New Foundation to support young British ski talent in the buildup to the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics
Key supporters include Gareth Williams, founder of Skyscanner, Nick Robinson, CEO of Maison Sport and Grammy-nominated Director, Sam Wrench
GB Snowsport has launched the GBS Alpine Foundation, a new initiative to support young British ski talent in the buildup to the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics and beyond.
The fund will provide supporters with a means to directly impact the efforts of Britain’s high-performance Alpine ski team and will importantly support the sport’s most promising young British talent.
The longer-term aim will then be to support some of the country’s most promising Europa Cup and younger Alpine talent as they look to continue Britain’s upward trajectory in Alpine skiing and support future generations of British Alpine skiers.
Juliet Foster, GB Snowsport Alpine Discipline Committee Chair, said:
“This is an incredibly exciting time for British Alpine skiing with our greatest ever generation of Alpine skiers. Last season the team finished sixth in the Men’s Slalom World Cup Nations Cup, ahead of nations such as Italy, the USA, Canada and Sweden, who receive approximately £900,000 more in funding per athlete than their British counterparts so this fund will make a huge difference to our performance as a nation.”
The disparity in finances is due to Alpine athletes not currently being eligible for full funding from the UK’s sport funding agencies, so they are heavily dependent on sponsors, benefactors and donors.
At launch, the Foundation, which will be chaired by Maison Sport CEO Nick Robinson, has already attracted support from eight donors, each of whom has contributed upwards of £20,000, with hopes to sign more donors as the season progresses. These include:
GBS Alpine Foundation Founding Board Members
- Nick Robinson (CEO of Maison Sport)
- Anthony Cross (fund manager)
- The Davies family
- Eric Martineau-Fortin (CEO and founder of White Star Capital)
- Mark Quinn (CEO of Quinn Estates)
- Luke Steyn OLY
- Gareth Williams (founder of Skyscanner)
- Sam Wrench (Grammy-nominated Director)
All the money raised will be ring-fenced to support the Alpine team and will be used to boost funding received from team sponsorships and National Squads investment provided by UK Sport to support Dave Ryding’s programme.
To give our skiers, the best possible chance to maximise their potential, and make history in Milan-Cortina, GB Snowsport responded to the interest of several passionate supporters of the sport to develop the Foundation, with the founding board members’ generosity coming at a moment where investment and sponsorship for many sports has been particularly challenging to attract and maintain.
Nick Robinson, GBS Alpine Foundation Chairman, said:
“For many years there has been considerable support for British Alpine ski racing programs, alongside support from UK Sport, from several individuals, and the Foundation aims to bring these people together, creating a network of passionate supporters. The US ski team has had a foundation in operation since 1964; we hope to create one that is equally influential.
“Our aim is to ensure there is a consistent level of funding season after season, not just for the World Cup program, but for the lower levels too. It will take time to build the Foundation up to a level where this is possible, but the founding board members are motivated to do so, and we look forward to welcoming new members through the course of this winter and beyond.”
Vicky Gosling, GB Snowsport Chief Executive, added:
“We know just how much Alpine skiing means to so many British Snowsport fans, and we know there’s so much passion to support the team who’ve been consistently delivering for years now at the very top of the sport.
“The generosity of all of the Foundation donors will directly support the team from day one of this season, and we’re hugely grateful for their backing, and for the backing of all future donors.”
For more information on how to support the GBS Alpine Foundation, please visit https://gbsnowsport.com/about-us/alpine-foundation/ or contact Juliet Foster, GB Snowsport Alpine Discipline Committee Chair, on [email protected]
