Snow Camp

What Snow Camp does

Snow Camp is a UK-registered charity (Charity Number 1101030, founded 2003) headquartered in Hove, East Sussex, that uses skiing and snowboarding as a vehicle for engaging underserved young people aged 13-21. Its core offering is a structured six-stage programme pathway — First Tracks (2-day beginner introduction), Graduate (5-day skill development), Excel (10-week BASI instructor training), Apprenticeships (1-year paid employment), Futures (career transition), and Youth Forum (volunteer leadership) — delivered through four regional hubs (London, North West, Midlands, Scotland) at partner indoor snow centres, with a fifth hub launched in the North East in 2025. The charity combines snowsports instruction with life-skills training, mental health and wellbeing workshops, 1:1 counselling, and recognised qualifications (BASI, ASDAN, NVQ/SVQ), achieving 93% of participants reporting new coping strategies and engaging 1,108 young people in 2024/25, 42% from ethnically diverse communities and 55% from the UK's most deprived postcodes. Snow Camp does not rely on proprietary technology; its platform is its network of 90+ youth-project referral partners, indoor snow centre venues, qualification bodies (BASI, ASDAN, Snowsport England/Scotland), and a multi-year alumni returning as volunteers and apprentices.

The business model is donation-funded across four streams: individual giving (monthly tiers of £10–£100 and one-time gifts), corporate partnerships and event sponsorship (AJ Bell 3 Valley Rally raised £150,000+ in 2026; Delancey 10-year partnership raised £280,000+), fundraising events (AJ Bell 3 Valley Rally, Inter-Livery Ski Championships, corporate charity days), and trust/foundation grants (BBC Children in Need, National Lottery Reaching Communities Fund, Young Londoners Fund). For every £1 donated, 84p is spent directly on young people. Total funds raised in FY2024/25 were £1,399,353 across 33 employees. Beneficiary acquisition is referral-driven via local youth projects, social workers, and youth organisations, rather than direct consumer sign-up. The charity is governed by a board of trustees chaired by Ian Brown (Managing Director of The Snow Centre and Chill Factore), with founder Dan Charlish actively involved and Lara Kinnear serving as Managing Director. It has no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no equity financing.

Name

Snow Camp

Legal name

Snow Camp

Website

https://snow-camp.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Snow Camp is a UK charity using snowsports to engage underserved young people aged 13-21 through a six-stage programme pathway from beginner to qualified instructor, delivered across four regional hubs and reaching 1,108 participants in 2024/25.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Charity Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Ski & Snowboard Schools (Instruction & Coaching) (THAAAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Winter Sports & Snow Training Schools (Ski, Snowboard, Ice Sports) (MPAKAJAI)

Keywords

• Youth snowsports charity
• Snowsports training programmes
• Youth development services
• Snowsports apprenticeship training
• Mental wellbeing youth support

Headquarters

HQ city

Hove

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute through one-time gifts, monthly giving programmes, and legacy gifts. Donation tiers include £10 (mental health support for 4 young people), £25 (introduce 3 young people to snowsports on First Tracks), £50 (provide 2 places on Graduate Programme), £100 (one young person's place on BASI training pathway).
2. Corporate Partnerships & Sponsorship: Companies partner with Snow Camp through event sponsorship (e.g., AJ Bell 3 Valley Rally), corporate giving programmes, payroll giving, and in-kind support such as equipment donations and venue partnerships.
3. Fundraising Events: Snow Camp organizes flagship events like the AJ Bell 3 Valley Rally (raised £150,000+ in 2026, over £250,000 in 2024), corporate charity days, and community fundraising challenges. Individual fundraisers also organize challenges like marathons, cycling events, and treks.
4. Trusts, Foundations & Grants: Funding from institutional donors including BBC Children in Need, National Lottery Reaching Communities Fund, Young Londoners Fund, Team Archie, and various charitable trusts and foundations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Snow Camp is a UK youth charity that delivers a structured progression of snowsports-based programmes for underserved young people aged 13-21, combining skiing and snowboarding instruction with life skills training, mental health and wellbeing support, mentoring, and accredited vocational qualifications (including BASI instructor pathways). The charity works in partnership with youth organisations, schools, and local authorities that refer young people into the programme, and operates the six-stage journey First Tracks → Graduate → Excel → Apprenticeships → Futures → Youth Forum, designed to take participants from first experience through to paid employment as snowsport instructors and ongoing youth leadership.

Product overview

Snow Camp is a UK national youth charity (founded 2003) that operates a structured, year-long programme journey turning young lives around through snowsports. The core offering is a progressive pathway of six interconnected programmes: First Tracks (2-day beginner introduction) → Graduate (5-day skill development) → Excel (10-week instructor training with BASI qualification) → Apprenticeships (1-year paid employment) → Futures (career transition support) → Youth Forum (volunteer leadership). All programmes combine snowsports training with life skills development, mental health support, and progression routes into the snowsports industry. Young people are referred through local youth projects and youth service providers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• First Tracks Introductory snowsports programme that serves as the entry point into Snow Camp's progression pathway for young people new to skiing or snowboarding and to the charity.
• Graduate Second-stage Snow Camp programme building on First Tracks, deepening on-snow skills and life skills work with young participants.
• Excel Intermediate-stage programme within the Snow Camp progression, focused on accelerating snowsport competence alongside personal development outcomes.
• Apprenticeships Vocational apprenticeship stage of the Snow Camp journey, providing accredited snowsport instructor qualifications (including BASI pathways) and paid employment routes.
• Futures Post-apprenticeship progression programme supporting Snow Camp graduates into sustained employment and onward life opportunities.
• Youth Forum Youth leadership and alumni stage of the Snow Camp journey, providing graduates with a voice in shaping the charity's programmes and ongoing peer engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,108 young people engaged in 2024/25 programmes
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.

• Coach CorecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Partnership to strengthen Snow Camp's apprenticeship programme by adding nationally recognised qualifications, increased wraparound support, and new coaching pathways. Coach Core provides expertise in sports-based apprenticeships for young people facing barriers to employment.
• BASI (British Association of Snowsport Instructors)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBASI provides the Foundation Instructor qualification pathway for Snow Camp's Excel programme. Young people train towards BASI Foundation Award and can progress to Level 1 and 2 qualifications. BASI trainers support the residential trip in Andorra and ongoing programme delivery.
• ASDANcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASDAN provides the Sports and Fitness certificate qualification for young people completing the Graduate programme.
• The Snow Centre (Hemel Hempstead)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome of Snow Camp London programmes. The Snow Centre is managed by Ian Brown, Chair of Snow Camp Trustees.
• SnowDome (Tamworth)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome of Snow Camp Midlands programmes. Partnership enables delivery of First Tracks, Graduate, and Excel courses.
• Chill Factore (Manchester)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome of Snow Camp North West programmes. The UK's longest indoor real-snow slope enables programme delivery.
• Snow Factor (Glasgow)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome of Snow Camp Scotland programmes alongside Bearsden Ski and Snowboard Club.
• AJ BellflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the flagship AJ Bell 3 Valley Rally fundraising event in Val Thorens. Partnership has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for Snow Camp.
• InghamscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner providing work placements in Tignes for Snow Camp apprentices. Part of broader partnership supporting young people's career pathways.
• Ellis BrighamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSnowsports retailer providing work experience opportunities for apprentices and supporting young people's entry into the snowsports industry.
• Snow+RockcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSnowsports retailer partner supporting Snow Camp through equipment donations and fundraising.
• Le SkicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSki chalet company providing work experience opportunities in Val Thorens and Courchevel for Snow Camp Youth Forum members.
• Warren Smith Ski AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSnowsports training academy providing instructor pathway support and patron relationship with founder Warren Smith.
• Halsbury TravelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTravel partner providing ski racing experiences in Sestriere for Snow Camp apprentices.
• True North TravelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTravel partner for Andorra residential trips as part of the Excel programme. Partnership enables mountain experience for young people.
• GB SnowsportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational governing body partner supporting Snow Camp's snowsports programmes.
• HeidicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSnowsports brand providing equipment and support, raised over £14,000 in 2023/24.
• Dare2bcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSnowsports clothing brand providing kit for Snow Camp young people since 2012.
• NUCO TravelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTravel partner supporting Snow Camp programmes and young people's mountain experiences.
• Snowsport EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoverning body providing Snow Life Award qualifications for programme participants.
• Snowsport ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoverning body providing Snow Life Award qualifications for Scottish programme participants.
• Inter-Livery Ski ChampionshipsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual ski competition raising funds for Snow Camp. Raised over £70,000 in 2026, with 7 years of partnership.
• Lifetime TrainingcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTraining provider supporting apprentices with NVQ qualifications.
• SDC LearncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTraining provider delivering expert support for apprentices in Scotland, with salaries funded by National Lottery Young Start Fund.
• OnSide Youth ZonescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership to provide Snow Camp programmes to young people across OnSide Youth Zones network.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Direct peers

• Youth Sport Trust: National UK charity focused on improving young people's education, wellbeing, and life chances through sport. Operates a similar sport-for-social-change model and is a natural peer in the sport-and-youth outcome ecosystem.
• Access Sport: UK charity using inclusive sport to empower disadvantaged and disabled young people. Comparable in mission, target beneficiary profile, and community-based sport delivery model; operates at a similar scale and funding-stage profile to Snow Camp.
• OnSide Youth Zones: UK charity network of state-of-the-art youth centres providing engaging activities for young people aged 8-19. Direct Snow Camp delivery partner and a peer in the youth-development charity space; complementary rather than competing programming.
• The Prince's Trust: UK's largest youth charity supporting 13-30 year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds into education, training, and employment. Comparable in mission (youth transformation), funding model (corporate partnerships, donations, grants), and scale, though it operates across all sectors rather than specialising in sport.
• StreetGames: UK charity that brings sport to disadvantaged young people in underserved communities, operating a doorstep-sport model. Highly comparable in beneficiary profile (deprived-postcode youth), funding mix, and grassroots delivery approach.
• Dame Kelly Holmes Trust: UK charity using world-class athletes as mentors to support young people facing disadvantage, combining sport and life-skills development. Direct analogue to Snow Camp's model of using elite sport engagement and relatable mentors to drive youth outcomes.
• Disability Snowsport UK: UK charity providing adaptive snowsports opportunities for disabled people, including young people. The closest direct peer in the snowsports-charity space, sharing Snow Camp's venue-partnership model with indoor snow centres and qualified-instructor delivery.
• London Youth: UK charity supporting young Londoners through quality-mark accredited youth organisations (Snow Camp is a London Youth Gold Quality Mark holder). Comparable in mission, regional youth-services focus, and training-quality framework.

Broad incumbents

• Centrepoint: Major UK charity supporting homeless and disadvantaged young people aged 16-25 into independent living, training, and employment. Comparable as a UK youth charity of similar funding scale and corporate-partnership model, but operating in housing rather than sport.
• Catch22: Large UK social-purpose organisation delivering services for young people and vulnerable groups, including education, apprenticeship, and employability programmes. A broader incumbent in the same youth-services category with overlapping apprenticeship delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SnowCampInfo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCSNjHrrmLXG-Zlf8-XndBdw
• Facebookfacebook.com/SnowCampCharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/snowcampyouthcharity
• Instagraminstagram.com/snowcampcharity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Snow Camp