In turn, he has always worked to find opportunities to help more people find access to snowsports.

His time at University of Ballarat helped Nelson formally develop ways to do this. It evolved into a 14-year career.

Nelson is now set to lead the new Family Snowsports Academy Canada program at Silver Star Mountain Resort, near Vernon, in British Columbia.

He will oversee a four-week training program specially designed for promising Australian skiers and snowboarders to develop and fine-tune their skills as a pre-season to southern hemisphere competition.

It is a natural progression for Nelson, who lived and studied in Ballarat for five-and-a-half years – in business, human movement and sports management – when a university placement introduced him to interschools work.

“I was very lucky growing up that my father was a keen skier and I have skied since I was three, also snowboarding for a while. It was at uni that I helped form the ski club at UB, taking students on ski trips to Falls Creek and Mount Hotham and creating opportunities for people to get involved with snowsports,” Nelson said.

A former Australian snowboard team manager, Nelson event-managed Australian and Victorian interschools snowsports championships for 14 years before taking up an Interschools Canada Program post, program managing for Australians at Silver Star.

His new post is based in Australia and New Zealand as business development manager during the southern hemisphere season and at the resort for the Canadian 2014-15 season.

“It’s a popular destination for Australians to go to ski. You can get there in about a day, which is much quicker than travelling to Europe,” Nelson said.

“We generally target families to the beautiful Silver Star Resort. During the day, children are in the program and parents can take their own classes or go off an ski.”

Courses and facilities at the resort are custom designed to replicate Australian courses.

Nelson said importantly the area always had a consistent level of good powder snow all winter.

And he was always on the look-out for potential Australian winter Olympians.

“Definitely. we had some great results earlier this year in Russia,” Nelson said.

“I want everyone to aim to be the best snowsport enthusiasts they can be.”

The interschools program at Silver Star Resort starts on December 29.

melanie.whelan@fairfaxmedia.com.au