The pilot Cardiff programme maintains the same ethos and vision that has made Snow-Camp London such a success over the last 10 years, providing young people from urban areas a platform to break down social barriers, improve self-confidence and open doors to a brighter future through their experience with snowsports.

 

The Snow-Camp journey starts on a two day Snow-Camp Cardiff course and provides inner city young people with their first experience of snowsports, using Cardiff Ski Centre as a base. This outdoor slope is a fantastic place to get a feel for what skiing and snowboarding is all about.

 

Robin Kellen, Chief Executive of Snowsport Cymru Wales said "Snowsport Cymru Wales are delighted and excited to be a part of bringing Snow-Camp to Wales.  We are in the unique position as a national governing body as we manage a ski centre and this gives us some direct experience of helping young people to get involved in the sport, as well as creating opportunities for employment.  We are really looking forward to helping the next generation of snowsports enthusiasts make our sport a part of their lives."

 

The first Snow-Camp Cardiff programme will take place in May half term on Saturday 31st May and Sunday 1st June 2014.

 

Day 1

 

Fully qualified instructors begin by introducing the young people to the ski or snowboard equipment before heading straight to the slope for the first lesson.

 

Whether skiing or snowboarding, the focus for the young people over the first day will be balance, controlling speed and understanding the basics of their new sport.  Two separate lessons held either side of lunch enable the young people to progress and grow in confidence, all in a safe and positive environment.  After the lessons, informal life-skills sessions look at the challenges faced by the young people and how skills being developed on the slope are useful in their everyday lives.

 

Day 2 

 

This gives the young people a chance to further develop their new snowsports skills, again with qualified instructors leading the lessons, which begin with a review of the skills learnt on Day 1.  Young people progress with their turning, stopping, balance and speed control and by the end of the slope session on Day 2 will have made significant progress and will have experienced for the first time the feeling of gliding down a ski slope, usually with their hands in the air and much whooping!

 

Life-skills

 

Life-skills sessions run throughout the course also enable the young people to reflect on the skills they are using and developing in order to progress with snowsports, such as perseverance, commitment, listening, teamwork, patience, overcoming fear and determination. The Life-skills sessions show young people how these skills are useful back in their day-to-day lives, and form an essential part of all Snow-Camp programmes.

 

Awards and Accreditation

 

Finally an awards ceremony closes the course, with the young people receiving their AQA accredited award for basic skiing and snowboarding as well as certificates and medals. This ceremony provides a positive end to the course, with young people again being commended on their efforts and achievements over the 2 days. 

 

Snow-Camp Director, Dan Charlish said; “This new Cardiff pilot is at its earliest stages but we are excited by the potential. We are reaching out to all Cardiff Youth Projects to encourage maximum participation and are looking forward to delivering a fantastic programme. It is always rewarding to see the impact of the Snow-Camp courses on confidence and self-esteem, as young people tend to achieve far more than they imagined they could over just two days.”

 

More info can be found on www.snow-camp.org.uk