There have been some fantastic results from British racers this season already with the highlight coming from Billy Major and Laurie Taylor in taking first and second in the Swiss National Championship Slalom race in Adelboden at the beginning of December. Reece Bell took the top result so far of the British racers away from the World Cup in the women's races in taking third in the FIS race at the US Nationals. There have been a number of other great results.
Major and Taylor scored low twenty point FIS results in taking the top two places in the race at Adelboden in winning the Swiss nationals slalom. Three days after the race in Adelboden, Major scored another top result in taking a 31 point result in Pfelders. Major has been scoring solid results in the low thirties.
After the race in Adelboden, Major explained: "Adelboden was tough and a bit of a fight to be honest. The first races of the season, you are always a little bit race rusty and finding the right intensity is the hardest bit for me. It was a pretty full race and starting outside of the 15 wasn’t ideal with the bad weather conditions but the slope held up well. The first day I was off the pace and didn’t put down great skiing with too many mistakes. The second day I managed to get it a bit better and show some solid skiing but still not what I want. Being second after the first run and only 0.15 off the front was good to chase down on the second run. I skied well but made a mistake which made the finish very close, with Laurie having a great second run and finishing just behind me. Was great to get the win and be on the podium with Laurie, getting two British guys on the podium is always nice. We also scored some pretty good FIS points which will help to build on over the next few races."
Charlie Raposo has also been looking to work his way up the World Cup start list and in Zinal at the Europa Cup race, Raposo placed 11th and explained on his instagram page after the race "Picked up some solid Europa Cup points with an 11th place in Zinal. Weather was beaut too. Stoked on my second run (4th fastest) but annoyingly just a few too many mistakes in run one to be in the mix with the fastest. We are getting there though. Happy with the direction the racing is going right now."
Raposo needs to start scoring results to give himself a chance of making the second run in the World Cup races. The Zinal result has been backed up with a fourth place finish in the Austrian National Giant Slalom at Reiteralm on December 12, scoring a 21 point result in the process.
Away from the leading lights Rob Poth is benefitting from training and racing with Major and Taylor. Poth scored a 41 point result at the Italian National Championship Slalom, bettering his result at the FIS race in Adelboden where he scored a 45 point result.
Roy Steudle and Owen Vinter have been hitting the results in the 55 point area. Vinter, while he prefers the speed events, recognises that the slalom is important for him as he looks at racing in the Alpine Combined as well. Vinter has scored a 55 point slalom result in Paß Thurn in late November.
Ted Slalde and Are van Vuuren have hit the low sixty point results, Slade in Slalom and van Vuuren in Giant Slalom over in America at Copper Mountain. Jack Cunningham is another to show good form in Giant Slalom as he has scored a mid seventy result in the National Junior Race in Santa Caterina Valfurva in late November.
In Slalom Jake Doyle also scored well in Santa Caterina Valfurva, scoring a sub 70 point result in the CIT race there.
In the women's racing the Ambition girls, Sarah Woodward, Jess Anderson, Olive Foster and Sophie Foster, and the two British women racing with the Ski Race Academy Leitner, Victoria Palla and Abi Bruce. Add the competition that Reece Bell brings and the rising talent that Alexa Elliff is developing into, and it means that the British women are providing competition for two two British World Cup women, Alex Tilley and Charlie Guest.
Bell may have scored the standout result so far but the return from injury of Sarah Woodward has been great to see. Woodward scored a 51 point result in Arosa in Giant Slalom and the competition between her and Jess Anderson is pushing both girls onto better things. On the Ambition Instagram page they have been singing the praises of both races after results in Santa Caterina Valfurva and Hochfugen, Anderson is starting to get her act together. Anderson scored a great 50 point result in the second of the two races in Hochfugen and will now head to Hippach to race in the Europa Cup races as she moves on to harder races.
Both Foster sisters have been scoring some solid results with Olivia scoring a 64 point result in the NJR GS race in Santa Caterina Valfurva. In America Alexa Elliff has scored two great Slalom results with a 74 and 79 result in Copper Mountain.
in the hunt for races, all avenues are being looked at and Giselle Gorringe took the decision to race in Finland in Levi and Pyhatunturi, scoring two sub 100 point results in Slalom and one in GS.
With GB Snowsport focusing on the top end of the sport, Europa Cup and World Cup, the next generation are doing their best to score the results that will bring them some publicity from the governing body.
Many racers have not started their campaigns yet. If you feel you should have been mentioned, drop us an email with your results and we will include you in the next update to subscribers (Email neil(@)racer-ready.co.uk)
Keep up to date with how the British racers are doing but subscribing to Racer Ready for £20 a year at www.racer-ready.co.uk/join-us
Picture of Billy Major at the 2019 British Championships.