ski Cross, where Ollie Davies took on the high-speed, high-contact drama of head-to-head racing. After a strong seeding run, Davies powered his way into the 1/8 finals, navigating the technical course and fierce competition.
While his campaign ended in the knockout rounds, reaching the 1/8 finals cemented his status as a double Olympian.
James Clugnet and Andrew Musgrave produced another historic performance for British Cross Country Skiing, finishing fifth in the Team Sprint Free, securing Britain’s best-ever Cross Country result at an Olympic Winter Games.
This result defines another milestone in what has already been a breakthrough Games for the Cross Country team, who have set this record for the second time in these Games. This British squad has consistently raised the standard. Records have fallen, barriers have been broken and belief has translated into performance on the biggest stage of all. What a statement!
In a race defined by relentless pace and tight transitions, the British duo delivered a performance built on trust, timing and total commitment. Lap after lap, Clugnet and Musgrave kept themselves firmly in contention, refusing to let the pressure of the occasion dictate their rhythm.
The Team Sprint format leaves no room for error, with athletes alternating laps at full gas. Musgrave’s experience as a five-time Olympian showed in his composure and control, while Clugnet brought huge power and intensity on the overtakes, ensuring Britain’s record-breaking result on his final leg.
James clugnet
“My last leg was pretty good, managed to catch up three teams and I think we are having the best-ever Olympics for Team GB so keeping it going!”
Andrew Musgrave
“It was a good effort and I just had to not screw up as Jimmy was in super good shape today, so he just had to go and make us fast and give us a good result.”
Andrew Musgrave produced a statement performance to finish sixth, the best-ever British Cross Country result at a Winter Olympic Games.
The five-time Olympian showcased all of his experience, composure and tactical intelligence to deliver a career-defining race on the Olympic stage. In a discipline dominated by traditional powerhouses, Musgrave’s sixth place finish marks a landmark moment for British Cross Country Skiing.
It was a historic performance and one that further cements his legacy as one of Britain’s greatest winter athletes.
Joe Davies delivered a huge performance of his own, finishing 12th in what has been an outstanding Olympic debut. Racing fearlessly, Davies proved he belongs at this level, producing a result that signals an exciting future on the world stage.
James Clugnet also produced a strong display, crossing the line in 34th place. Clugnet added further depth to an exceptional day for the team, with three British athletes delivering performances to be proud of.
Bankes to Quarter Finals in Snowboard Cross
Charlotte Bankes once again left everything out on the course in the Women’s Snowboard Cross as she has done throughout the past four years. Bankes raced with commitment and intensity, but fell on the wrong side of the tight margins that define the head-to-head heats, exiting in the quarterfinals.
Despite the disappointment, there is nothing but pride for the Team GB legend, who will return to competition alongside Huw Nightingale in Sunday’s Mixed Team Snowboard Cross event.