Dave Ryding: GEPA pictures
Dave Ryding Announces Final World Cup Season
With retirement fast approaching, the 38-year-old Dave Ryding will enter his 16th and final season on the World Cup slalom circuit.
Ryding made his World Cup debut at age 23 in 2009 and won the Europa Cup slalom title in 2013. A one-time World Cup winner, he announced that he will retire after competing in his fifth Winter Olympics in Italy next year.
The Season Ahead
Ryding will begin his farewell campaign in Levi, Finland, where he scored his first World Cup points in 2012 and earned his first top-10 finish in 2016. Pending FIS Council approval, the season could conclude on Scandinavian snow at the 2026 FIS World Cup Finals in Hafjell, Norway.
Ryding’s Perspective
“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,” Ryding said. “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.”
Ryding, who grew up racing on a dry slope in Pendle, Lancashire, believes he still has more to give.
“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,” he said.
Greatest Hits
Ryding has stood on the World Cup podium seven times in the last eight seasons. His breakthrough came on a snowy day in January 2022, when he won the Kitzbühel slalom—becoming Britain’s first World Cup race winner.
That win followed a second-place finish in Kitzbühel in 2017, when he led the first run and earned Britain’s first World Cup podium since Konrad Bartelski in 1981.
Reflecting on that day, Ryding said, “The feeling I had that day was 99% the same as I remember when I first led the first run in a dry slope race.” His words highlight the importance of his grassroots background. He continued racing on dry slopes until age 21
“A Legend of the Sport”
The CEO of GB Snowsport 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 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 the greatest success stories in British sports.”
Goals for the Season
Ryding appears focused on two primary goals. Ryding aims to become the oldest man to reach a World Cup slalom podium. He nearly achieved it in Madonna di Campiglio in December 2023. That day, he was 12 days younger than Italy’s Giuliano Razzoli during his last podium finish.
He also hopes to improve his Olympic best—ninth place in slalom at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. A better result would equal or surpass Martin Bell’s eighth place in the 1988 Calgary downhill, the best finish by a Briton in Olympic Alpine skiing.
The Emotions
Many in the British ski racing community feel a sense of sadness, but they also believe Ryding could deliver one of his best seasons in 2025–26.. With retirement already announced, he can focus solely on competing.
“It’s been one hell of a journey, and I’ve loved every second of it,” Ryding said. “Now it’s time to make this final season a special one.”
He can certainly expect to receive the Great British sendoff he deserves.
About the Author: Matt Garcka
