Dave Ryding became the first British skier to win a World Cup Alpine ski race in the competition’s 55 years , winning the slalom at the annual tour’s biggest event, the Hahnenkamm meeting at Kitzbuhel in Austria in January.

Ryding, who had taken second place in the same race five years ago, at the time the joint best ever British World cup alpine ski racing result, learned to ski on the 100 metre long Pendle dry slope in Lancashire, England and original competed on the British dry ski slope racing circuit.

Ryding started competing on dry ski slopes at age eight in the early 1990s, first skied on snow at twelve, and continued racing on dry slopes until age 21.

He started competing on the Europa Cup in 2007 and made his World Cup debut in December 2009, aged 23.

“I’m 35 now but I never stopped believing, I never stopped trying … I always believed I could do it, I always thought I can do this but my races were getting less and less and doubt is always there,” he commented after the race.

At 35, Ryding also became the oldest man ever to win an Alpine Skiing Slalom World Cup race.