Laurie Taylor / Alta Badia 2025 / GEPA pictures
Great Britain has been on the FIS World Cup Alpine ski racing circuit since the early stages of its establishment in the late 1960s, but not many calendar years have been as successful across the board as 2025.
Three men scored World Cup top-10 results, two of which were personal best performances, a World Junior Championship medal, a Europa Cup victory, and two more World Cup debutants—and that’s only on the men’s side.
January
The year began with at least two of the three top British slalom athletes finishing in the top 30 in Adelboden, Wengen, Kitzbühel, and Schladming: four of the five World Cup slaloms ahead of the 2025 World Ski Championships.
Dave Ryding and Laurie Taylor delivered the best of the results in January—tying with each other for 16th in the Hahnenkamm slalom, Kitzbühel. Ryding and Taylor were joined in the points by Billy Major in Schladming when all three racers finished in the top 25.
Thirty-one-year-old Roy Steudle narrowly missed his first World Cup points on his World Cup Super-G debut, placing 36th in Kitzbühel.
February
The 48th World Ski Championships in Saalbach, Austria, in February headlined a milestone year for GB Snowsport.
Great Britain sent its largest-ever World Championship squad to Saalbach and competed in every discipline for both men and women, except for the women’s team combined event.
Roy Steudle set the trend in the men’s Super-G, claiming a breakthrough top-30 result by finishing 29th in only his second major championship. A crash in the second downhill training run ended his season prematurely.
The men’s slalom featured the most notable performers, with Ryding finishing seventh in his final World Championships ahead of Billy Major in 15th.
The women’s GS squad did not secure any top-30 results in Saalbach, but they delivered standout performances, with all four women finishing inside the top 40. Eighteen-year-old Molly Butler made her impressive major championships debut, displaying the future of women’s ski racing in Britain.
British ski racing fans had plenty to cheer about in the women’s slalom, as Reece Bell (20th) and Victoria Palla (23rd) both finished in the top 25 and announced themselves to the world.
Saalbach 2025 signified change for the British team, as selectors chose more athletes than ever before and more competitors finished in the top 30, highlighting the importance of extending opportunities to younger racers.
March
The men’s slalom team continued to deliver in World Cup competition, with Billy Major’s standout ninth-place performance in Hafjell.
Team Carrick-Smith—the three young British brothers—also made waves at the World Junior Championships in Tarvisio.
Luca’s bronze medal in the slalom was the highlight, while Freddy achieved huge results by becoming the World U18 champion in both slalom and giant slalom, with additional top-eight finishes. These achievements marked Britain’s first-ever World Junior medal in slalom and the first in any discipline since Graham Bell won downhill silver in 1984.
October
Freddy Carrick-Smith opened the season for Britain in Sölden, making his World Cup debut. At 18 years old, he represented GB Snowsport, which continues to give youngsters more opportunities, and Freddy delivered a high-quality performance in his first World Cup appearance.
November
The men’s slalom contingent kicked off their 2025–26 Olympic season in Levi and Gurgl, introducing a fourth member—World Cup debutant Luca Carrick-Smith. Although he did not finish in Levi, he displayed his potential to compete at the highest level in the future.
On Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Levi, Finland, Britain enjoyed one of its best days of the year in alpine skiing.
Laurie Taylor achieved an impressive World Cup personal best, claiming fourth place and missing the podium by just two hundredths of a second.
Dave Ryding took seventh place, marking the first time that two Brits finished in the top seven of the same World Cup race. Billy Major finished 27th, the second and final time in 2025 that three British racers placed in the top 30.
Roy Steudle returned to World Cup competition in the Copper Mountain Super-G and finished 66th.
December
The World Cup team delivered consistent results to close out the year, and the Europa Cup tour brought a significant breakthrough.
In Val d’Isère’s classic men’s slalom, three Brits sat within the top 15 after the first run, with Taylor best placed in seventh.
During the second run, Ryding failed to finish for the first time since March 2023, Major made a mistake and finished 24th, and Taylor skied strongly to take 12th place, moving further up the start list. For the first time, the three Brits all started a World Cup race in the top 30, demonstrating their consistency over the last year by regularly scoring elite results.
Less than 48 hours later, 18-year-old Freddy Carrick-Smith climbed from bib 48 to 21st after the first run of the Europa Cup giant slalom in Valloire. Freddy claimed victory with a standout second run, delivering Britain’s first-ever Europa Cup giant slalom win and defeating a field of high-quality international rivals.
The slalom team wrapped up the year in Alta Badia with Ryding (15th) and Taylor (18th) securing top-20 finishes again. Both will start in the top 25 at the first slalom of 2026 in Madonna di Campiglio night slalom on Jan 7.
Looking Ahead
This should be a landmark year for great British skiing. With the Olympic Games less than six weeks away, many British athletes aim to secure their tickets for Milano-Cortina.
Dave Ryding is competing in his final year on tour at age 39, setting the stage for an emotional send-off at the World Cup finals in Hafjell, as both Taylor and Major look to become Britain’s number one.
Although the women’s team currently trails the men, Victoria Palla, Reece Bell, and Molly Butler have all made positive strides, signaling the potential for future success.
The three Carrick-Smith brothers continue to make a name for themselves on the Europa Cup circuit and will compete at the World Junior Championships again in 2026, showcasing their immense potential.
The progress made in 2025 marks another significant step towards achieving consistent success, which the team looks set to repeat in the next 12 months—watch this space.