Featured Image: Charlie Guest racing on World Cup. Credit: GEPA
In the latest episode of the Skiing is Believing podcast, Matt and Alan chatted with one of Britain’s best female skiers of all time, Charlie Guest.
Guest discussed, in detail, about her childhood and skiing in various parts of Scotland. She reminisced about going to visit her grandma at Newby Bridge during the weekends. Additionally, she enjoyed skiing with her family, including her sister, Katie, who is a para-alpine guide on the FIS World Cup para-alpine circuit.
Charlie then shared the ups and downs she has experienced throughout her career and told Matt and Alan about several occasions when she came very close to quitting the sport. Charlie elaborated on particular moments when the journey to success appeared dauntingly distant, leading her to contemplate the decision to postpone her university education; however, in the end, her perseverance proved to be worthwhile.
She was also very optimistic about the future of British ski racing, with the likes of Vici Palla and Reece Bell taking over her reigns this season on the slalom circuit. Backing up the great results on the men’s side of Dave Ryding, Laurie Taylor, and Billy Major.
While Charlie took the decision to retire from the sport in March, she has certainly left her legacy on GB Snowsport and alpine ski racing.
In her departure, she also wrote a letter to FIS after they mistakenly didn’t show the women’s racing from the 2024 World Junior Championships. This incident fueled her to take action, and she voiced her frustration in the letter that garnered support from many top athletes in the sport, including Mikaela Shiffrin and Petra Vlhová.
Please let Alan and Matt know what you thought of this article in addition to any of our episodes throughout the last year. Throughout the season we will be providing two episodes per week, so stay tuned. You can also find the Skiing is Believing podcast on Instagram and YouTube @skiingisbelievingpodcast or email them via mattgarcka.skiingisbelievingpodcast@gmail.com.
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