Alpies Clubs
“The children had a great time! Very caring staff, who were excellent and really cared about their profession and the children.” - Davis Family - Saas Fee, July 2009
The Alpies Club is our own Esprit-exclusive fun-packed children's activity club for children between the ages of 3 and 11, available throughout the whole season in Saas Fee, Chamonix, Belle Plagne and Alpe d'Huez.
Our Alpies Clubs run for four whole days a week, from 9.30am - 6pm, and include lunch, snacks, drinks, and all the various activities, including all equipment-hire, guides and instructors as appropriate.
As in previous seasons, Monday, Wednesday and Friday are the main activity days, and we also offer a fourth day on Thursday, completely free of charge*. This optional day has proved extremely popular and is mainly club-based, with no major activity involved, giving you the choice of using this fourth day's child care if you wish, or, should you prefer to, have a family day out together, knowing that your child is not missing out on any of the key big adventures!
The Alpies Club introduces children to the mountains with fun adventurous activities suitable to their age range and abilities. We therefore operate with two age-based sub-divisions within the Clubs to ensure age-appropriate activities for all-
Minis: 3-6 years
Maxis: 7-11 years
*Not available to children who have not booked the rest of the week in Alpies Club.
What's Included?
Every week is themed and all the Alpies activities reflect the week’s theme, so your children could spend time as pirates, aliens from outer space or super heroes!
The Mini Alpies’activities will range from treasure-hunts, face-painting and paddling-pool fun under the guidance and enthusiasm of our Esprit Alpies Rangers, as well as gentle mountain walks with huskies, pony and cart rides and picnic outings.
The cost for 3 full days in Mini Alpies is £115 per child (4th day FREE!), including all the activities as detailed opposite, plus lunches, all drinks and snacks.
The Maxi Alpies will have their energies tested by additional activities such as rock-climbing, archery, mountain-biking and other action-packed fun and games. Where applicable, these activities are led by an experienced mountain guide or instructor, as well as always being accompanied by one of our Alpies Rangers.
The cost for 3 full days in Maxi Alpies is £135 per child (4th day FREE!), including all the activities as detailed opposite, plus lunches, all drinks and snacks.
New this year, we have refreshed and extended the Alpies’ activities in every resort, ensuring fresh new adventures for children returning with us after previous Esprit holidays.
Each resort now offers three main activities for both Minis and Maxis, plus a picnic lunch expedition each day, as everyone knows that food tastes even better outdoors! In addition to these scheduled activities, our Alpies Rangers always find extra little variations to add, such as animal-tracking or a diversion via a mini-obstacle course on the way to lunch.
The various Alpies’ adventures on offer in each individual resort range from pony-cart rides, husky-walking and a frog safari for the Minis, to archery, rock-climbing and pony-trekking for Maxi Alpies.
The Minis also find time for the long-time favourite Esprit Mini-Olympics & Treasure Hunt – a host of different fun and games tailored to the children’s ages and abilities, with prizes for all at the end of a lively and varied day
On Thursdays - the optional free 'extra' day, activities are more informal and club-based.
All equipment and all instructors / guides as applicable are included for all these activities in Alpies Club.
High tea is taken as part of the Club’s day, under our staff’s supervision. Parents are then asked to collect their children from the Alpies Club at 6pm.
ALPIES CLUB ACTIVITIES
|
| Alpe d'Huez |
Minis (3-6 years) |
Pony-Ride and Grooming - make the ponies look their best before the ride |
Frog Safari - fun and games on the way to the lake and the hunt for the elusive frogs. |
Indoor Roller-Blades and Trampoline - try the roller blades on soft foam matting and then start jumping! |
Maxis (7-11 years) |
Mountain-Biking - take to two wheels on the trails around the resort |
Fishing - off to the lake with all the equipment to catch a big fish for Hight Tea! |
Pony-Trekking - make friends with the ponies and then the pony-ride starts on a gentle sandy track. |
| Chamonix |
Minis (3-6 years) |
Husky Walking - dog-walking with a difference - groom your 'wolf' before the walk commences. |
'Paradis des Parz' - a lakeside play area with small kayaks, trampolines and a climbing tower. |
Adventure Park - mini-rides and slides, all done Chamoonix-style! |
Maxis (7-11 years) |
Hiil-Hike and Den-Building - a walk up into the hills, where we build a snug survival den! |
Rock-Climbing - a fully qualified instructor will oversee the climbs and abseil descents. |
Plannards Adventure Park - try various obstacles in the park including the famous tree-walk! |
| Belle plagne |
Minis (3-6 years) |
Visit the Ice-Cave - travel by gondola to visit the mysterious world of the ice-caves. |
Mini-Cars - drive these fun little cars around a special little track in Belle Plagne. |
Mini-Tennis - discover your Wimbledon potential at an early age, with fun games and competitons! |
Maxis (7-11 years) |
Circus Skills - learn to be a circus entertainer and practice new skills including juggling and the tricky mono-cycle. |
Rock-Climbing - a fully qualified instructor shows to climb safely and abseil back down. |
Archery - tune up your 'Robin Hood' skills, and go for gold! |
| Saas Fee |
Minis (3-6 years) |
Marmot-Feeding and Ice Grotto - travel up to the Mittelallalin to feed the friendly marmots, and see the ice-cave. |
Mini-Tennis - fun and games with mini-raquets and soft balls on the mini-tenniscourt. |
Pony and Cart Ride - a delightful ride in a traditional cart pulled by a friendly mountain pony. |
Maxis (7-11 years) |
Mountain-Biking - a fun and easy ride together through local woods and meadows. |
Forest Adventure Trail - travel from tree to tree using rope bridges, Tarzan-style swings and zip-wire slides. |
Ice Grotto and Marmot-Feeding - an expedition up the gondola to the glacier and its ice grotto, pausing to feed the friendly marmots en route. |
The Alpies’ Weekly Show
At the end of the week, the Alpies Club perform a mini-show to parents, normally held at the club location, based on the week’s theme and displaying the artefacts they have created during the week and any songs or routines they have learnt. Although a definite highlight of the week from the children’s point of view, this is a very informal, fun event and not to be viewed as a major theatrical performance!
IMPORTANT: To avoid disappointment, we strongly recommend that you pre-book Alpies Club places when booking your holiday.
We do our very best to adhere to the programme as outlined above, but must reserve the right to change any of these activities, subject to local conditions, weather, availability of guides, number of participating children etc.