Why Pushing Boundaries Matters

Personal Growth And Challenges

Coming from Australia, a "double black diamond" ski run is a mythical beast. Our hardest runs are like a gentle river paddle compared to the Grade 5 rapids of Colorado.

So, when I arrived in Breckenridge for the ski season, I was terrified. My inner doubting voice kept saying, "Don't go there, you're not an expert". But my adventurous voice, the one we try to cultivate in our students, was louder: "Get there now!".

The Leap of Faith

Standing at the top of "Dark Rider" on Peak 10, my stomach churned. I thought of every risk: hitting a tree, breaking a leg, setting off an avalanche.

But I pushed off. I ploughed through waist-deep powder, copping face-fulls of snow with every turn. When I reached the bottom, legs burning and heart pounding, I looked back up at my single set of tracks. I made it.

The Lesson for Educators

I share this because it mirrors the journey we ask our students to take on every school camp.

Preparation: I didn't just jump; I had skied for weeks (and years) to build up to it.

Fear: The fear was real, but it was the fear of the unknown.

Reward: The feeling of overcoming that self-doubt was euphoric.



As educators, our job is to guide students to that edge and enable them to take measured risks so they can grow. If they put in the effort, build up to it, and take that final leap that scares them, they learn they can do anything. That is the ultimate goal of outdoor education.