- Britain’s most successful men’s alpine ski racer, Dave Ryding, retired from full-time competitive sport at the end of the 2026 winter season
- He joins the Ski Club of Great Britain as its ambassador alongside Britain’s most successful women’s Alpine Ski World Cup and Winter Olympic ski racer, Chemmy Alcott
- Dave, the only British ski racer to win a FIS Alpine Ski World Cup race, will engage directly with members of the Ski Club through its content, online talk and an indoor ski workshop
Dave ‘The Rocket’ Ryding, Britain’s most successful men’s alpine ski racer, has joined the Ski Club of Great Britain as its ambassador, alongside Chemmy Alcott.
As part of the partnership, Dave will create monthly content across social media, Ski Magazine (the club’s print publication exclusively for members) and the Ski Club website. He will also take part in two member events during the season: an indoor ski workshop and an online talk (dates to be confirmed).
With a career spanning 17 seasons on the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup circuit, five Winter Olympic Games and nine FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, Dave is widely regarded to be the greatest ever British ski racer of all time and with seven World Cup podiums, including his historic victory in the Kitzbühel slalom in 2022, he rose to fame both in the UK and internationally.
Following the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, which included his fifth Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, Dave decided to retire (aged 39) from full-time sport and spend time with his family as well as pursuing opportunities within the snowsports industry.
Dave said:
“I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the Ski Club of Great Britain as an ambassador, and it is a partnership I am incredibly proud to be a part of. The Ski Club holds such a special place at the heart of British skiing, and to represent that feels truly meaningful to me.
This coming season is one I have been looking forward to more than any other. For the first time in my career, I will be experiencing winter without slalom gates, and I genuinely cannot wait. Skiing has always been my life, but there is a whole world of the mountain I have been racing past for years, and I am ready to explore every bit of it. There really is no sport like skiing. That feeling of standing at the top of a mountain, taking in everything around you before choosing your own line down. The freedom, the exhilaration, the pure sense of speed, it is completely unmatched. No other sport in the world gives you that.
I am excited to share that passion with the Ski Club community and hopefully inspire more people to experience everything this incredible sport has to offer.”
General Manager of the Ski Club, Katy Ellis, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Dave Ryding as a Ski Club Ambassador. Dave is not only one of Britain’s greatest-ever alpine ski racers, but also an inspirational figure whose passion, dedication and love for the sport perfectly reflect the values of the Ski Club. We look forward to working with him to inspire skiers of all abilities, share his unique insights and experiences, and help more people enjoy everything that makes skiing such a special sport.”
The Ski Club continues to offer its members value through partnerships with Chemmy and Dave as well as a number of other schemes such as discounts on holidays and equipment, a comprehensive insurance policy and its expanding Freshtracks holiday programme for all levels of skier. The club’s resort reps help facilitate its social offering, both on and off the slopes.
Adult membership starts from £90 per year.
-ENDS-
Media enquiries relating to Dave Ryding and the Ski Club: contact Peter Davies at the Ski Club
Header photo credit: Fusalp
