POC x Gritt Backcountry Education Camps 2026

A major event on our calendars is the Backcountry Education Camps supported by POC. These events are two-day events held in the Canterbury and Southern Lakes regions and are designed to provide a hands-on learning experience to develop core skills for youth beginning their journeys into avalanche terrain. The courses are led by professional guides, with support from the Gritt crew, with youth achieving their ASC1 (AST1) certificate and core skills for trip planning, group & terrain management and rescue scenarios.

This year, we had 16 participants across the two camps with some exciting conditions at both camps. From running avalanche drills in a snowstorm at Remarkables to scoring fresh turns under blue skies at Craigieburn, this year's events had it all!

We wanted to hear what the experience was like first-hand, the lessons learned, and the experience gained. Luckily, some of our awesome crew from the Craigieburn camp were able to lend a hand! Here's what they had to say...

"I’m Flynn Harden, a 16-year-old freeride skier from Methven. I have spent most of my life skiing at Mt Hutt. I compete in the NZJFT and am always looking for more opportunities to improve my skills both in bounds and out of bounds. I didn’t have much backcountry or avalanche experience before this camp. This camp gave me a lot of skills that I’ll be able to use in my future and a much greater respect for the backcountry."

"My name is Bree. I’m 17 years old, and I’m from Methven. I do most of my skiing at Mt Hutt, but I also enjoy exploring some of the other local fields whenever I get the chance. Before attending the Camp, I had limited backcountry experience. It was a great opportunity to learn new skills from such great people and gain confidence in new terrain. "

"My name is Stella Hamilton, and I’m a 16-year-old skier from Methven, so I spend most of my time at Mt Hutt, but I also enjoy exploring other fields. Before the camp, I had very limited backcountry experience. I’d done a bit of ski touring and had learned some of the basics, but I hadn’t had many opportunities to put those skills into practice. The camp was such a cool experience and gave me the chance to learn from some incredibly knowledgeable people."

"My name is Mackenzie Currie, and I’m a 16-year-old freeride skier from Methven. I spend most of my time skiing at Mt Hutt. Before the camp, I didn’t have much experience in the backcountry, so it was awesome to learn new skills, build my confidence, and get a better understanding of how to travel safely in the mountains."

The camp gave us all a much better understanding of how much planning and 

decision-making goes into skiing in the backcountry. It was awesome learning from such experienced instructors and seeing how important communication, terrain assessment, and avalanche awareness are to take into account before simply sending it.

One of the biggest things we took away was becoming more confident with rescue skills and learning how to use our transceiver, shovel and probes properly. It was also really valuable to learn how to recognise hazards, assess the terrain, and make good decisions as a group instead of just being a sheep and following the person in front. These are all skills we will all keep building on as we spend more time in the backcountry and grow as free riders. 

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Overall, the camp was an awesome experience. It taught us heaps and gave us a much greater appreciation for the responsibility that comes with spending time in the mountains. We all came away feeling more confident, better prepared, and even more excited to keep learning and exploring the backcountry safely. A huge thank you to POC, all of the guides, organisers and volunteers who made the camp possible!

Thanks, Mackenzie, Stella, Bree and Flynn, for your awesome words. We hope you had an amazing time and look forward to seeing you continue on your journeys into the backcountry!

And a big thank you to those who enable us to bring these events to life, in particular POC Sports. Without their support for the last three years, we wouldn't be able to make the impact we have in this space!

In addition, thank you to:

Atomic

Arc'teryx

Selwyn NZ

Inspire Foundation

Snowsports NZ

Craigieburn Valley Ski Field

Remarkables Ski Field

Alpine Guides

Queenstown Mountain Guides