Snow Camp 2025 

I don’t know how we keep doing this, but we had the most amazing weather luck on our side again this year at Snow Camp! 

On Wednesday 6th August, 40 students from Year 7-12, woke up at 4:30am to jump on the bus to make the trip up to Mt Buller for 3 days. The anticipation was in the air with plenty of snow this year on the mountain with nearly all of the runs being open and the weather was forecast to be bluebird days for at least the first two days. It was set to be an amazing adventure from the start. 

We arrived at the MUSKI Lodge on Mt Buller, unpacked our luggage then we all got geared up ready to hit the slopes. We had 9 skiers and 31 snowboarders, of which 16 were FIRST TIMERS! 

The students did a great job getting themselves equipped and organised for the first lesson. 

Although the snow was perfect, the visibility on the first day was quite poor, which made it difficult for the first timers to learn as rapidly as they would have liked. It didn’t stop them though. They showed incredible persistence and were able to make some good progress. 

Meanwhile, the veterans quickly picked up where they left off and went off exploring the mountain. 

Each day students participated in a 90min lesson in the morning, then they were free to practice what they learnt for the rest of the day and adventure around the mountain if they wished. 

On day two, we were blessed with a BLUE-BIRD day! Our first-timers kept getting back up when they fell and showed outstanding determination to continue to practice, make mistakes and learn.  

Our veterans were loving being able to experience trails they hadn’t been able to in previous years. 

After a really successful day, we enjoyed Chicken Schnitzel and chips for dinner then relaxed in the rec room, board games, eating snacks and chatting. It was wonderful to see how well our students were connecting with one another, especially seeing our senior students ensure that the junior students were involved and a part of conversations and activities. What an impressive bunch of students we have. 

On day three, it couldn’t have been more perfect! Some of us didn’t even need to wear jackets or gloves it was such a nice day. 

Our students progressed their abilities again in the 90min lesson and it was so great to see how much better they all were compared to day 1.  Their confidence had grown, they were trying more difficult skills and challenging themselves on more difficult blue runs. 

There’s nothing better than seeing the excitement in our students’ faces when they realise that they are actually skiing/snowboarding correctly and are able to complete more difficult runs. Their excitement was evident as they chatted together on the lifts about all the things they did on the way down the run they just completed. They were all so proud of themselves and we were all LOVING it! 

We thoroughly enjoyed the day until it was time to pack up, return our gear and head back home on the bus. 

Throughout the 3 days, students did a fantastic job of staying organised. There is a lot of equipment to manage and a lot of logistics and organisational requirements to follow and our students learnt a lot about being a member of a group, being responsible for themselves, looking after their equipment and their friends. 

Camps like this are never without challenges. The staff encouraged students to embrace these challenges, show initiative and to figure out solutions to the problems they faced. Our students did an excellent job of this. 

Students developed new friendships and solidified existing ones, connected with staff, developed independence, communication skills, organisational skills among many other skills.  We had an incredible group of students attend snow camp this year, all of which I am glad to have spent some quality time with.

The positive tone of the camp was set by the incredible senior students who lead the way and set the standard for the younger ones to follow.  

A special shout-out to our 22 year 12 students who were incredible leaders throughout the camp. They were well organised and supported the younger students brilliantly.  Many of them even completed homework at nighttime! 

To all the students who attended Snow Camp 2025, you did it…you can now Snowboard/Ski anywhere in the world for the rest of your lives. It was awesome to carve up the snow with so many of you throughout the camp and it was so great to see how capable you all were after 3 days of persistence and resilience! Well done Snow Crew! 

A big thank you to the staff who attended the camp, Mr O’Neil, Ms Simmons, Ms Triance and Mr Willach. We couldn’t have enjoyed the camp as much as we all did without all of your effort, patience, problem solving abilities, organisation and commitment above all expectations.  

The plan is to run another Snow Camp in 2026. Expression of interest will be requested in Term 4. 

I look forward to helping more students learn to ski/snowboard for many years to come!