easyJet sponsors team GB skier and Bristol student Ben Emsley

• easyJet has announced a sponsorship with 20 year old Ben Emsley, a member of the Great British Telemark Skiing team.

easyJet, Europe’s leading airline, has launched sponsorship with 20 year old Ben Emsley, a member of the Great British Telemark Skiing team.

The airline is providing flight support for Ben, who is also an Engineering and Maths student at the University of Bristol, to enable him to train to his full potential, and compete internationally.

easyJet flew the athlete to Geneva for two weeks of rigorous training in the snow sport in November, and this week has flown Ben to the Austrian World Cup. This is the first of numerous World Cups and Championships Ben will compete in for the 2017/2018 season.

Ben Emsley started Telemark skiing when he was 16, and was selected to represent Great Britain after placing 2nd in his age category at the French Championships, and 4th overall. The snow sport focuses on carving, combining elements of alpine racing, Nordic skate skiing and ski jumping. The sport is becoming increasingly popular, and they Telemark community are hoping that it will feature as an event in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

easyJet is proud to be supporting this talented skier, who works exceptionally hard balancing his University degree and training to become a world class athlete. easyJet is very excited to see, with its support, what the 2017/2018 Telemark Ski season holds for Ben.

Ben Emsley said:

“I really appreciate all the support easyJet has given me. Funding is currently very limited within Telemark, so it can be really hard for me to travel internationally for training and World Cup events. Without easyJet’s support, I wouldn’t be able to compete in a lot of the upcoming World Cup events this season.

“I am determined to have a strong season on the Telemark circuit, and also spread awareness of the sport as much as possible to make it more recognised. The Telemark community has been campaigning really hard to raise awareness so that we feature as an event in the 2022 Winter Olympics!

“I aim to challenge the best in the world, and make history within the sport. I’m really grateful to easyJet for helping me make this possible.”

Ali Gayward, UK country manager, said:

“We are proud to be sponsoring Ben Emsley as he represents Great Britain in Telemark Skiing.

“easyJet offers more to Europe’s ski destinations than any other airline in the UK, so we’re really excited to be supporting this talented athlete, helping him to train and compete in amazing destinations such as the Alps.

“We wish Ben the best of luck for the Telemark Ski season!”

About easyJet:

 easyJet is Europe’s leading airline offering a unique and winning combination of the best route network connecting Europe’s primary airports, with great value fares and friendly service.

easyJet flies on more of Europe’s most popular routes than any other airline. easyJet carries over 78 million passengers annually, of which more than 12 million are travelling on business. easyJet flies over 279 aircraft on more than 880 routes to over 140 airports across 31 countries. More than 300 million Europeans live within one hour’s drive of an easyJet airport.

easyJet aims to be a good corporate citizen, employing people on local contracts in seven countries across Europe in full compliance with national laws and recognising their trade unions. The airline supports a number of local charities and also has a corporate partnership with UNICEF which has raised over £10m for the most vulnerable children since it was established in 2012.

The airline takes sustainability seriously. easyJet invests in the latest technology, operates efficiently and fills most of its seats which means that an easyJet passenger’s carbon footprint is 22% less than a passenger on a traditional airline, flying the same aircraft on the same route.

Innovation is in easyJet’s DNA – from our launch over 20 years ago when we changed the way people fly to the present day where we lead the industry in digital, web, engineering and operational innovations to make travel more easy and affordable for our passengers.