Insch skier Ryan Pye says his Great Britain breakthrough has made him “more determined” to carve out a career at elite level on the slopes.
The 19-year-old has been named in the GB FIS squad for the 2024/25 season.
Ryan is one of seven new athletes revealed to be joining the 41-athlete-strong GB alpine squad, which also includes athletes in the higher Europa Cup and World Cup categories.
The Gordon Skiers youngster says the call-up has sharpened his focus on progressing in the sport.
He said: “I think it will make my work ethic even more, so hopefully it’ll mean I will do even better and give me a bit of a confidence boost.
“Most of the World Cup British guys now are mid to late twenties, so there is plenty of time to keep going.
“My aim is to be on the Europa Cup (squad), which is like the F2 of skiing, in the next two to three years.
“My next aim is to be on the World Cup (squad) by the end of my skiing career, like Dave Ryding.
“But it’s just made me even more determined to keep going.”
Top-10 in British giant slalom rankings
Ryan began skiing at Alford Ski Centre, and says: “My passion for it started at the local club Gordons.”
Now a specialist in the slalom and giant slalom disciplines, he added: “I ended up in the top-10 of Great Britain in giant slalom this year (2023/24), that’s from all age groups.
“It was mainly based in Austria and then I raced throughout the whole of Europe, so I was in Andorra, Spain, Czech Republic, France, Italy this year, as well as Norway – where I did quite a big block at the start of the winter – as well as Finland.”
Ryan podiumed on his visit to the Czech Republic, placing second out of 60 competitors.
He admits the travel required due to being based in the north-east of Scotland can be challenging, while skiing also comes at a cost – including funding his own training and race entries, despite now being in the Great Britain programme.
“You’re away from home a lot,” Ryan said.
“(Other challenges include) funding, since there’s none, and that’s definitely a big part – there being no funding for GB skiing.
“It’s all self-funded by parents.
“I am constantly looking for any help I can get.”
When Ryan isn’t abroad competing internationally, he is a race coach to young Gordon Skiers kids who share his passion for alpine skiing, and has also taken on the position of race convenor for Gordons.
He thinks his elevation to the Great Britain FIS squad will stand him in good stead on and off the slopes, and reflects his commitment.
“It shows I’ve kept dedicated and that I am hard-working, so it’s good to go on my CV,” Ryan said.
“It shows determination to keep going and work hard for what you’re aiming for.”
Conversation