Beau Soleil Summer Camp: Residential Alpine Camp in Villars-sur-Ollon

Beau Soleil Summer Camp is operated by Collège Alpin Beau Soleil on its own campus on Route du Village in Villars-sur-Ollon, in the Vaud Alps of Switzerland. It is a residential camp accepting campers aged 7 to 17 from around the world. Programme and activities. Mornings are given to language classes, in either English or French — the choice of two languages is unusual among alpine camps and worth noting for francophone families or those wanting French practice. Activities are organised into distinct age bands rather than run as one mixed programme. Junior campers aged 7 to 10 do arts and crafts, a mountain hut experience, a farm visit, climbing wall, hiking, theatre and a range of sports. Teen campers aged 11 to 13 move to rafting, rock climbing, stand-up paddle, sailing, archery, an overnight stay in the mountains, horse riding and yoga. Senior campers aged 14 to 17 add cultural visits and excursions, mountain biking, bridge swing, paintball and evening events. A separate Adrenaline+ option for 16-year-olds concentrates on skydiving, paragliding, via ferrata, canyoning and downhill mountain biking. Accommodation, meals and welfare. Girls and boys are housed separately, with most campers in twin rooms, each with cupboard space and a small safe. Junior campers have their own boarding houses and facilities, kept apart from the older groups. Rooms are deliberately mixed by nationality unless friends request otherwise. Meals are prepared on site by the school's chefs, with vegetarian options and pork clearly indicated; attendance at meals is compulsory and staff eat alongside campers. Two nursing staff are on campus daily, and prescribed medication is held and administered by the nurse rather than by campers themselves. Fees and what is included. The camp fee covers accommodation, meals, all activities and excursions, insurance, local taxes, morning language classes, return transfers from Geneva airport, laundry and several souvenir items. A registration fee applies separately to each application — families should budget for it on top of the session price. The school recommends around 100 Swiss francs per week in pocket money, held and issued by the camp. Location and travel. Villars-sur-Ollon is a mountain resort in the canton of Vaud, above the Rhône valley. Geneva is the arrival airport, and transfers on arrival and departure days are included in the fee. Unaccompanied minor services must be declared in advance and carry additional charges from both the airline and the school. Campers from some countries need a Swiss visa, which can take up to two weeks. Who the programme may suit. This camp may suit families wanting a Swiss alpine boarding-school setting with genuinely age-appropriate grouping rather than a single programme stretched across a wide range — the separate junior boarding houses matter for a 7 or 8-year-old. Included Geneva transfers and insurance simplify planning for families travelling internationally. Older teenagers seeking adventure sports have the Adrenaline+ route. Families should confirm current session dates and fees directly, as these change between seasons.