Last winter, snow was hard to come by at our holiday camp in Valbella. But there was no shortage this time. There was so much snow that our coach was unable to reach our camp base, and we had to alight a few hundred metres down the road. It quickly transpired that the children were much happier with all this snow than our coach driver Casi was. We were certainly going to have a great time together.
Divided into small groups based on their level of skiing or snowboarding proficiency, the children enjoyed a wonderful week of fun in the snow. Two camp leaders were designated to each group. All our staff returned back home from camp happy but exhausted, the abundant snow having ensured a varied programme of activities. We spent most days on the piste, but gave the children a mid-camp day off to go to the swimming baths or skate at the open-air ice rink. Our intrepid children also took the opportunity to try something different: a snowshoe hiking tour offering breathtaking views of Lake Heid.
Making traditional igloos was a particular highlight. The process of building them would have been quicker without help from the children, but having fun and making memories was what mattered. We said to the children that they could spend the night in their igloos. Two kids took us up on our offer and used their igloo as a bedroom for the rest of the trip. Our staff would check up on them every night, taking the opportunity to stretch their legs and walk a lap of the camp building.
We are planning to hold two holiday camps next winter. One of them will take place in Valbella again (for children aged 12 to 14), the other in the Melch Valley in central Switzerland (for children aged eight to 14). We are considering offering beginners the opportunity to spend the first two days of their winter holiday camp at ski school, so that they pick up skiing faster, have more fun and give our camp leaders a breather. Our leaders are very professional, but not all of them are professional ski instructors. Your opinion as parents is important to us, so please let us know what you think of the idea by writing to us at info@sjas.ch.
Foundation for Young Swiss Abroad (FYSA)
Phone +41 31 356 61 16
info@sjas.ch
www.sjas.ch
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