It's a Norway one-two at the moment, with Henrik Kristoffersen leading from Sebastian Foss-Solevaag and Germany's Linus Strasser in third at the moment.

Oooh, that is until Switzerland's Loic Meillard scorches down in 54.22 to go third.

Dave Ryding on the horizon...

American Alexander Hall can't match his stellar opening run but he still has the target at 90.01, with just one competitor to come in the second run.

Great Britain's Dave Ryding will go 13th. The time to beat after five skiiers is 53.94 from Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen. No snow-ploughing on these runs...

Anna Thompson
BBC Sport in Beijing

The six skiers to have won a World Cup slalom this season namely Clement Noel, Sebastian Foss-Solevagg, Johannes Strolz, Lucas Braathen, Linus Strasser and GB's very own Dave Ryding are strewn across the top 20 start order.

Three are within the first five racers so we will get a measure then of how the course is shaping up and what a good first run time is.

For GB's Billy Major, he needs to finish in the top 30 to get a decent second run.

The top 30 from the first run, go in reverse order to decide the medals before the remaining finishers from the first run get the chance to go again.

Thomas Duncan
BBC Scotland in Beijing

Eve Muirhead hits her brush off the floor slightly in frustration. Her final draw shot caught her own stone on the way through to leave the Chinese lying one, with their last rock to come.

Rui Wang can't capitalise to take two though, as her stone also comes off one of her own. All square at the halfway mark.

Sir Matthew Pinsent
Four-time Olympic rowing champion on BBC TV

It's slalom so it's a lottery - the Norwegians are excited, the Swiss are excited, the Austrians are here in force, the Italians are busy. Everywhere you look there are crews saying 'we've got a chance today, it's going to be our day' and that is slalom. The balance between winning a medal and not finishing is so tiny, it can unravel really quickly, which we saw in the women's event.

'Go big or go home' is the motto for a lot of winter sports but particularly for slalom - you will never win a medal by just cruising down and getting two solid runs under your belt, you will not get anywhere with those tactics.

Dave Ryding learned to ski on a dry slope in Pendle, Lancashire and has been in great form all season - although his win was historic, it was not a surprise to those who follow the sport closely with Ryding collecting three other top-three finishes and 23 top 10s in his career.

It was though, a huge relief for Ryding to finally step on to the top of the podium.

"I know I've had the speed for the last five years, but it's easier said than done," he said.

"To finally win one and get that weight off my back, the nation's back. It just feels like the weight has gone off my shoulders."

Fabian Boesch can't improve on his opening run, meaning Alexander Hall's opening 90.01 is still that target at the moment.

Sir Matthew Pinsent
Four-time Olympic rowing champion on BBC TV

This is all man-made snow which in itself isn't rare nor has it been at previous Olympics but there is a quality to this snow on these slopes which is different and it's something that some of the athletes have been struggling with.

Dave Ryding has been out practising and training on these slopes and he said his very first touch of skis on the snow was a completely new experience. But he said he has settled in and found his grooves and he's in great form coming into this so we've got a chance. It's all set up really nicely.

Team GB

Image source, Getty Images

Men's slalom skier Dave Ryding speaking to BBC about being Team GB's flagbearer: "It's something I never dreamt of, definitely the proudest moment of my life. I felt a bit emotional walking in because I was thinking about my family back at home and knew they'd be tuning in. I found out later that my dad actually didn't tune in but it was cool and to share it with Eve [Muirhead] was very special."

On taking confidence from recent World Cup win: "It's more that I've done it, I've won a race. I know it's in me, it's firmly in the front of my mind. Kitzbuhel suits me because it's technical and I ski smart. Here will be different, I will have to risk more and ski differently but I have top 10's on almost every world cup piste so I know it's in me and I've seen it all before."

On big names going out in the women's race: "Most of it is just the sport - you add the pressure of a Games to the favourites and you're dealing with millimetres between slalom gates on ice - it's not easy and it gets the better of some people. Big names will go out and you just have to do what you can to make sure it's not you.

"It's part of our sport that we have to react on race day - the snow is different, it's a type of snow I've never seen before. I was a bit like Bambi on ice to begin with but each day I am feeling more comfortable with it."

On his experience: "I'm not sure how many others on the start list have that - I may lack youth and not have that kamikaze style skiing but I know what it's like to be in that start gate, it's my third Olympics so I know what's coming. It's how everyone deals with it on the day so I've got to use it to my advantage."

Steve Cram
Curling commentator on BBC TV

Great Britain just need a slightly more aggressive approach now - put a bit of pressure on the Chinese skip. Nothing much wrong with the way GB are playing right now but both teams exchanging a lot of hits and there's been a lot of draws and GB have been making the vast majority of them.

Thomas Duncan
BBC Scotland in Beijing

This is a totally different type of game to the men's match against Sweden last night.

Much fewer stones in play, fewer guards. Stones are being delivered into the house and pretty swiftly removed.

Image source, Getty Images

Dave Ryding - Britain's first ever alpine World Cup winner - says it is "do or die" for a Winter Olympic medal in Beijing, as he prepares to head out in the slalom from 02:15.

The 35-year-old has adopted a more aggressive mindset this season and it paid dividends in Kitzbuhel, Austria, where he won the slalom in January.

He told BBC Sport: "I've got to fear nothing and that includes a DNF [did not finish]."

It is his fourth Winter Olympics and Ryding has improved his result each time.

He finished 27th in Vancouver in 2010, 17th in Sochi and ninth in Pyeongchang four years ago.

"I have whittled it down to ninth, let's whittle it down some more if I can," he said.

"It will be do or die, anything can happen."

Anna Thompson
BBC Sport in Beijing

Predicting a winner of a slalom is difficult at the best of times but this race is genuinely wide open.

There have been six World Cup races leading up to the Winter Olympics and every race has been won by a different racer so no skier has dominated this season.

Team GB’s very own Dave Ryding is one of those of course after triumphing in Kitzbuhel.

It’s a very different course at Yanqing - which Ryding described as mellow - but he’s got as good a chance as any!

An error from Norway's Birk Ruud, one of the favourites, sees him post 26.98. Alexander Hall stills leads on 90.01, from Sweden's Jesper Tjader and Switzerland's Fabian Boesch.

Just Swiss skiier Andri Ragettli to come.... now this could be good! 78.20 is the verdict, edging him above compatriot Boesch and into third following the first run.

Anna Thompson
BBC Sport in Beijing

It’s a beautiful sunny day here in Yanqing but it’s a bit nippy with the temperature hovering around -16C.

The course is called Ice River and the racers will have 64 turning gates to navigate in the first run.

It has been set by Marko Pfeifer who is Austrian skier Marco Schwarz’s coach.

The skiers are not allowed on the course before they race but can ski down the side of it to visualise the gate pattern and the undulations.

Image source, BBC Sport

Dave Ryding's astonishing World Cup slalom win in Kitzbuhel, less than a month before the Olympics, sent a wave of energy through Team GB on the eve of Beijing 2022.

Today Ryding will try to summon the same form that turned him into Britain's first alpine skiing World Cup winner.

He'll be joined by GB's Billy Major for the first runs at 02:15 and second runs from 05:45.

Ding ding! That's the sound of Alexander Hall clocking up the early points. The American means business, and welcomes his podium-topping score of 90.01 with a snowy fist pump.

Still plenty to go in this men’s ski slopestyle, but that has set the standard.

Sweden's Jesper Tjader follows up with an 85.35 to move into the silver position.

Hello! American Colby Stevenson has arrived at the party. "Monstrous", an "absolute whopper", is the verdict our pundits... but it's not enough to take top spot off Fabian Boesch. 74.48 the score.