Adventure CampsSport Camps

HIF Winter Camp in the Swiss Alps

Ftan, SwitzerlandHochalpines Institut Ftan

Dates
Feb 9 – 19, 2027
Duration
11 days
Ages
10–16
Price from

$2,759

Per week on a 2-week stay

Shortest stay: 2 weeks — $5,518

No immediate payment requiredFree consultationResponse within 24 hours

An 11-day residential winter experience at the HIF boarding campus in Ftan, in the Swiss Alps. Ability-based ski and snowboard instruction is combined with applied learning on the mountain, Alpine exploration and international boarding life. Beginners build a secure foundation, while more experienced students refine technique, control and mountain awareness. Snow, weather, equipment, navigation and mountain decisions create natural opportunities for applied learning alongside the snow-sports experience. For young people aged 10 to 16.

Age

10–16 yrs

Language

English

Program type

Adventure Camps, Sport Camps

Accommodation

Campus

About

About the Course

Ski and snowboard instruction is organised by ability, so beginners build a secure foundation while more experienced students refine technique, control and mountain awareness. Alongside the snow-sports mornings, applied learning turns winter into a natural laboratory: students explore snow, weather, forces, equipment, maps, forecasts and practical decision-making through short challenges connected to the mountain day. Alpine exploration adds navigation, avalanche awareness, first aid, cross-country skiing and winter challenges. Instruction and the camp day are in English.

What’s Included

A residential camp of eleven days and ten nights on the HIF boarding campus, for young people aged 10 to 16, with a maximum of thirty students. The programme fee covers accommodation on campus, full board and the camp programme. Airport pick-up from Zurich and single-room upgrades are offered separately as optional extras.

Accommodation

Students stay on the HIF boarding school campus in Ftan. Campers share bright, modern twin rooms with ensuite bathrooms. The school aims to honour roommate requests and matches children of similar ages and interests. Single occupancy with a shared bathroom, and a single room with ensuite, are available as paid upgrades.

Meal Plan

Full board on campus. The day starts with a breakfast buffet, with lunch in the middle of the day and dinner in the evening shared with the group. The kitchen team prepares fresh, balanced meals daily and caters for a variety of dietary preferences and requirements, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergy-specific diets, when these are given on the health form in advance.

Activities & Excursions

Mornings are spent on the snow in ability-based ski and snowboard groups led by qualified professionals. Afternoons are given to mountain learning, and evenings to games, sports and well-being activities with the group. Alpine exploration runs through the camp: navigation, avalanche awareness, first aid, cross-country skiing and winter challenges that build judgement, preparation, teamwork and responsible mountain behaviour.

Facilities

The camp is based on the HIF boarding school campus in Ftan, a traditional Alpine village in the Lower Engadin Valley. Students live in the school residence, eat in the campus dining room and share the everyday life of the school with peers from around the world. The hospital in Scuol is about ten minutes away.

Camp Experience

A typical day begins with a breakfast buffet at 7:30, snow sports from 8:15 until 12:15, lunch, mountain learning from 13:00 to 17:00, dinner at 18:30 and evening games, sports or well-being activities from 19:30, with rest from 22:00. Staff live on campus and are with the children from morning until night. Supervision and pastoral care are built into every part of the day and night, while qualified specialists lead technical mountain activities. Phones are kept safe during the day and can be used at set times in the evenings, and parents receive photo updates.

Language Camp prices

Ski & Snowboard with Alpine Applied Learning

25 Lessons · 10–16 yrs · All levels

Price from

Ability-based ski and snowboard instruction with qualified professionals, combined with applied learning, Alpine exploration and boarding life. Beginners build a secure foundation; more experienced students refine technique, control and mountain awareness.

Learning is entirely experiential: ability-based ski and snowboard instruction each morning with qualified professionals, and applied mountain learning each afternoon — all in English, with no traditional classroom lessons.

Four connected parts: ski and snowboard instruction by ability; applied learning that uses snow, weather, forces, equipment, maps and forecasts as a natural laboratory; Alpine exploration covering navigation, avalanche awareness, first aid, cross-country skiing and winter challenges; and well-being through active days, community evenings and international boarding life.

Daily Schedule

  1. Breakfast

    07:30–08:00

  2. Classes

    08:15–12:15

  3. Lunch

    12:15–13:00

  4. Activities or excursions

    13:00–17:00

  5. Dinner

    18:30–19:15

  6. Evening activities

    19:30–22:00

  7. Lights out

    22:00–22:30

Included items

  • 24/7 supervision
  • International students
  • Small groups
  • Excursions
  • Hiking
  • Indoor Games
  • Outdoor Sports Games
  • Cafeteria
  • Games area
  • Outdoor fields
  • Residence accommodation

Optional Extras

Top recommendation

Recommended for most families

Smooth arrival and fewer surprises.

Zurich Airport pick-up

Airport transfer from Zurich, offered by the school as an optional extra.

Single room with ensuite

Upgrade from a shared twin room to a single room with an ensuite bathroom.

Accommodation2
Transfer1

Photos

School

Hochalpines Institut Ftan logo

Hochalpines Institut Ftan

Hochalpines Institut Ftan (HIF Swiss International School) is a Swiss boarding school in Ftan, a traditional Alpine village in the Lower Engadin Valley of Grisons. Students live and learn on the school's campus in a mountain environment, sharing meals, routines, activities and evenings with peers from around the world. Alongside its academic programmes and sports academy, HIF runs residential camps for young people in winter, spring and summer, led by experienced HIF staff and qualified outdoor specialists.

Location

Map showing camp locationChalchera 154, 7551 Ftan, Switzerland, Ftan

Frequently Asked Questions

Our staff live on campus and are with the children from morning until night. They are experienced educators, mentors and carers who create a safe, family-style environment where every child feels known and supported.

Safety is always our priority. All outdoor activities are led by certified instructors, using high-quality equipment and following strict safety guidelines. Risk assessments are completed before every activity.

Our staff are first aid trained, and the local hospital in Scuol is only 10 minutes away. We will contact you right away if your child needs medical attention, and we will stay in touch until they are feeling better.

Campers share bright, modern twin rooms with ensuite bathrooms. We strive to honour roommate requests and match children of similar ages and interests, ensuring everyone feels comfortable and at home.

Our kitchen team prepares fresh, balanced meals daily, catering to a variety of dietary preferences and requirements, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergy-specific diets. Just tell us your child’s needs on the health form so we can plan ahead.

Yes, many of our campers do. We offer airport transfers from Zurich and full support for unaccompanied minors. Our staff meet them at the airport and stay with them until they are safely back on their return flight.

Yes, but we also encourage them to enjoy a little independence. Phones are kept safe during the day and can be used at set times in the evenings. You will also receive photo updates so you can share in the adventure from afar.

Before camp begins, you will receive a detailed packing list covering clothes, shoes and essentials for both indoor and outdoor activities. We provide all specialist equipment, and winter gear can be rented locally if needed.

We recommend that every camper have full travel and medical insurance that covers outdoor activities. We will send any confirmation letters you need for visa or insurance purposes once your place is confirmed.

More about this camp

Hochalpines Institut Ftan runs its Winter Camp on its own boarding campus in Ftan, a traditional Alpine village above the Lower Engadin Valley in the Swiss canton of Grisons. The camp takes young people aged 10 to 16 for eleven days and ten nights, with a maximum of thirty students, and the whole camp day runs in English. The programme has four connected parts. Ski and snowboard instruction is grouped by ability, so a child who has never stood on snow and a confident rider both have somewhere to go. Applied learning uses the winter itself — snow, weather, forces, equipment, maps and forecasts — as material for short challenges tied to the day on the mountain. Alpine exploration covers navigation, avalanche awareness, first aid, cross-country skiing and winter challenges. Well-being and boarding life fill the evenings with games, sports and community time. Students live in the school residence in twin rooms with ensuite bathrooms, eat full board prepared by the school kitchen, and are supervised by experienced HIF staff, including team members who look after boarding students during the school year. Qualified specialists lead the technical mountain activities. Zurich airport pick-up and single-room upgrades can be added to the booking.

Price from $2,759