But the trio won’t get to drape the bronze medals around their necks until the school’s presentation night on December 15 after they left the 2009 championships before the competition had finished, confident they weren’t in medal contention.

“We were going to stay for the presentation but we thought, ‘nah, we’ve got no chance’,” said 16-year-old Cameron.

Facing a long car trip home, skipping a three-hour wait in the cold while the results were finalised seemed like a sensible idea. It was only the next morning when the brothers checked the outcome on the internet that they realised their times in the snowboard giant slalom event were fast enough to secure third place.

Seventeen-year-old Nathan led the charge for the Winmalee High team, securing the fastest time in his first giant slalom run.

The team also came seventh in the boardercross event at Falls Creek.

The national championships capped off a great season for Year 11 student Nathan who also won a bronze medal at the State championships and silver and gold medals at the Sydney regional event.