In the ongoing battle to both provide the backing developing snowsports stars need to progress up the rankings, and then to secure enough funding to help our top ski and snowboarding stars compete on the world stage, two new initiatives have been announced that it is hoped will bring in more money to competitive British snowsports at the elite level.
In a significant move by the UK snowsports industry, the first of the two new initiatives, The British Snowsports Fund, will target the passion of the UK’s recreational skiers and snowboarders by asking them to make a small donation when they book a ski holiday or make a purchase from one of the scheme’s confirmed industry partners.
This is the first time that a scheme of this scale has been launched in UK snowsports, and funds raised will go to support Britain’s future Winter Olympians – from those on the cusp of qualifying for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea – now less than 18 months away – right through to kids who are just entering their first competitions, as well as to projects that support increased participation in the sports.
Some of the big players supporting the initiative are the UK’s leading tour operators such as Crystal and Inghams and retailers Ellis Brigham as well as many other top names in British winter sports including AMS Rentals, Ben’s Bus, Butler & Wilson, Element Ski School, Esprit, Le Ski, Mark Warner, Meriski, Ski Bartlett, the Ski Club of Great Britain, SKISET, Ski Total, Ski Weekends and Stanford Skiing.
Paul Carter, Chief Operating Officer of Inghams, one of the confirmed partners of the British Snowsports Fund, said, “It’s been proven that the success of elite athletes drives participation amongst the general public, and it is our hope that by supporting our future Winter Olympians we’ll see more people putting on their skis or boards and joining us in the mountains! I’m sure that our customers will get behind this initiative, and I hope that it will be supported by the whole of the UK snowsports industry for many years to come.”
(Young snowboarders at Chill Factore in Manchester, CREDIT Snowsport England)
The second new initiative is British Ski and Snowboard National Foundation, a new grant-making charity which will provide financial support for talented young skiers and snowboarders. Grants will be available to cover costs such as competition travel and accommodation, coaching and equipment. It will also encourage grassroots participation in skiing and snowboarding by funding projects that offer young people ways of becoming involved in the sports and developing their talents.
Cara Brown (pictured top), a member of the Delancey British Alpine Senior Squad said, “Funding is vital to the success of the British snowsports athletes. The biggest skiing nation in the world is probably Austria – and the funding they put it to the sport is reflected by how many athletes they get on the podium! We’re not miles behind these guys, we’re less than seconds and any kind of support makes a huge difference in a sport which is all about marginal gains!”
Coming from a largely lowland nation (at the southern English end), the costs for British snowsports athletes are often high due to the necessity to travel for training and competition. For example, the family of a 13 year old snowboarder participating in a Home Nations Academy programme would need to meet annual costs in excess of £10k for training, equipment and competition travel. For elite athletes these costs are significantly more, with an Alpine skier participating in a British Ski and Snowboard Europa Cup programme needing to cover the £35.5k programme cost themselves.
Rory Tapner, Chairman of British Ski and Snowboard, the national governing body for snowsports in the UK, said of the launch, “The success of Team GB at Rio and in London has shown that Britain is a sporting superpower. Our aim is for our snowsport Olympians to replicate the success of their summer compatriots. The British Ski and Snowboard National Foundation and the British Snowsports Fund will help us to fulfil this ambition by providing long-term sustainable funding with which we will be able to support our coaching programmes and athletes, and increase the pool of snowsport talent in the country. We are thrilled that so many industry partners and other supporters share in our aims and join with us in planning a successful future.”
To find out more about The British Snowsports Fund and The British Ski and Snowboard National Foundation visit www.bssnf.uk. You can also find The British Ski and Snowboard National Foundation on Twitter at @Britishssnf. The British Snowsports Fund will be tweeting @Brit_Snowsports.