SLALOM star Dave Ryding will be making his second appearance in the Winter Olympics having been named as Great Britain’s only male representative in the alpine skiing squad.

Colne’s Ryding, who finished 27th on debut in Vancouver four years ago in the slalom as well as registering a 47th place finish in giant slalom, enjoyed a stellar 2013 season which saw him become the first Brit to claim overall victory in the Europa Cup – skiing’s second tier.

And the 27-year-old has continued that form into this season with a series of impressive performances at Europa level which have seen him named in the Great Britain Olympic squad ahead of downhill No.1 Dougie Crawford.

Ryding, who honed his skills at Pendle Ski Club, said he is now determined to make sure he is ready for his second Games.

He said: “It’s a great feeling to be represented to select Team GB in Sochi, after four years of hard work since the last Olympics I look forward to putting my best skiing out there on the day of the race.”

Ryding has failed to finish his last four slalom races – which have included three at World Cup level – but has secured a trio of podium finishes at Europa Cup meetings including a victory at Italy in December.

Ryding, whose dad Carl is still involved in coaching at Pendle Ski Club, will be hopeful of securing a top 20 place in Russsia.