GB Snowsport has announced the British Alpine ski team for the 2026-27 World Championship season. Following Dave Ryding’s retirement, Britain now enters a new era, with a squad that combines experienced World Cup racers and a promising generation of younger athletes.
What does Britain’s first post-Ryding World Cup squad look like?
World Cup Squad
- 🇬🇧 Reece Bell — HEAD, Apex2100 — Born: Aug. 27, 2001 (24)
- 🇬🇧 Freddy Carrick-Smith — British Ski Academy, Team Carrick-Smith — Born: Feb. 11, 2007 (19)
- 🇬🇧 Billy Major — HEAD, Kandahar Ski Club — Born: Nov. 21, 1996 (29)
- 🇬🇧 Victoria Palla — Born: Jan. 9, 2001 (25)
- 🇬🇧 Laurie Taylor — HEAD, British Ski Academy — Born: Feb. 10, 1996 (30)
How important is experience to this team?
Seasoned pros Laurie Taylor and Billy Major are the headline names on the team. Taylor, fourth in Levi last November, enters his 10th season as a World Cup starter, while fellow two-time Olympian Major begins his seventh.
Taylor secured his first World Cup Finals qualification last season and finished the 2025-26 campaign ranked 21st in the slalom standings.
With Ryding now retired, Taylor becomes the most experienced athlete in the British program and a key leader within the squad.
Meanwhile, on the women’s side, Reece Bell and Victoria Palla will both represent Britain on the slalom circuit in the upcoming season.
US-based Bell told Ski Racing Media, “I’m very grateful to be back on the World Cup squad. The previous season was pretty difficult due to two injuries with my ankle and back, but I’ve just started training in gates this week in France, and everything feels good. I’m so excited for the upcoming season and really looking forward to the summer preparation period now that I’m fully healthy.”
After missing significant time through injury, Bell’s return gives Britain additional depth on the women’s side.
Why is Freddy Carrick-Smith’s promotion significant?
Looking ahead, the biggest change is the promotion of 19-year-old Freddy Carrick-Smith to the World Cup squad for the first time. The young technical skier has emerged as one of Britain’s most promising prospects and now takes the next step in his development.
Carrick-Smith told Ski Racing Media:
“It’s an exciting time and there are lots of opportunities to come. I’m super grateful for all the people who have helped me get to this point and most of all my parents, so thank you. The best part is I get to do it all with my brothers.”
His promotion highlights a broader shift within British Alpine skiing as younger athletes begin moving into more prominent roles.
What stands out about the World Cup selections?
The omission of a speed athlete from the World Cup squad stands out among the selections.
However, Britain’s leading speed racer in recent seasons, Roy Steudle, was included in the World Cup squad ahead of last season but failed to qualify for the Olympics.
This year he moves to the Europa Cup squad, leaving Britain without a designated speed skier at World Cup level.
On the 2027 Alpine squad selections, new GB Snowsport Alpine Director Mark Tilston said:
“Firstly, a huge congratulations to every single member of the World Cup, Europa Cup, and FIS Development squads that have been announced today.
“Meeting the standard to achieve selection to the team requires a huge commitment to the sport, and every member of these squads has shown real dedication, grit, and determination to make it to where they are today.
“This has the potential to be an incredibly exciting season for British Alpine skiing, and I’m confident that the whole team and all the coaches and support personnel that work alongside them will make the country proud in the coming months.”
Which athletes could push toward future World Cup opportunities?
Europa Cup Squad
- 🇬🇧 Molly Butler — British Ski Academy, Kandahar — Born: June 19, 2006 (19)
- 🇬🇧 Luca Carrick-Smith — British Ski Academy, Team Carrick-Smith — Born: May 13, 2005 (21)
- 🇬🇧 Zak Carrick-Smith — British Ski Academy, Team Carrick-Smith — Born: Feb. 11, 2007 (19)
- 🇬🇧 Lucas Ellis — Colorado Mountain College, Apex2100 — Born: Aug. 26, 2004 (21)
- 🇬🇧 Giselle Gorringe — Atomic — Born: June 26, 2003 (22)
- 🇬🇧 Ed Guigonnet — Born: Aug. 11, 2001 (24)
- 🇬🇧 Jack Irving — Renegade Racing — Born: Sept. 2, 2005 (20)
- 🇬🇧 Toby Jennings — Middlebury University Ski Team — Born: March 7, 2004 (22)
- 🇬🇧 Calum Langmuir — Atomic, Dartmouth College — Born: Nov. 4, 2002 (23)
- 🇬🇧 Max Laughland — Atomic, Apex2100 — Born: Aug. 15, 2004 (21)
- 🇬🇧 Dominic Shackleton — Middlebury College — Born: Oct. 1, 2004 (21)
- 🇬🇧 Roy Steudle — Atomic — Born: July 5, 1993 (32)
- 🇬🇧 Owen Vinter — Glasgow Ski Racing — Born: Dec. 17, 2001 (24)
- 🇬🇧 Nicole Wordley — Stars Be Gone — Born: Nov. 16, 2005 (20)
Beyond the World Cup squad, the Europa Cup team highlights the depth developing behind Britain’s top athletes.
The selection of Lucas Ellis, Luca and Zak Carrick-Smith shows the strength of Britain’s younger technical contingent, with both Butler and Zak Carrick-Smith still 19 years old.
The Carrick-Smith family continues to play an increasingly important role within British Alpine skiing. Freddy now joins the World Cup team, while Luca and Zak continue their progression through the Europa Cup ranks.
What role could Britain’s speed racers play?
Meanwhile, Max Laughland, Roy Steudle and Owen Vinter lead Britain’s speed efforts and will look to strengthen their case for future World Cup selection.
Strong performances on the Europa Cup circuit could position all three athletes for higher-level opportunities in the seasons ahead.
Who could form Britain’s next generation of Alpine talent?
There are an additional 17 athletes who have been named to the FIS Development Squad.
FIS Development Squad
- 🇬🇧 Harrison Adkins
- 🇬🇧 Brooke Baxter
- 🇬🇧 Alice Bond
- 🇬🇧 Hamish Blyth
- 🇬🇧 Maisie Blyth
- 🇬🇧 Harry Duncan
- 🇬🇧 Ryan Faber
- 🇬🇧 William Freear
- 🇬🇧 Tia Freshwater
- 🇬🇧 Olivia Howeson
- 🇬🇧 Harris Humphries
- 🇬🇧 Ian Menzies
- 🇬🇧 Tabitha Milkins
- 🇬🇧 Mateo Padoan
- 🇬🇧 Lewis Parton
- 🇬🇧 Emerson Proctor
- 🇬🇧 Amelie Swift
Looking further down the pipeline, this group forms the foundation of Britain’s future talent base and could eventually progress to Europa Cup and World Cup competition.
The development squad gives GB Snowsport a broad base of emerging talent as it continues building depth across both technical and speed disciplines.
What does the future hold for British Alpine skiing?
This squad blends World Cup experience in Taylor and Major with emerging talent in the Carrick-Smith brothers, Butler, Palla and Bell.
At the same time, Britain no longer has the experience and leadership of Dave Ryding at the center of the men’s team. As a result, the program enters a new World Championship cycle with opportunities for younger athletes to step into larger roles.
The challenge now shifts from replacing a trailblazing athlete to turning potential into results on the World Cup stage.
About the Author: Matt Garcka
