Snowsport England announces 2026 Chair’s Award

Apr 29, 2026

Snowsport England are delighted to announce that five members have been awarded the Chair’s Award. The Chair’s Award is awarded to any member deemed by the chair of the board to have made a significant contribution to the sport. Alongside the award, all five members will receive a lifetime of honorary membership to Snowsport England.

Chair of the board Dominic McGonigal said: “Usually, the Chair’s Award is announced at the AGM but the Snowsport England board felt that it was important to allow an additional award period this year due to exceptional circumstances. We want to honour our Olympians and Paralympians. Four Snowsport England members returned from Italy with medals, an incredible achievement! We are so proud of them and want to honour them now while the memories of Milano-Cortina 2026 are still fresh.”

“The other to be honoured has been a long-standing volunteer, who has given many years back to our sport. Stuart recently had to take a step back from his role and we wanted to ensure that they knew how much impact they have had across snowsports, particularly in the South West region.”

Here are the five individuals who have been presented with our Chair’s Award:

Charlotte Bankes & Huw Nightingale

Charlotte and Huw have become history makers as the first British athletes to win Olympic gold on snow in the Snowboard Cross Mixed event earlier this year. The whole country watched in awe as they battled the field to victory. We felt it was only right we honour them with honorary life membership as we know they will inspire a wave of future talent as we grow the ski and snowboard cross scene across England. Alongside this award, we have also committed to purchasing new cross equipment that can be used to help grow the cross scene across England through workshops, taster sessions and competitions.

Zoe Atkin

Zoe Atkin is a World Champion, two-time X Games champion and now Bronze Olympic medallist in freestyle skiing. Zoe’s incredible run of tricks in the halfpipe was so exciting to watch; the whole country was behind her as she fought for her Olympic medal. Freestyle is growing consistently in England and we know that here performance at the Games inspired hundreds of young people to follow in her footsteps.

Robert Poth

Rob has been part of the snowsports scene for many years and is well known within the racing community. Rob has an impressive background in alpine skiing, having represented Great Britain in the World Junior Championships amongst many other accolades.

In 2022, Rob joined the GB Snowsport team as a ski guide. This has led him to the recent Milano-Cortina Paralympics, where alongside his team mate and visually-impaired skier Neil Simpson, they won the first Paralympic GB medal, bringing home silver in the men’s super combined. Rob is an inspiration for ski racers across the country.

On receiving the Chair’s Award, Rob said: “I am incredibly grateful for the recognition from the chair and board at Snowsport England. It means a lot to be recognised for my career achievements across my individual racing career, my support of the Paralympics GB movement and efforts to inspire the next generation through instructing and coaching for the future of winter sports in Britain. It’s a privilege to be part of an amazing community, and I’m really proud to have played a small role in helping our sport grow.”

Stuart Robertson

Stuart has been a stalwart in the South West region and Western Counties Ski Club for many years. Known for his humour, Stuart’s favourite race coaching tip is “keep the pointy bits to the front”. Stuart first started skiing back in 1958, not realising this decision would change the course of his future. In 1998, he completed his first coaching badge and the rest, as they say, is history. Stuart has supported many racers over the years – adults, children of varying abilities and levels – and raced himself both nationally and internationally.

“It is an honour to be selected for this award and I am truly humbled,” said Stuart. “Following seven years inactivity, in 2009 I was coerced to re-instate and take the chair of the South West region of Snowsport England. I agreed to do this for a year; the privilege of holding this post ended up lasting for seventeen years.”