Charlotte Bankes Takes Third Career Crystal Globe

Charlotte Bankes has added another major milestone to her remarkable career, securing a further Snowboard Cross Crystal Globe and reinforcing her status as Britain's most successful snowsport athlete on snow. The Olympic champion arrived in Mont-Sainte-Anne in Canada leading the overall standings and delivered once again, claiming her fifth podium and third individual win of the 2026 World Cup season.

Her latest triumph builds on a campaign that began with uncertainty. Returning from a broken collarbone sustained in training at the same venue last year, Bankes opened the winter with ninth place in Cervinia. A commanding victory in Dongbeiya, China, soon reset the tone, and from that point she remained firmly in the hunt for the overall title.

Bankes entered the final race with a narrow 13‑point advantage over defending Globe holder Lea Casta of France, and a 34‑point buffer on Australia's Olympic champion Josie Baff. By the end of the day, she had done more than enough to seal the title—her third career Crystal Globe, following wins in 2022 and 2023. Her World Cup victory tally now stands at an extraordinary thirty.

Reflecting on the performances of Bankes and Freeski star Kirsty Muir, GB Snowsport Head Coach Pat Sharples said their dual Globe wins were a fitting conclusion to the season.

"It shows the consistency they've both delivered against the strongest fields in the world all winter," he said. "We're incredibly proud of them, and of the wider coaching and support teams who have worked tirelessly throughout the season."

Along with Kirsty Muir's Freeski Crystal Globe win, there was further British success yesterday, in Telemark, where Jasmin Taylor claimed her twelfth World Cup podium of the season with bronze in the Parallel Sprint in Les Contamines-Montjoie. It marked her second podium in as many days, coming off the back of gold in the Classic race.

The Snowboard Cross World Cup will return next winter, with the 2026/27 highlight set to be the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in Montafon, Austria, in March.