Energy Kids Winter Ski Camp in L'Alpe d'Huez

L'Alpe d'Huez sits above the Oisans valley in the French Alps and is one of the largest linked ski areas in the country, with long south-facing runs and a resort centre that a child can cross on foot. Energy Kids Academy, a children's sports club with its own five-acre park in the Paris suburbs and gymnasiums in the city, brings a group of its pupils here each winter for a residential ski week. The camp is organised as a single package rather than a menu of options. Children travel together from Paris to Grenoble in first class by train, accompanied by the academy's coaches, and continue to the resort by private coach. They stay in a ski-in ski-out chalet residence in the centre of L'Alpe d'Huez, sleeping in rooms of two to three children arranged by age group, with full board served at the residence. Ski equipment hire, the lift pass, insurance and the after-ski programme are all part of the same package, so families are not asked for supplements once the child is there. Skiing is the core of the week. Instruction is delivered in private lessons by instructors of the Ecole du Ski Francais of L'Alpe d'Huez, booked exclusively for the group, and each instructor works with no more than four children of the same age and ski level. That means a beginner is not slowed down by, or holding up, a confident skier. At the end of the stay children sit the Ecole du Ski Francais assessments - ourson, flocon, etoiles, fleches and chamois - and take home the badge they have earned, which gives the week a measurable result rather than only a good time. Off the slopes the supervision does not change hands. The academy's own coaches stay with the children around the clock at the same ratio of one coach to four, so the adult a child skis with in the morning is the adult who is there at supper. Afternoons and evenings use the resort's covered sports and leisure centre and include an ice laser game and tennis, and every group takes a dog-sled ride, which the operator singles out as the moment the children remember. Places are limited by the size of the chalet and the number of instructors reserved, so availability is confirmed case by case. The operator does not publish an age range for the camp; parents should confirm the accepted ages, along with dates and any dietary arrangements, directly with the camp provider before making travel arrangements.