St Swithun’s School sixth former, Phoebe Sugden, has completed the AJ Bell Alpine Challenge in a bid to raise funds for the Snow-Camp charity. Phoebe and her team, Willpower – so named in support of the Will Houghton Foundation – raised over £6,000 in sponsorship for their two-day endurance event, which took place in the vast Portes du Soleil ski area of Morzine in France.
Competing in the endurance challenge against 21 other teams, Willpower skied and snowboarded a cumulative distance of 160.3km, via 47 marked checkpoints along the way. The generosity of the St Swithun’s School community and family friends helped place Phoebe and Willpower amongst the top five fundraising teams.
Phoebe, who was skiing in memory of a close family friend, said: “The whole experience was such fun and so enjoyable that I would recommend it to everyone. I am hoping to take part again next year, which will be the tenth annual Alpine Challenge, even though skiing from 8.30am to 5pm for two days straight was very tiring. The Snow-Camp charity does some really important work, and I am proud to have been able to support them.”
Snow-Camp is a charity that supports and empowers people aged 13-21, living in inner cities, by using snowsports to provide life-skills sessions, qualifications and vocational training. The money raised will support Snow-Camp’s bid to become a national charity, enabling the organisation to work with more people across the UK. This year’s Alpine Challenge event has raised over £50,000.
