Beginner-friendly camps
Your child's first summer camp, without the worry
Never been to a camp? Never climbed, never ridden a mountain bike trail? That is how most of our campers start. Our beginner-friendly programmes, for children aged 9 to 13, teach every skill from the first morning, in small groups, with a team used to first weeks away from home.
See the beginner-friendly campsGet the brochure
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At a glance
- Ages 9 to 13, at the junior camp in Les Diablerets
- Experience None needed: activities are adapted to every level
- Groups About one leader for every five children
- Pace Challenge by choice: encouraged, never forced
- Coming alone Many children come without a friend and make one on the first day
- Phones Kept safe by the team, with a call home every week
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Four programmes that start from the beginning
At the junior camp each child chooses one morning programme; afternoons, meals and rooms are shared with everyone.
- Football Academy: training, matches and tactical workshops with qualified coaches, all levels.
- MTB and Cycling: technical skills and alpine trails, from beginners to experts. Bike and equipment included.
- Rock Climbing: climbing and bouldering on local crags, roping, belaying and safety skills. Harness and equipment included.
- Survival Academy: shelters, fire-making, navigation, water purification and knots. Survival campers sleep in tents but can use the chalet.
Not sure yet? Adrenaline Multisports mixes a bit of everything and is our usual advice for a first camp: see the multi-adventure camps.
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The first week away from home
Our team is used to first-timers. Groups are mixed on purpose across languages and countries, and teams, games and shared tasks from the first evening help everyone find their place.
If homesickness comes, the leaders keep the child busy with the group through the day, and the on-site manager can arrange an extra call home. Phones are kept safe by the team and handed back at set times to call home, and the full photo albums come to every family after the summer.
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Our beginner-friendly camps
The programmes where no experience is needed, with their dates and prices:
Chalet Budokan | Switzerland
Survival Academy
From CHF 1'080 / week | Swiss resident From CHF 1'380 / week | International participant
Chalet Budokan | Switzerland
Rock Climbing
From CHF 1'080 / week | Swiss resident From CHF 1'380 / week | International participant
Chalet Budokan | Switzerland
MTB and Cycling
From CHF 1'080 / week | Swiss resident From CHF 1'380 / week | International participant
Chalet Budokan | Switzerland
Football Academy
From CHF 1'080 / week | Swiss resident From CHF 1'380 / week | International participant
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How we make a first camp easy
Most are first-timers
Your child will not be the only new one: most campers are here for the first time.
Coming alone is normal
Many children come without a friend. Teams and games mix the group from the first evening.
Skills from zero
Instructors teach each skill step by step; those with experience go further.
Nobody is pushed
We walk as fast as our slowest hiker, and nobody does what they are not ready for.
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Questions parents ask
What does beginner-friendly mean?
That no experience is needed: the programme teaches every skill from the start, at the group's pace, and children who already know the basics are helped to go further.
Which programme is best for a first camp?
Adrenaline Multisports, which mixes a bit of everything, is the one we usually advise. If your child already loves one sport, the Football Academy, MTB and Cycling, Rock Climbing and Survival Academy programmes all welcome beginners.
How long should a first camp be?
The minimum is one week, Sunday to Saturday, and many first-timers start there. Most children stay two weeks, and since the activities change every week, a second week is never a repeat.
My child is shy and knows nobody. Will they fit in?
Yes. Many children come on their own, and the groups are deliberately mixed across languages and countries. Teams, games and shared tasks from the first evening help everyone find their place.
What happens if my child is homesick?
Our team is used to it. The leaders support the child through the day and keep them busy with the group, and the on-site manager can arrange an extra call home.
Can I bring my child to the chalet myself?
Yes: drop-off at the chalet in Les Diablerets is on Sunday between 2 and 3 PM, pick-up on Saturday between 11 AM and 2 PM. Families in Switzerland can also meet the group at Lausanne station, and children who fly in are met at Geneva Airport.
Get this year's brochure
Every junior programme, every date and every price, in English or in French.
