GB Snowsport has selected three British athletes to compete in men’s slalom at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Bormio next month.

Great Britain — Men’s Olympic Slalom Team (Bormio 2026)

• 🇬🇧 Dave Ryding — YOB 1986 — Bretherton, England — HEAD
• 🇬🇧 Laurie Taylor — YOB 1996 — Basingstoke, England — HEAD
• 🇬🇧 Billy Major — YOB 1996 — Cambridge, England — HEAD

MEET THE TEAM

Dave Ryding (HEAD)

Born: 5/12/1986 – Bretherton, Lancashire, England

Olympic Pedigree & World Cup Winner

This will be Ryding’s fifth and final Olympic Games, having first featured as a 23-year-old with very little experience at Vancouver 2010. He went on to compete at Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018, and Beijing 2022.

His best Olympic performance across his previous four Games was ninth place in the 2018 Olympic slalom, a result the 39-year-old has made clear he would love to improve on in Bormio.

Career Highlights & Championship Success

His career highlights include seven World Cup podiums — six in slalom and one in parallel — including Britain’s only alpine skiing World Cup victory, the 2022 Kitzbühel slalom. Ryding also recorded a sixth-place finish in the World Championship slalom last February, the best British result at a major alpine championship this century.

Ryding said, “It’s a real honour to be selected to represent Team GB again. I am looking forward to performing on the biggest stage in front of a central European crowd for the first time in my Olympic career and I can’t wait to get out there and into the action.”

“I’ve never taken for granted what it means to represent my country, and to have the chance to compete for Great Britain at an Olympic Games for the fifth time is something I could only have dreamed of when I went to my first Games back in 2010,” he added.

“As everyone knows, this is my final season of ski racing, and I’m going to give everything I’ve got to make my last Olympics my best one,” Ryding said. “I’m grateful to everyone who’s worked to help me get here, and I’m looking forward to being part of an incredible Team GB delegation in Milano Cortina 2026.”

Bormio could mark an emotional farewell for the most successful alpine skier Great Britain has ever produced.

Laurie Taylor (HEAD)

Born: 2/10/1996 – Basingstoke, Hampshire, England

World Cup Consistency & Natural Speed

Taylor now has more than 70 World Cup starts to his name and returns to the Olympic stage eight years after finishing 26th at PyeongChang 2018, when he was just 21 years old.

There is a belief throughout British ski racing that Taylor has the potential to challenge for medals, best showcased by his fourth-place finish in Levi earlier this season, a World Cup personal best for the 29-year-old.

Taylor has recorded four World Cup top-30 results this season and owns two career World Cup top-10 finishes. Next month in Bormio, he will look to confirm his place among the world’s elite on the sport’s biggest stage. This will be Laurie’s seventh major championship, with one career top-30 finish at World Championship or Olympic level.

Taylor wrote on Instagram: “Honoured to be selected to represent Great Britain at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Games! A few years older, and hopefully a little wiser than last time. It’s been a serious journey since then, and I’d like to thank everyone who’s supported me along the way.”

Billy Major (HEAD)

Born: 21/11/1996 – Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England

World Cup Breakthrough & Olympic Return

Major’s World Cup breakthrough came in the final race of last season, when he recorded his first career top-10 finish with ninth place in Hafjell. This season, he has logged four World Cup top-30 results, highlighted by 17th place in Gurgl.

This will be his second Olympic Games, after competing in slalom at Beijing 2022, where he was unable to complete the first run. Major placed 15th in the slalom at last February’s World Championships in Saalbach, one of two career top-30 finishes at major championships.

Major posted on Instagram: “Extremely proud to be selected for the Olympics in Milan-Cortina and represent Team GB once again.

“Don’t think this little champ could have imagined quite how far he’d go and what is still to come. It’s taken a huge amount of work, dedication, and sacrifice to reach this point. It wouldn’t be possible without all the people who have believed in and supported me over the years. To each and every one of you, thank you.”

Absence of Women

As no women met British qualification criteria, GB Snowsport declined the women’s quota spot, which many had expected would go to Victoria Palla in slalom as the highest-ranked British female athlete. Other athletes considered included Colorado-based Reece Bell, who continues to manage injury setbacks, and 19-year-old Molly Butler, who has spent several seasons with Team Carrick-Smith.

Other Options

Teenager Freddy Carrick-Smith met the British Olympic Committee’s qualification standards after posting two Europa Cup giant slalom top-10 results this week in Turnau, Austria. However, the performances came three days after the selection deadline.

Thirty-two-year-old speed specialist Roy Steudle was also considered, but he has been unable to carry forward last season’s momentum, which included a 29th-place finish in the World Championship super-G.

Overall Thoughts

This Olympic team reflects consistent, high-quality World Cup performances paired with experience and reliability at the highest level of the sport. The depth outside the final 2026 roster underscores the health of British alpine skiing and points toward continued progress as Dave Ryding brings an extraordinary career to a close at season’s end.