About Us

Snow Camp is run by national youth charity Switch180. We started working with young people through Snow Camp in 2003.

At the time our Founder, Dan Charlish, was working as a youth worker on an estate in Stockwell. He overheard his group saying, whilst playing a snowboarding X-Box game, that this was the closest they were ever going to get to snowsports. A snowboarder himself, Dan realised that snowsports could be the mechanism to bring about positive social change for his young people. The shift from inner-city estate to the mountain environment was so extreme, that in itself created a response in young people, widening their horizons and raising their aspirations. Check out the pictures below from one of the first residentials!

In 2007, Snow Camp evolved from residential trips abroad into a UK based training programme taking place at indoor snow centres across the country. Now young people head to the mountains once a year as part of their instructor training on our Excel course. Since 2007, Snow Camp has continued to grow and mental health support has now become a key component to our work alongside life skills training, qualifications and volunteering opportunities.

As a charity, Switch180 is continuing to have a big impact on young people’s physical and mental health through Snow Camp and other programmes. Find out more about Switch180 below.