The PlanetSKI Dave Ryding Interview: In Full

4th March 2022

Last modified on March 7th, 2022

We caught up with The Rocket in Obergurgl in the Tirol last Monday, the day after his silver at Garmisch Partenkirchen. I think it is fair to say we covered most areas -from skiing to marriage, whether he wears underwear when racing and his thoughts on Country & Western.

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It was an honour for me to sit down with GB’s greatest skier.

We posted earlier this week as Dave confirmed he would likely be competing next season.

PlanetSKI: The Dave Ryding Interview

“I’ve got one more year I think, and then we’ll have to wait and see,” he said to me.

“I told my fiancee it might be this year but I think I have bought myself another year.

“I’ve got to think about my fiancee Mandy a bit more now as she has put her life on hold.”

Now, as promised we post the interview in full:

After the interview I had some lunch with friends in the mountain restaurant where Dave and I conducted the interview.

As I was finishing my soup Dave passed by.

“Thanks for the interview James I really enjoyed it. I like the stuff your do on PlanetSKI especially that piece a couple of years ago about the Schladming night slalom. Fancy coming for a ski?” offered Dave.

Within a matter or moments, the soup was gone and I was clipped in.

James Cove & Dave Ryding. Image © PlanetSKI

I tried to follow as one of Dave’s team took some social media footage:

Dave Ryding. Image © PlanetSKI

We talked further about the beauty of the Gurgl region and the stunning mountains.

James Cove & Dave Ryding. Image © PlanetSKI

Obergurgl, the Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI

Then they skied some more without the cameras on and notes being taken.

The saying goes that you should never meet your heroes.

Well, I think that is total nonsense and if that is the case then you have the wrong heroes.

I met mine and I can report that Dave is the loveliest, kindest and most generous of men, without a hint of ego and self-importance.

An absolute gent and he also happens to be one of the best skiers in the world to boot.

He had no need to ask me for a ski, or spend that amount of time with me, but he did.

He is a national skiing treasure that all us Brits should be proud of.”

And in case you are wondering about the article I wrote on the Schladming night slalom back in January 2020 then here it is:

Schladming: A celebration of slalom

Dave came 8th that night:

Schladming excels with Ryding in the Top Ten

I donned my ‘Rocket’ mask in celebration:

After his World Cup victory in Kitzbuhel this season we posted a look back at his career and how he started on plastic – written by PlanetSKI’s chief reporter, Jane Peel.

If you want to find out about the man they call ‘The Rocket’ then see here: