Careful what you Swiss for at Kandersteg
Published Wed 10 Jul 2024
When Zoe Cowen applied to work in Switzerland over the European Summer, she did not expect cows to be one of the biggest features on her hike risk assessments.
The 2nd Baulkham Hills Outdoor Rover Scout is working as a summer short-term staff member at Kandersteg International Scout Centre, along with two other NSW Rover Scouts – Ruby Mavor and Grace Cummins.
The trio were all assigned to the Program team, with Zoe and Grace acting as climbing guides this season, while Ruby is in activities.
“I’m really excited for my role this season,” Zoe said. "As Program, we had an additional two weeks of role specific training. I can’t speak for Ruby, but Grace and I have been learning how to setup and lead climbing and abseiling activities, as well as the high adventure activities such as zip wire, Jacob’s ladder and crate stacking.
“Our experience started with two weeks of general training as a full cohort of summer short-term staff. Our teams had people from all over the world and of different ages and life experience learning together. We all completed introductory training to all aspects of how KISC operates: guest services (house, campsite and reception), catering and shop, and program (climbing, hiking and activities).
“We also did training on first aid, our responsibilities, and intercultural communication. There are a lot of traditions embedded into the training of Pinkies that go back decades, and it feels really special to experience it.”
Zoe joined 1st Balcombe Heights Scout Group as a 10-year-old after starting out in Girl Guides, because she was jealous of her brother doing “really cool stuff” in Scouts. She watched him doing canoeing, camping in real tents, going rock climbing and doing other “outdoorsy” activities, while she was sleeping in cabins and felt like she was missing out.
Moving to Scouts also made her closer with her Dad, who was a Scout Leader and taught her how to canoe and abseil. When switching to 2nd Baulkham Hills Scout Group as a Venturer Scout (as 1st Balcombe Heights did not have a Venturer Unit), she learned how to rock climb, canyon and cave, building a love of being outdoors.
“I love doing vertical activities more than aquatic,” Zoe said. “I like being stable on rock, it’s really quite comforting. In Scouts, it was a lot of canoeing and it was really fun and appealing. When I moved Groups, we didn’t have the access to canoes the same as at 1st Balcombe Heights Scout Group, and my Venturer Scout Leader was in the rope access business and very involved with it, so it was very easy to just get involved in the vertical side of things. Even now in Rover Scouts, we’re doing alpine stuff as well, so it’s always progressing into something new it seems with every section, so that’s great.”
Zoe feels like Scouts is full of adventures she never saw coming. From helping on the Contingent team for New Zealand Venture to joining the World Scout Foundation as a BP Fellow last year, she’s found out there’s a whole other world of Scouts she didn’t know existed at an international level.
“I went to a World Scout Foundation annual event and it just happened to be held at KISC, so I went over to Kandersteg which was somewhere I had always wanted to go,” she said. “We interacted with all the staff and all these other people that were amazing and it was somewhere that I wanted to return if possible.
“My passion is outdoor adventurous activities. I love it, I love what it teaches you at a character level, but also how much fun you can have and how capable you can find out you actually are, particularly at doing things you never thought you were able to do.”
That includes the unexpected interactions with cows! In mid-June, dairy farmers take their animals up to higher ground to spend the summer in mountain pastures before descending to be milked for cheese-making.
“Mum cows are very protective of their calves and trying to hike without spooking or threatening them is like tiptoeing around lions,” Zoe said. “We had to take so many detours on one hike that we were half an hour late for dinner!”
As short-term staff, Zoe, Ruby and Grace have the opportunity to be involved in the jamboree activities, such as Flag Break, Messengers of Peace Barbecue, Kander Challenge, Light Trail, Rovers Campfire Yarn, International Campfire, International Sports Afternoon, and International Evening. The Sunday to Friday activities bring the spirit of the permanent mini jamboree to guests year-round.
