Winter Camp in Verbier, Swiss. December to April

From beginning of December until the end of April, Les Elfes offers from 1 to 4 weeks-long winter camp sessions. We allow the young adults to express their individuality within a truly international circle. Each winter, we welcome over 65 different nationalities from all continents of the world.

Les Elfes ensures active participation, a very broad choice of exciting activities and a high degree of learning in a fun and very international environment, all by guaranteeing maximum safety through our caring & experienced staff.

Our team of fully qualified ski and snowboard guides take care of students in groups of 2-7, with full-day guiding, lunch on the mountain and breaks throughout the day. Ski touring and snowshoeing are also options for those who want to try a different discipline.

Whether skiing for the first time or enjoying this sport for several seasons, our team of ski and snowboard guides will make sure there is a good level of progression and, above all, fun for everyone.

Typically a day on the mountain consists of learning new skills in the morning and having an opportunity to practice those skills on different slopes throughout the afternoon, with a hot chocolate break for when the group is feeling tired.

The main activities Les Elfes has to offer in the winter are skiing, snowboarding, sledging, ice-skating, and many more. Many other areas of development will also be enhanced during camp, with languages also on offer, English, French, German, Spanish and Mandarin

• Ski & Snowboard

From total beginners, some of whom have never seen snow, to young athletes training as part of their school ski or snowboard team, Les Elfes offers a lively and enthusiastic approach. We aim to facilitate an environment for students to develop their skills while enjoying their time on the mountain, making new friends from around the world and sharing valuable experiences with their peers.

Throughout our courses, we follow a clear structure for progression so students are aware of their current levels of performance and their areas for improvement. 

At the end of each trip, we like to celebrate the achievements of each of our students with a prize-giving evening. It is a chance for them to have a final group photo with their guide, receive their certificates and to hear the much-anticipated ski and snowboard race results from the week. We also show a slideshow.

• Language Courses

At Les Elfes we strive for excellence in everything we do and our language courses are no exception. To ensure we offer the best possible tuition for our students we work in partnership with Verbier Language School to offer specialist teachers in each language for every course.

Students are group according to their language levels with a maximum class size of 7 students per teacher. We offer 3 types of courses in French, English, Spanish, and German. Each of our courses follows set criteria for levels of language proficiency with detailed certificates and a portfolio of work which students may take away with them.

• Excursions

What better way to really appreciate the culture of Switzerland than to dedicate a day to visit some of the most iconic cities and some of the famous organizations.

Each of our cultural excursion days is a little different, with new options each year for those returning campers who are ready to see something new! Whether it is souvenir shopping that interests you or the science exhibitions of CERN the options are endless. 

• Lausanne: A trip to the Olympic Museum with its wealth of memories will keep your passion for the Olympics burning, followed by a walking tour in the old town to one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Europe.
• Geneva: With its humanitarian tradition and cosmopolitan flair, the European seat of the UNO and headquarters of the Red Cross is known as the “capital of peace”. Visit the old town, the heart of Geneva with its shopping and business quarter.
• Bern: The capital of Switzerland – the old town of Bern has been entered on the list of UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Sites. The Houses of Parliament (Bundeshaus) rise above the city just a stone's throw away from the railway station. Bern and bears, the city’s heraldic beast, are inseparable. When visiting the city we will take a trip to the Bear Pits.
• Gruyere: The Gruyère region, with its rolling green landscape and peaks of the Fribourg Pre-Alps, is home to the world-famous Gruyère cheese. In the famous cheese factory, you will see how the tasty Gruyère cheese is made and the tour of culinary delights will be followed by a guided tour of the Cailler chocolate factory.
• Montreux: Visit the town of Montreux that nestles in the shelter of Lake Geneva, surrounded by vineyards, with the breathtaking backdrop of the snow-covered Alps, followed by a visit to Château de Chillon.
• France: Get a taste of France with a visit to Evian and the famous water factory, with also a walk along the world-famous Lake Geneva.
• Italy: Discover the famous Italian city of Aosta, visit the old town and enjoy some Italian shopping.

Evening Activities

Our evening programs are tailored to meet the requirements of our students. Our groups participate in an activities program from 8 pm until 9 pm and our older groups from 8 pm until 9:45 pm, with bedtime at 10 pm.

We offer many activities including ice skating, team challenges, quizzes, disco night, games competitions, dine out in a swiss restaurant, cinema night, campfires, torchlight walk, mountain BBQ, nightline, bin bag fashion show, dragons’ den, and a final prize-giving celebration to finish each week

Our Campus

Our two purpose-built wood and stone chalets follow the Swiss Alpine tradition and offer charm and comfort to our guests. Both chalets are situated in a green, peaceful surrounding and only five minutes from the center of Verbier. The girls and boys are separated in each of the two chalets, which are completely equipped for holiday camps :

• A permanently staffed and welcoming reception hall
• Large rooms with two to four beds and ensuite bathrooms
• Two spacious, sunny dining room with an open-planned sitting room
• Open fireplace leading onto a south-facing terrace with a barbecue
• A library, games hall, cinema, music room ( or discothèque )
• Conference rooms and internet room
• Professionally equipped kitchens in both buildings
• All equipment for indoor and outdoor games and sports: football field, basketball, volleyball and badminton courts, golf putting/driving range, trampoline, pétanque area, and climbing walls
• At 2 minutes walk from the Sports Center. Here there is a swimming pool, a climbing wall, tennis, football & volleyball court, and many other possible activities.

Location

Verbier is located in the French part of Switzerland, 1 hour and 45 minutes from Geneva, 2 hours and 45 minutes from Zürich and 30 minutes from the Italian and French borders. Directly opposite Le Grand Combin which rises to 4300m, Verbier’s stunning location on a south-facing plateau guarantees an exceptionally sunny climate. Despite Verbier’s reputation as a leading ski resort in the winter, the summer is packed with festivals, mountain sports and visitors from all over the world.

Each weekend brings a new crowd starting the summer with the Verbier Festival, a prestigious Classical Music Festival, attended by the most esteemed musicians from around the world, to the splendid display of athleticism offered in the Jumping International de Verbier Equestrian events towards the end of August.

Staff & Safety

Safety is our highest priority. All of our staff must have a valid First Aid Certificate and a current Criminal Records Check before beginning their training at Les Elfes. Unlike many similar camps over half of our staff are employed for the full year to ensure that the standard of activities we offer is consistently high at all campuses.

We also find that maintaining a core team of staff who work each year with the same groups enable us to build a repertoire with schools and with their students to provide better a better service and a better experience.

All our summer and winter staff monitors, instructors, core staff and managers undertake a two-week training course before the start of each season combining one week of technical training and one week to learn and become acquainted with the Philosophy of Les Elfes.

Our training for each season includes a First Aid refresher course, Lifeguard Training, Fire Safety, Child Protection awareness and Training in our SOPs and EAPs.

• Accommodation in 4-bedded rooms with private bathroom 7 days with daily cleaning
• 7 breakfast buffet
• 6 lunches in one of our private mountain restaurant and one pack-lunch on excursion day
• 5 days ski pass
• 5 mornings ski lessons and 5 afternoons accompanied skiing with our ski teachers
• Après-ski activities from 16.30 - 18.30 (swimming, village, indoor games, etc.)
• 2 hours language lessons 4 times per week
• 7 dinners with salad buffet, first plate, main plate and dessert
• Night activities in the evening from 20.00 - 22.00
• One excursion per week in a city of cultural interest
• Full supervision 24 hours per day (ski/snowboard teachers, administration staff, animation staff, night guard, kitchen staff etc.)
• All the activities, tickets, local transportation etc.
• Last day prize giving with certificates
• Ski race of last day skiing with BBQ on the slopes
• Daily cleaning of the rooms, bed linen and towels
• Taxes and services, administration fee and cancellation insurance

A transfer service to and from Geneva Airport is proposed by Les Elfes. The transfers are made with private Les Elfes buses and early long employed professional drivers. 

UM service is also available.

Use the Solocampamentos contact form to get full details and information about the programme.

• 5% discount on the basic price is offered to returning students
• 5% discount on the basic price is offered to students who enroll with their sibling.