Graham Bell (skier) facts for kids

Graham Bell (born January 4, 1966) is a famous former Olympic skier from Great Britain. He is also well-known as a TV presenter, adventurer, and journalist. Graham has hosted several shows, including High Altitude and the popular Ski Sunday on BBC TV.

Some of his amazing adventures include tackling the Arctic Circle Race, which is a 160-mile cross-country skiing race in Greenland. He also survived a night in a snow-hole without food, water, or a sleeping bag! Graham once reached a personal best speed of 121 miles per hour on skis. In January 2017, he even set a World Record for towed speed skiing, going 189.07 kilometers per hour behind a Jaguar F-Pace car in Sweden.

Graham Bell's Early Life and Skiing Start

Graham Bell was born in Cyprus in 1966. His father, Rod Bell, was a pilot, and his mother, Jean Bell, was a teacher. Graham's love for skiing began when he was just five years old. This was when his family moved to Edinburgh, Scotland.

He learned to ski in the Cairngorm Mountains and at the Hillend dry slope. Later, his family moved to Yorkshire, England. By then, Graham and his brother, Martin, were both racing full-time. They competed on the World Cup circuit, which is a series of top-level ski races.

Graham Bell's Athletic Career

Graham Bell and his brother Martin were both talented skiers. They competed for Great Britain throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Graham won a silver medal at the World Junior Ski Championships in 1984.

He proudly represented Great Britain at five different Winter Olympics. These were in Sarajevo 1984, Calgary 1988, Albertville 1992, Lillehammer 1994, and Nagano 1998. Graham also achieved an impressive 12th place in the very challenging Hahnenkamm Race in Kitzbühel, Austria.

Graham Bell's Television Career

After he stopped professional ski racing in 1998, Graham started a new career in television. He began at Eurosport, where he commented live on the World Cup Ski Circuit for two years. After that, he became an on-screen presenter for Ski Sunday.

Graham was part of the Ski Sunday team that won a Royal Television Society award in 2002. He has also presented and commented on the Winter Olympics in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014 Winter Olympics.

Away from skiing, Graham has presented the BBC's World Championship Series triathlon coverage. He has also worked on the Tour de France for ITV. In 2009, he took part in the Fastnet Race with sailor Alex Thomson. Graham filmed, interviewed, presented, and worked as a crew member on the boat.

He has appeared on other TV shows like The Gadget Show, Through the Keyhole, Celebrity Eggheads, Market Kitchen, and Ready Steady Cook. He also presented travel shows like Wish You Here.

In 2009, Graham Bell was part of the BBC2 series High Altitude. In this show, participants took on daring challenges like 'summit hopping' and climbing glaciers. In 2021, Graham competed in the thirteenth series of Dancing on Ice with his partner Karina Manta. They were the second couple to leave the competition.

Graham Bell's Other Activities and Charity Work

Even after retiring from professional competition, Graham still loves to challenge himself. In 2003, he competed in the return of BBC1's Superstars. He finished fourth in the final, which was the best result for any athlete who was not currently competing professionally.

Graham has also taken part in many triathlon competitions and 24-hour mountain biking events. He often rides in the very tough Etape du Tour cycle race.

Graham is a supporter of several charities in the UK. These include DisabilitySnowsportUK and Snow Camp, which help people get involved in snow sports.

Graham Bell's Personal Life

Graham Bell is married to Sarah, and they have two children, Louis and Lottie. Both of his children are also very keen skiers, following in their father's footsteps.

In 2018, Graham Bell attended the Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) alpine ski championships. He completed the Super-G race as a forerunner, which means he skied the course before the actual competitors. He even beat one of the top skiers by 11 seconds, all while carrying no poles, holding a camera, and commentating! Soon after, in March 2018, Graham hosted a heliskiing week in Alagna, Italy.