National youth charity Snow Camp has published its 2024-2025 Impact Report, revealing a record year of growth, recognition, and lasting impact for 1,108 young people supported through its snowsports-based life-skills programmes, the highest number in the charity’s 22-year history.
Working across London, the Midlands, the North-West and Scotland, Snow Camp empowers young people aged 13 to 21 to build confidence, resilience, and employability through skiing, snowboarding, and dedicated mental health and wellbeing support. Partnering with over 90 youth organisations, the charity continues to reach those who need it most.
The report highlights significant progress across all areas, with 94% of young people reporting improved confidence, 87% embracing new challenges, and 80% forming friendships beyond their local communities.
Of those enrolled, 948 completed the two-day First Tracks course, their first experience of snowsports in an indoor environment. 224 progressed to the five-day Graduate programme, developing practical skills alongside wellbeing tools, while 88 completed the ten-day Excel course, gaining their BASI Foundation Instructor qualification together with First Aid, Mental Health First Aid, and Safeguarding certificates.
From this cohort, eight young people progressed onto Snow Camp’s apprenticeship scheme, working towards NVQ or SVQ coaching standards and BASI Level 1 Instructor qualifications, creating tangible routes into employment. Snow Camp was also awarded 15th place nationally in the Top 50 SME Apprenticeship Employers list, making it the highest-ranked charity in the UK.
A record 108 former participants returned as volunteers, donating 10,827 hours to mentor new members. Building on this success, Snow Camp has now doubled its apprenticeship numbers, employing 16 apprentices across all programmes. After months of training and personal growth, 80 young people travelled to Andorra for a transformative week on real slopes; the culmination of their 12-month journey and the completion of their BASI Foundation Award in a mountain environment.
Snow Camp continues to reach those who need it most, with 53% of participants being female (the second consecutive year that girls outnumbered boys), 55% coming from the UK’s 30% most deprived postcodes, and 42% from Black and diverse ethnic communities. Impressively, 93% of young people reported learning new coping strategies to support their mental health and wellbeing.
Among this year’s inspiring stories is Connor, who was once homeless in Crewe and is now completing a Snow Camp apprenticeship, and Daveena, a care-experienced graduate who has gone on to speak at national events to champion others in care.
Financially, it was the organisation’s strongest year to date, raising £1.39 million, with 88% of all expenditure going directly towards charitable activity.
Everything we do starts and ends with the young people. This year we’ve seen incredible progress, not just in the numbers, but in the confidence, skills and direction our young people have gained. Many have achieved qualifications, others have stepped up as mentors, and some are now beginning careers they never thought were possible” commented Dan Charlish, Founder of Snow Camp, who added, “Our programmes give young people a space to belong, to push themselves and find out what they’re capable of. Bringing about that transformation is what drives us, and none of it would be possible without the backing of so many wonderful partners and supporters across the UK.”
In recognition of his two-decade contribution to youth development and snowsports, Dan Charlish was awarded the Pery Medal by the Ski Club of Great Britain, an honour previously received by Jenny Jones and Sir Ranulph Fiennes.
Looking ahead, Snow Camp has just launched Snow Camp Futures, a bold new initiative supported by The Wooldridge Trust. Designed to bridge the gap between training and employment, the programme will deliver ready-to-work pathways helping Snow Camp graduates move into careers across the snowsports industry and beyond.
With more young people than ever stepping onto the slopes and into new careers, Snow Camp is proving that snowsports can be a powerful vehicle for opportunity, confidence, and lasting change.
To read the full 2024–25 Impact Report, visit: https://www.snow-camp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/SC-Impact_24-25_v5.pdf