Dave Ryding: From plastic ski slopes to Olympic medal hopes

In skiing terms, Dave Ryding is something of an anomaly.

While most pros were raised in Alpine countries, or Scandinavia or North America, Britain’s Ryding first found his skiing legs on a dry, plastic slope in northwest England.

Forget groomed pistes and cozy alpine huts – you’re unlikely to see even a smattering of snow at the Pendle Ski Club in Lancashire.

But, from these humble beginnings, Ryding has worked his way onto the international circuit and is already making history for Britain.

The slalom racer enjoyed a major breakthrough at the start of 2017 when he finished second in one of skiing’s most prestigious World Cup events – the Kitzbuhel slalom in Austria.

“My life changed in Austria after that, people started to recognize me which was a different stress because you’re trying to train and people are coming up for photos,” Ryding tells CNN Alpine Edge.

Ryding learned to ski on the dry slope of Pendle Ski Club near Burnley, England.

“But it’s what you dream of as a kid.

“All the good guys were coming up to me and congratulating me and telling me what a great journey I’ve had. They were appreciative of where I’ve come from.”

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Olympic dream

Ryding returns to Kitzbuhel this week with hopes of replicating, or even bettering, last year’s blistering run. There’s an added incentive of performing this year with an Olympic Games just around the corner.

“I only ever dreamed of competing at the Olympics when I was a kid. I never dreamed of a medal,” he says.

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“It would mean the world to me … I try not to think too much about it. I’ll start dreaming coming up to it and try and live it on the day.”

He may be 31, but Ryding has produced some of his best ever performances this season, finishing in the top 10 at World Cup slalom events in Zagreb, Croatia and Madonna di Campiglio, Italy.

That race in Kitzbuhel was the best World Cup finish in 36 years for a British athlete, and Ryding came agonizingly close to going one better earlier this season when a crash on his second run cost him his comfortable lead in Levi, Finland.

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Tyrolean treasure: Kitzbuhel is the home of the infamous Hahnenkamm World Cup ski race every January, but the charming Austrian town offers much more than just a death-defying downhill.

Sparkling gem: Kitzbuhel is a former silver mining town and a medieval jewel in the heart of Austria's Tirol, 60 miles east of Innsbruck.

Hahnenkamm hysteria: The annual World Cup race on the Streif run is the scariest and hairiest on the circuit with thrills and plenty of spills to entertain the huge crowds that flood in.

Blue riband: The Hahnenkamm downhill is the highlight of the World Cup circuit and race weekend creates a carnival atmosphere in Kitzbuhel.

He's back: Celebrities and the jet-set turn out in force to see and be seen. Austrian native and Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger is a regular fixture at the Hahnenkamm finish.

Nerves of steel: The Hahnenkamm race requires guts and a no-fear approach to tackle the Streif's huge jumps, and steep, icy terrain as it plunges back towards the town.

Fever pitch: Just making it to the bottom is a feat in itself. Plenty of racers' seasons have been ended in spectacular crashes on the treacherous descent.

No guts, no glory: Winning at Kitzbuhel is the ultimate for a downhill racer. Austrian great Franz Klammer did it four times but Swiss Didier Cuche (pictured) holds the record with five wins.

Chocolate-box charm: Away from the madness of race weekend, Kitzbuhel is one of the most beautiful settings in the Alps with a pretty, cobbled medieval center.

After dark: This being Austria, the bar scene is buzzing with plenty of watering holes to refresh thirsty skiers and snowboarders after a long day on the mountain. The Londoner pub is an Alpine institution.

Street party: Kitzbuhel's pedestrianized center is perfect for ambling and taking in the upmarket boutiques, cafes and restaurants.

White playground: Kitzbuhel's skiing area is linked with that of Kirchberg. Together they offer 54 lifts and about 180 kilometers of skiing with endless backcountry opportunity.

Ski safari: As well as the runs on the Hahnenkamm mountain, the ski region includes slopes on the Kitzbuheler Horn, as well as the interlinked areas of Jochberg, Resterhohe and Pass Thurn.

Cruising grounds: Much of the skiing is tree lined and suits mileage hungry intermediates, although beginners and experts are well catered for.

Austrian hospitality: Kitzbuhel is home to myriad four and five-star hotels with a wealth of upmarket eateries and plenty of cosy huts for on-mountain refreshments.

Multi talented: Kitzbuhel is more than just a ski resort, with activities such as polo on ice as well as a thriving summer scene including hiking, golf and tennis.

Kitzbuhel: Former silver mining town to Tyrolean treasure and ski racing mecca

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Friction burns

His recent form is helping put his country on the skiing map, “debunking the myth,” according to one British Ski and Snowboarding Association official, that Great Britain can’t be competitive alongside the traditional heavyweights of the skiing world.

Lindsey Vonn crashes out on a training run ahead of the World Cup women's downhill in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

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Ryding admits that transitioning onto snow, which he first did at the age of 12, takes some getting used to after years of skiing on the same dry slope.

“It’s slightly different. You can transfer it to snow and, OK, you have to learn the rolls, the steeps, the ice, the slush – the variables that come with snow,” he says.

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Having started his skiing career on what’s essentially a stretch of carpet – or, in his own words, “a lot of toothbrushes” that give “a hell of a friction burn if you crash” – Ryding is reluctant to stray too far from what he knows best during the off-season as he heads indoors to practice.

“People laugh at me for going indoors because [the runs are] short, it’s in like a fridge, and it’s not the nice surroundings we have in the mountains,” he says.

“But I like it, I was brought up on 120 meters of ski slope and making it work. So I go there and do the same thing.”