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Dave Ryding, Britain’s greatest ever Alpine skier, to retire at end of season

Country’s first ever Alpine World Cup winner confirms 2025/26 season will be last on international circuit

Dave Ryding, the only British skier to win an Alpine World Cup race and widely recognised as the best British Alpine skier in history, has confirmed today his intention to retire at the end of the 2025/26 season.

The 38-year-old, a regular on the World Cup circuit since 2009, made the announcement today ahead of a season which will see Ryding push for a fifth Olympic Winter Games appearance in Milan-Cortina in February.

Having established himself as one of Britain’s finest winter sport athletes over the course of his career, Ryding made history in January 2022 with victory at the Kitzbuehel Slalom World Cup, one of seven career World Cup podiums to date, as one of only four British Alpine skiers to record career World Cup podiums following Gina Hathorn (1967), Divina Galica (1968 x 2), and Konrad Bartelski (1981).

In a career packed full of record-breaking achievements, Ryding also boasts three World Championships top 10 finishes including a sixth place in the 2025 World Championships which marked Britain’s best Men’s Alpine World Championships result since 1934, and two Olympic top 10 finishes from the 2018 PyeongChang Games with ninth in the Slalom and fifth in Team Parallel.

Long recognised as the standard bearer for British Alpine skiing, Ryding’s 2024/25 season saw him record three World Cup top-10 finishes in Gurgl (seventh), Val d’Isere (ninth), and Alta Badia (eighth) alongside World Championships sixth place, which will see him enter his final season on the international circuit as Britain’s highest ranked Alpine skier ahead of World Cup squad teammates Laurie Taylor and Billy Major.

Announcing his decision to retire at the end of the season, Dave said:

“Competing internationally, representing my country on the World Cup circuit, and going to four Olympic Games so far has been the privilege of a lifetime. I’ve always said that I’d only carry on for as long as I think I can perform to my best level, and making this decision now frees me up to give one last push to try and go one step further over the next season.

“I know I’ve still got it in me to perform at the top of my game, but I’m also really aware that I’m at a different stage in life than I was even a few years ago. I’ve had the most incredible support along the way from so many people, but nobody more than my family, and making this decision now is also about making a decision to prioritise time with the people I love in the years to come.

“I’m so grateful for all the support I’ve received along throughout my racing career, from the fans, teammates, sponsors, the media, and everyone who’s helped me live out my dream over the past fifteen years. I hope in doing that, I’ve also showed for other Brits that you can do what I did, start out on the dry slopes, work hard, and make it to the top.

“There’ll be time to reflect as the year goes on, but for now I’m just focused on getting my head down, training hard this summer, and making sure I’m in the best possible shape to go out with a bang this season.

“It’s been one hell of a journey, and I’ve loved every second of it. Now it’s time to make this final season a special one.”

Vicky Gosling, GB Snowsport Chief Executive, said:

“What is there to say about Dave that hasn’t already been said? He’s an icon, a legend of the sport, and a man who embodies everything it is that makes British sport so incredible.

“His accomplishments on the slopes will be spoken about for decades, but the way he’s inspired people across the country and helped bring British Alpine skiing to another level is one of British sport’s great success stories.

“Every one of us involved in this sport owes Dave a huge debt of gratitude for what he’s done, and for what he continues to do. His dedication and drive to succeed is a model for anyone who wants to reach the top of their game, no matter the field they’re in, and I know he’s going to show that again throughout his final season on the circuit.”

Dave Ryding career highlights:

• 2009 – World Cup debut in Alta Badia, Italy
• 2009 – makes World Championships debut, finishing 41^st in Giant Slalom in Val d’Isere
• 2010 – competes at first career Olympic Winter Games in Whistler, Canada, finishing 47^th in Giant Slalom and 27^th in Slalom
• 2012 – first World Cup points, finishing 26^th in Levi, Finland
• 2013 – first Europa Cup victory in Pozza, Italy
• 2016 – first World Cup top 10 finish, with sixth place in Levi, Finland
• 2017 – finishes second in Kitzbuehel World Cup, becoming only second British man to secure an Alpine World Cup podium after Konrad Bartelski
• 2017 – breaks top 10 in Slalom World Cup standings, finishing in eighth spot
• 2018 – secures two top 10 Olympic placings, with ninth in Slalom and fifth in Team Parallel in PyeongChang
• 2019 – records two World Championships top 10 finishes with ninth place in both Slalom and Team Parallel in Are
• 2021 – third place in Adelboden World Cup marks third career World Cup podium, officially making Ryding Britain’s most successful ever Alpine World Cup racer
• 2022 – makes history as first British skier to win an Alpine World Cup race with victory in Kitzbuehel
• 2022 – named as one of Team GB’s two flagbearers for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony in Beijing
• 2022 – records second eighth place finish in Slalom World Cup standings
• 2023 – bookends year with sixth and seventh World Cup podiums, finishing second in Kitzbuehel in January and third in Madonna di Campiglio in December
• 2024 – ends season with best ever Slalom World Cup standings, coming in seventh place, for highest career ranking
• 2025 – finishes sixth in Saalbach World Championships, Britain’s best Men’s Alpine World Championships result since before the Second World War