Slalom skier Dave Ryding has finished his 2016-17 World Cup season ranked 8th in the world, the best ever result for a world-class level season of Alpine racing by a British male skier.
Ryding, who first donned skis are 12 and learned his craft on a dry slope north of Liverpool, finished the season with an 8th place in the World Cup Finals at Aspen in Colorado late on Sunday.
Having been in 19th place after the first run, Ryding told the Aspen Times, “It was all or nothing. I skied loose and it was a really nice way to finish the season,” he said.
His second run was the second fastest of all racers on the day.
Ryding, now aged 30, consistently placed in the top 20 and often the top 10 right through the World Cup calendar. His most memorable result was a second d place in the biggest race of the season, the Hahnenkamm slalom in Kitzbuhel on Jan 22nd, when having led after the first run, he finished second only to overall World cup winner for a record sixth time, Austria’s Marcel Hirscher.
Ryding’s second place was the best British World Cup result for more than three decades.
Last year he ended the season 22nd in the slalom season standings.
Although the best ever British Men’s result in Alpine ski racing, and the best British result for nearly five decades. Dave Ryding’s 8th place in the World Cup slalom standings is not quite the best ever British result.
50 years ago, in 1967, the first year of the Alpine Skiing World Cup, Gina Hathorn was 8th in the Slalom standings, matching Dave, and a year later in 1968 Davina Galicia was 6th in the downhill.
(Image credit, top: Vanessa Fry photography, bottom Team BSS, additional research in this story by Konrad Bartelski)