WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ALPINE COMBINED RACE

Ed finished an amazing 22nd in the ALPINE COMBINED at the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2023
Super G
Video of Super G run click here : WORLD CHAMPS SUPER G
Seeded 51st, Ed attacked the Super G right from the top. Great start. Fantastic jump ! Mistake in the line took him into the powder just off the track which obviously slowed him down, then he caught his hand in a gate, but he got down in a very respectable time in 42nd place.
SLALOM
Video of Slalom run click here :WORLD CHAMPS SLALOM
Started 32nd in the slalom. Skied the first couple of gates brilliantly ("precise" as the French Eurosport commentator said), then made a mistake followed by a straddle. He then climbed up (losing over 12 seconds) and skied the rest of the run fantastically.
He was 12th fastest in the first section, 27th when he made his mistake and climbed up, 12th at the third and then 15th at the bottom.
French commentators : "this boy's got something" "without the mistake he would have been 2 to 2.5 seconds off" "he's a super slalomer".
So he finished 22nd, over 20 seconds off the lead. But 22nd in the World Championships !!
Regrets for the slalom mistake - without the mistake there would have been an incredible result. But what an experience and what a result !
WELL DONE ED !

by edguigonnet

SELECTION FOR WORLD ALPINE CHAMPIONSHIPS 2023

GB SNOWSPORT WILL TAKE A SQUAD OF 12 ATHLETES TO THE 47TH EDITION OF THE ALPINE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, COMPRISING THE BIGGEST BRITISH ALPINE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS SQUAD IN RECENT HISTORY.

With British representation confirmed across Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super-G, Downhill, Alpine Combined and Parallel, the squad travels with a wealth of talent combining some of the biggest names in Alpine skiing with some of the most exciting young talent in the British system.

In Slalom, the men’s World Cup Squad of Dave Ryding, Billy Major, and Laurie Taylor will be joined by Ed Guigonnet, while the women’s team will see Reece Bell, Victoria Palla, Charlie Guest, and Alex Tilley line up to compete. Guest and Tilley’s selection comes at a time that each are recovering from injuries sustained at the start of the year, with high hopes that both will be fit to compete.

Charlie Raposo, Calum Langmuir, Victoria Palla, and Alex Tilley have accepted selection for Giant Slalom, while Super G will see Langmuir, Roy Steudle and Owen Vinter in contention. Steudle will also compete in Downhill, where he is the sole British entrant, as well as Alpine Combined alongside Guigonnet, Langmuir and Vinter.

Parallel will have confirmed entries for Raposo and Langmuir, with Guigonnet and Tilley set to decide closer to competition.

Participation in the Team event will be determined based on an assessment of athlete fitness during the Championships, with the intention to enter a British team if availability and athlete health permits.

The Championships, which will run from 6 to 19 February in Courchevel and Meribel, will see the world’s top Alpine talent battle it out on French territory for the first time since the 2009 Championships in Val d’Isere.

DAVE RYDING SAID:

“It’s great to be in the World Championships squad again, and even more so to be selected alongside so many brilliant British Alpine skiers. This will be my eighth World Championships, and I’m determined to put down the best runs that I can, as will everyone on the British team. Everybody in the squad has worked incredibly hard to reach this level, and I’m confident we can make a real mark on these Championships.”

FULL SQUAD SELECTION:

Men’s

  • Dave Ryding (SL)
  • Billy Major (SL)
  • Laurie Taylor (SL)
  • Charlie Raposo (GS, PAR)
  • Ed Guigonnet (SL, AC)
  • Calum Langmuir (GS, SG, AC, PAR)
  • Roy Steudle (SG, DH, AC)
  • Owen Vinter (SG, AC)

Women’s

  • Charlie Guest (SL)
  • Alex Tilley (SL, GS)
  • Reece Bell (SL)
  • Victoria Palla (SL, GS)

 

 

https://gbsnowsport.com/12-athlete-squad-marks-biggest-british-alpine-world-championships-team-of-recent-years/

by edguigonnet

START OF SEASON 2022/2023 ROUND UP

FIRST RACES

Season got off to a cracking start with two FIS slaloms, both high level races,  with a lot of the competitors being regular Europa Cup racers.

SLALOM 1
Ed had bib 42, meaning he was seeded 42nd.
In the first run he finished 24th at 1,45 seconds off the lead.  An intelligent run on a very rutty course.
Second run (top 30 start in reverse order) he finished 13th overall, a total of 1,54 seconds off the lead. (and 8th in the second run)
He scored 36,07 FIS points.  A PB (personal best) by far.
SLALOM 2
Ed had bib 41.
In the first run he finished 10th.  Yes, it's not a typing mistake, 10th !!!! At only 0,72 seconds off the lead.
Second run, he finished 14th overall, a total of 1,11 seconds off the lead, (and 18th in the second run)
He scored another PB of 32,45 FIS points.
FIRST EUROPA CUP SLALOM RACES
This is where it gets tough.  Elite territory, where you need to fight to find your place and make your mark.
EC SLALOM 1
Ed had BIB 93 out of 110 participants.  He battled his way into 50th in the first run, qualifying him for the second run.  Second run he DNF.  But going well.
EC SLALOM 2
Ed started 94th out of 110 competitors.  He made a couple of mistakes but fought his way down and finished 68th. So didn't get a second run.  It was a tough race in tough conditions : only 75 races finished first run, and only 44 the second !
SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIPS, BORMIO
SLALOM 1 DNF
SLALOM 2  4th (1st GB)  with 33.31 FIS points
GS 1 DNF 1
GS 2 Cancelled

by edguigonnet

GB ALPINE CHAMPIONSHIPS, Tignes 2022

GB ALPINE CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022
Ed's results in the GB Championships
Senior National Championships : Overall Men's winner  & Overall (Victor Ludurum) winner
2nd in Super G
4th in Downhill
4th in Slalom
2nd in Giant Slalom
Junior National Championships : Overall Junior winner (joint with Owen Vinter)
3rd in Super G
3rd in Downhill
1st in Slalom
1st in Giant Slalom
DAY 6, Sunday 3rd April 2022
Ed crowned joint BRITISH OVERALL JUNIOR MEN'S CHAMPION !
AND
SLALOM National Junior Championships race : 1st GB (with a spectacularly good second run !)
DAY 5, Saturday 2nd April 2022
GIANT SLALOM National Junior Championships race : 1st GB
DAY 4 , Friday 1st April 2022
ED crowned BRITISH OVERALL MEN'S CHAMPION & he won the VICTOR LUDORUM (overall GB Champion)
SLALOM National Championships Race : 4th GB (not his best skiing)
BUT
His consistency over the 4 NC races (2nd in super g, 4th in Downhill, 2nd in Giant slalom and 4th in slalom) means that he won, not only the overall combined men’s but also the Victor Ludorum (overall GB champion).
DAY 4, Thursday 31st March 2022
GIANT SLALOM National Championships Race : 3rd GB
Ed was seeded 40 in the race, 8th British.
Terrible weather - snow/sleet/low cloud.
He skied well in the first run, finishing 18th, 3rd GB.
He skied pretty well in the first run - but many came out due to the conditions, so it was really a question of getting down.
He finished 19th overall and .... 2nd GB.
The GB winner was Charlie Raposo, the World Cup GB Giant Slalom skier.
DAY 3, Tuesday 29th March 2022
DOWNHILL National Championships Race : 4th GB
Ed chose bib 1 (to limit the waiting time at the top !!). He skied well and came 4th GB (9th overall) in the National champs race. He was 2nd U21. The winning GB (Roy-Alexander Steudle) is an U30 racer, Owen Vinter came a good second and Ed was overtaken by a young (2004) super speedy Max Laugland.
DOWNHILL National Junior Championships Race : 3rd GB
Ed came 3rd GB (2nd U21 and 7th overall ). In actual fact he was 4th GB, but it was Roy who won again, and as it was a junior race, his GB position doesn't count !!
In this race Ed skied really well and was only 0.02 seconds behind Max !!! (in the first race he was 0.62 behind).
Not bad for a slalomer with no training !

DAY 2, Monday 28th March 2022
Downhill training runs
First run : DSQ
Second run: 7th overall, 4th Brit

DAY 1, Sunday 27th March 2022 

2 Super G races

Super G National Championships race : 2nd GB

Super G Junior National Championships race : 3rd GB

by edguigonnet

FIS WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS, PANORAMA 2022

DAY 8
SLALOM
FANTASTIC RESULT
From bib 67, Ed finished 19th ! Yes, 19th
He had bib 67 - skied magnificently in the first run and finished 18th of that run !!!!!
Started 13th in the second run (top 30 in reverse order), got the 16th best time in the second run and finished 19th.
A great result, but one that we have been waiting for.
RUN 1 From bib 67 to 18th !! Listen to the commentator at the end !!
RUN 2 16th in the second run finishing 19th overall
GIANT SLALOM
Ed had bib 72 (seeded 72).  He finished 57th.  Far from a fantastic result, but an experience to build on.
He got down in the first run, but his skis weren't reacting the way they usually do.  For those of you that managed to watch the video, that's why he was looking so frustrated on arrival.  After inspection of the bases, there was a "ledge" on the edges.  His fault.  It wouldn't have made all that difference, but might have made a little.  Needless to say he rectified this for the second run.
Did his best in the second run and finished 57th.  Not the result he was expecting.
DAY 6
TEAM PARALLEL EVENT
This didn't go as planned !  GB were eliminated by Switzerland in the first run.
DAY 5
ALPINE COMBINED
Slalom race
The disappointing Super G result, 48th, obviously put an end to any hope for a great result in this race.
However, Ed did a solid run coming 27th in the slalom and giving him an overall place of 28th. Excellent given his starting bib
DAY 4
SUPER G RACE RESULT
Bib 33 and hoping to do well.
What a disappointment.  One of those results that cannot be explained and which make it very difficult to digest.  Ed came 48th, 3.26 secs off the lead.  No mistakes, skied well and had no idea when he arrived at the bottom that he hadn't done well.  Perhaps a wax problem ?
One to put down to experience.
DAY 3
DOWNHILL RACE
Bib 39.  Finished 37.
As usual, there is a story behind the result .......
The first 20 bibs were in the sun/good light and, after the overnight snow, the piste was holding up pretty well.  Then conditions deteriorated : the race was interrupted for ages after bib 27 because a huge hole had appeared which they filled with fresh snow and then watered hoping it was going to ice over.
Then, just after the race re-started, the sun went behind the clouds and the light became "white".
Ed started 39th, pretty confident in his capacity.  And then realised a) he couldn't see the lay of the land and b) that the ground was so bumpy that he was bumping up and down so much that he nearly lost his goggles !
He skied well (according to his coach).  He was petrified.  He told me that when he arrived at the bottom he was shaking so much that  it took him 5 minutes before he was able to talk !!!
His time looks disappointing ... he wanted to be about 2.5 secs off the lead and ended up 5.08 secs off.  This, also, can be explained.  As mentioned earlier, the race was effectually "over" after bib 20 due to the weather and piste conditions changing dramatically.  A good indication of this is the excellent Austrian Lukas Furstein, (one of the Austrian World Cup giant slalomers who doesn't usually do DH), who, in the training started 65th (because he has no DH points) and finished 4th only 0.31 secs off the win.  In the actual race he started 56th and finished a brilliant 11th but 2.16 off the lead.  So we can deduct that the conditions caused about a 2 second difference.
Ed's aim in this race was to be in the top 40, 2.5 secs off.
He finished 37th, 5.08 secs off, but had the conditions been "fair" (which they weren't yesterday, but that's Alpine skiing for you) he would have been 3 secs off at the most.
However, not sure he will be doing anymore downhill races !
DAY 2
DOWNHILL TRAINING
Bib 37.  Finished 51st !
DAY 1 
DOWNHILL TRAINING
Cancelled due to rain.

by edguigonnet

Slalom races in Slovenia

Getting back on track in slalom !
Still too many mistakes (some bigger than others as you can see at the end of one of the videos), but the hard work is paying off at last !

 

 

 

by edguigonnet

Selection to the GB Europa Cup Programme

This post marks the end of an amazing three year period.

It started off as a very personal story :
A very talented U16 French (but with double GB nationality) skier who had a serious accident.  Once back on snow, he took longer than his coaches wanted to get back on track and at the end of the season,  even though he was 10th in France of his age in GS, he was told that he would never make it any further because he was frightened of going fast.
A nationality change to ski for GB, a change of training structure, a lot of work to get his confidence back and 3 years down the line, Ed is now 19 years old.
This year he came 13th in the World Junior Championships in Super G ("best GB speed result this century !") and 27th in the World Junior Championships in Giant Slalom (from bib 52).  WJC is a category U21 competition, for which he will still be eligible next year.

Thanks to these great results and the potential he shows, Ed has just been selected to the GB Europa Cup Programme - basically all the benefits of the Europa Cup Squad, but as he does not meet the official GBS criteria, he can't be part of the squad.  This is what GBS said "Ed has been offered this based on our belief in his technical abilities and performances irrespective of FIS points and ranking. The labels can be important but our focus is now on getting Ed to the next stage of his ski racing and beyond. Ed will be a full and equal member of our EC programme".

What does this change ?
1. He leaves Orsatus, where he has been training for 3 years.  
2. He joins GB Snowsport full time from June. 
3. In the summer (from July onwards) Ed will be 2 weeks on skis, 2 weeks off – on glaciers and indoor slopes in Europe.
4. From October to April he will be based in Schladming, Austria.What doesn’t change ?
Cost
A year's training and racing will cost “in the region of £25k”.  (So in line with what we pay now).

For everyone who has supported Ed over some or all of the last 3 years : THANK YOU.  You believed in him and you were right.
As a reminder, here are Ed's aims for the coming season and beyond :
 
NEXT SEASON'S AIMS
- to participate in more Europa Cup races.
- to improve FIS points in all disciplines (in particular SL and GS)
- to be selected and perform in the World Junior Championships, Panorama 2022
- to be selected and perform in the World University Championships
- to win all 4 disciplines U21 at the GB Alpine Championships
- to be selected to the Europa Cup Squad
LONG TERM AIMS
- to participate in the World Championships in Courchevel/Meribel 2023
- to participate in the Olympic Games, Cortina 2026

This selection to the GB Europa Cup Programme marks the start of a new period with a story that is now less personal and, hopefully, more marketable to potential sponsors.

Let's build on this excellent news to help Ed on the piste towards his Olympic dream !

by edguigonnet

FIS WORLD JUNIORS CHAMPIONSHIPS, BANSKO 2021

FIS World Juniors Championships, Bankso 2001
DAY 3 SLALOM
Bib 50. Again an incredibly difficult piste.
First (and only) run : It was always going to be fight to get into the flip but I could have.  I gave it all I could but stupidly came out on a gate that lots of others came out on.  So disappointed.
DAY 2 GIANT SLALOM
Bib 52.  Incredibly difficult piste.
First run : It was a real fight to get down - lots of mistakes, but finished 30th meaning that I started 1st in the second run.
Second run : First time that I've started first !  Nerves took over a little.  I skied really well, almost too well.  But I got down.  23rd time in second run finishing 27th overall 
Really pleased.
RUN 1
DAY 1 SUPER G
Bib 20.  Really happy with my result ... Finished 13th and a PB too !
And congrats to Owen Vinter too.
2 GB skiers in the top 20 !
SUPER G RUN

RESULTS BOARD

by edguigonnet

FIRST EUROPA CUP !

MY FIRST EUROPA CUP EXPERIENCE
ORCIERES, France

DAY 1 : DH training was cancelled due to too much snow !

DAY 2 : DH training followed by DH race
I had bib 94 in the race and finished 76th !  PB FIS points (80.52)  I wasn't brilliant, but really enjoyed it !

DAY 3 : DH race Weather changed in the middle of the race going from sunny to flat light
I had bib 94.  Skied well but not very fast !!  Finished 89th.  Could have done better, but still pleased with myself.
However my feet were really starting to hurt.  Small balls have appeared on the side of each foot and really hurt when I put my boots on.

DAY 4 : SG race.  Terrible weather - foggy and windy.  The race was stopped several times.  I had bib 94 again.  The race started at 9h45 and I got to ski at 12h45 !
I only had a short race as going over a jump I "bumped" into a gate that had been moved, and I forgot that they'd moved it !!  Short but sweet. DNF

Really enjoyed the Europa Cup atmosphere and really like the speed events.

WATCH THIS SPACE !

 

Here is the video of my first DH race !

by edguigonnet

JANUARY 2021

2 GIANT SLALOMS IN COURCHEVEL
Huge work to do in GS this year .... my coaches want me to change the way I ski.  Wow !  Hard work

GS1
Bib 37.  Too direct on the first run - exactly what my coaches don't want me to do and came out in the second run doing the same. It's the first time I've seen my coach furious.  On the positive side, I presume he wouldn't be furious if he thought I couldn't do a lot better.

GS2
Bib 37.  Second chance.  Skied my best ever in the first run only to be stopped 2 gates before the finish as the racer before me had crashed.  Rushed up to the start and ran again - not as good a run, but not bad.  (But two runs in a row on sheet ice is exhausting and I was missing energy at the end).  Got into the flip for the first time this year.  Skied well in the second run, but too gentle.  Now need to combine the new skiing tactic with the old aggressiveness.

GIANT SLALOMS in FLAINE
When you start with bib 40+, you've just got to go for it to get into the flip.
I went for it in both races - but had too much energy/attack which got the better of my skiing.

 

GS 1
Bib 43.  Huge mistake in the first run and almost as big in the second.  Best forgotten !

GS 2
Bib 41.  Skied really well in the first run, no mistakes, but too hard for the conditions and missed the flip by under 1/2 second.  Second run mistake.  Another leaning curve !

BACK TO WORK !

 

NEW YEAR - NEW FEELS - NEW CHANCES - SAME DREAMS

Started the year with 2 Super G in Chatel.
Haven't done a Super G training since July.

SG1 : huge mistake, but happy with my skiing
SG2: small mistake.  Again happy with my skiing.  And PB points.

Back to training.

Next races are GS.

by edguigonnet