A Big Year for GB Ski Racing Brothers

Skiing is expensive.

Every PlanetSKI reader knows that.

It’s even more expensive if you’re an alpine racer.

Imagine the costs if there are three racers in the family.

Emma Carrick-Anderson doesn’t have to imagine.

The four-time Winter Olympian and her husband, Phil Smith, know all too well.

Their sons are Luca (21) and 18-year-old twins Freddy and Zak Carrick-Smith.

They are phenomenally talented racers who have already had significant success as juniors.

PlanetSKI focused on the rising stars way back in 2018.

• Boy Racers

Their achievements include Luca’s slalom bronze at the Junior World Championships last March, the first Junior Worlds medal for the nation since Graham Bell in 1984.

Now, they’ve stepped up to mix it with the big boys of the alpine world.

Luca made his World Cup debut at Levi, in Finland, in November.

• Luca Carrick-Smith Makes World Cup Debut

A month earlier Freddy competed in his first World Cup in the opening giant slalom of the season in Sölden, Austria.

• 18-year-old GB Racer Makes World Cup Debut

Then he made sporting history by delivering GB’s first Europa Cup victory in GS at Valloire in France.

Impressive since he was 48^th out of the start gate and no skier has ever won with such a high bib number.

Zak, who was out with injury for four months last season, hasn’t yet secured a World Cup spot but we have no doubt he’ll soon be joining his brothers.

It is, though, a constant financial struggle for Team Carrick-Smith to pursue their dreams.

At the end of December, the team had sufficient funds to last them only until 15^th January.  Then a benefactor stepped in to give them a financial lifeline.

“We’ve got some brilliant people helping us but it’s a massive strain on us,” Emma tells PlanetSKI.

“We do a GoFundMe, so it can be anything from people giving £10 to some people giving £10,000.

“We’re incredibly grateful for anything. It all helps, but it’s quite a crazy situation to be in and, to be honest, I don’t think any of the other nations can believe it that we’ve got Luca who’s racing World Cup slalom, we’ve got Freddy who’s just won a Europa Cup, and we’re still self-funded.”

Fortunately, the boys’ equipment is provided.

Their sponsors include Dynastar Skis, Lange boots, Reusch gloves, Fusalp clothing, Quinn Estates and Gareth Williams.

Kit is just one of the essentials for a ski racer.

Then there’s travel – including excess baggage if they have to fly – accommodation, lift passes, race entry fees.

Take the trip to Levi from their base in Wagrain in Austria last November.

“We went up there for two and a half weeks,” Emma says.

“It cost us £12,000 – and that is us doing it absolutely as budget as we possibly can. Phil and I drove. It took 4 days, we didn’t take ferries, we literally drove the whole way to cut costs.

“The boys did fly because you can’t have athletes sitting for 4 days in a car.”

The team never stay in the official race accommodation.  They rent an apartment and cater for themselves.

Nevertheless, their bills are enormous.

They are constantly assessing which races they can afford to enter and which they can’t.

They had to abandon hopes of getting Freddy to the USA for the two pre-Christmas World Cups at Copper Mountain and Beaver Creek.

“The costs were going to be £17,000 to get him and one coach across. It’s sad that we can’t do that but we just have to be realistic,” Emma says.

“They generally say, as a ballpark figure, that’s it’s 75,000 per year per Europa Cup athlete and 100,000 for a World Cup athlete. That’s what other nations are budgeting,” Emma says.

“I can tell you that our programme cost us £220,000 last year for the 5 of us, and that’s Phil and I just taking enough to cover the mortgage. We’re not working – this is our work.”

Phil and Emma are now full-time coaches and ski technicians for their sons.

“I’m in the ski room, as is Phil, for three hours a day minimum, because when we’re skiing on ice like we do now, it’s not like you just go out with two sets of skis.

“Each athlete has five sets so they have to be done every day.

“So, you’re on hill, setting training, coaching, video analysis, doing the skis, making sure there’s food in the fridge.

“We’ve got a rota going now because Phil and I can no longer find time to cook for everybody, so the boys have had to step up and cook, which is great. It really is a team now.

“The logistics of the planning take a lot of time as well.”

It’s far from a glamorous life of luxury but Emma is keen to avoid sounding too negative.

“I’m not going to make it all doom and gloom because it’s not and we’re incredibly lucky, but the stress on Phil and I to make sure that there’s money coming in is pretty huge.”

So, what does Emma say people can do to help the team?

Sponsor

• The boys still have their head sponsor available for the rest of this season. The sponsor will have their branding on their helmets and hats, which will be on view prominently in TV coverage and on any podiums.
• What about next season and beyond?  Committing funding for a 4-year cycle will enable the team to plan ahead.

Donate

• Contributions of any size can be made to the GoFundMe page. 
• The team would love to get to the southern hemisphere this summer to train and race in winter conditions and prepare better for next season.  The cost of the trip for the whole family is £50,000.

For more information, contact Emma on emma@snoworks.co.uk

As long as the money is there, Luca, Freddy and Zak will keep working hard on the mountain and in the gym – their sights set on future success in World Cup competitions and Olympics.

They have a packed racing schedule at the start of 2026, which will provide them with valuable experience.

Luca will compete in the World Cup slalom in Madonna di Campiglio this Wednesday, 7^th January, then is at Adelboden at the weekend and Wengen later in the month.

Freddy will compete in the World Cup giant slalom at Adelboden this coming weekend, as well as several Europa Cups.

Zak will continue to compete in FIS races and Europa Cups.

“They’re fast. It’s only a matter of time,” Emma says.

Here at PlanetSKI, we will continue to follow the boys’ progress and support them all the way to the top.

 

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