Where to Ski And Snowboard - Ryding finishes second in Kitzbühel

Ryding finishes second in Kitzbühel

22nd January 2017, by Abi Butcher

Britain’s Dave Ryding has taken second place in the Kitzbühel Slalom World Cup

Britain’s Dave Ryding has taken second place in the Kitzbühel Slalom World Cup. He lead the standings after the first round but was eventually pipped to the post by Marcel Hirscher of Austria.

Dave “The Rocket” Ryding has, in finishing second, equaled Britain’s best ever alpine World Cup result — set by Konrad Bartelski in Italy in 1981.

Ryding has been having an immense season — in November he had a career-best to finish sixth in the slalom World Cup race in Levi, Finland. It was the highest Alpine skiing World Cup finish by any Brit, in any discipline, for 35 years.

So far this season he has only once failed to make the top 15 – when he finished 17th on the technically demanding Val D’Isère course.

A few days ago Ryding revealed how his success has left him facing a new pressure.

“Facebook and Twitter goes crazy if I have a good result,” explained the 30-year-old. “I was 15th and 12th in my last races, which before this season, everyone was really happy with, but the expectation is now for these top tens,and 15th is not quite cutting it.”

He added: “I didn’t really know what to expect coming into the season. I was just aiming for good skiing and maybe to pick up a top ten somewhere. [This season, since Levi] has showed that I wasn’t just a one-slope-wonder.

“I think I’m surprising a few people and I’m starting to believe that I am among the best skiers in the world.”

Dave Ryding began skiing aged six on his local dry slope of Pendle, while dad Carl played the role of coach from age 11.

At 16 Dave was selected onto the England Alpine Ski Team, basing himself in Austria. He was then selected for the British Team and won his first British Slalom Title in 2008, successfully defending it in 2009.
After a 27th and 47th-place finish in the Slalom and Giant Slalom respectively at the 2010 Winter Olympics, Dave leapt up the standings four years later in Sochi to finish 17th, while he has also been moving up the rankings on the World Cup circuit in recent years.