International Summer Camp Montana - Crans-Montana, Switzerland

The camp runs a single multi-activity summer programme for children and teenagers aged 8 to 17, organised in three age sections: Rookies for the youngest campers, Champions for the middle group and Seniors for the oldest. Each section keeps its own timetable, so activities, meals and rest periods are matched to the age of the group. Sessions of two and three weeks are offered across the summer, and the camp welcomes several hundred campers per session from more than fifty countries. Language tuition in English, French or Spanish is available as an optional add-on for families who want a study element alongside the activity programme.

The camp fee covers full board, accommodation on the camp grounds, all sports and leisure activities including equipment, excursions, staff and instruction, bedlinen, laundry service and the services of the camp infirmary. Travel to and from the camp, personal spending money, insurance and medical treatment outside the camp infirmary are not covered. Language courses and airport transfers from Geneva are available as paid extras, and an extra day at camp beyond the session dates can be arranged for an additional charge. A non-refundable deposit is required with the application and is credited towards the camp fee; payment is made by bank transfer in Swiss francs, and card payments are not accepted.

Campers stay within the camp grounds in the historic La Moubra building and the chalets around it, in bright rooms shared with other campers. Champions and Seniors are placed four to a room; Rookie rooms take four, six or eight campers. Boys and girls are accommodated separately. Bedlinen is provided and a laundry service is included, so families do not need to arrange washing during the stay.

Full board is included, with three meals a day served on site. Each age section eats at its own times, so Rookies, Champions and Seniors follow staggered breakfast, lunch and dinner slots that fit around their activity timetables. Meals are a fixed point of the daily rhythm and bring each section together between activity blocks.

Days are built around outdoor and mountain activities in and around Crans-Montana. Campers can try climbing and a high ropes course set in the forest beside Lac Moubra, archery, fencing, kayaking on the lake, horse riding and hiking, including an overnight hike on the longer sessions. Excursions take groups out into the surrounding Valais region, and camp-wide events such as the Camp Carnival and the Colour Olympics bring all three sections together for games and team challenges. Younger sections follow six activity blocks a day with open activities and free time in between, and an evening activity before bedtime.

The camp occupies its own grounds beside Lac Moubra above Crans-Montana, with residential accommodation in the main La Moubra building and surrounding chalets. An on-site infirmary looks after campers who feel unwell, and its services are part of the camp fee. A secure Wi-Fi network is available to campers during the set phone and connectivity windows for their age section. The lake and forest next to the site are used directly for water and rope activities rather than campers travelling to them.

The camp has been running in the Swiss Alps for over sixty years and draws campers from more than fifty countries each summer, so groups are genuinely international and English is the common language of camp life. Phones are limited to set windows during the day, which keeps campers focused on activities and on each other. Parents describe children arriving alone and leaving with friendships that continue long after the session, and the camp reports a steady flow of returning families whose own parents attended.