Camps in Zurich for Teens (13+)

Week-long sleepaway camps in the Swiss Alps, run by the canton's sports office. Kids ski or snowboard every day in groups matched to their level, from beginners to confident riders, with trained Jugend+Sport leaders. Older teens can pick a ski touring week instead, climbing nearby peaks on skins from a mountain hotel before the ride down. Ski and snowboard campers bring all their own gear, helmet included.

Overnight ski and snowboard camps run by the City of Winterthur's sports office, led by Ueli Lüscher with trained snow sports instructors. Kids travel up as a group by public transport, then spend the day on the slopes in beginner or advanced groups, with lunch together and breakfast and dinner with the whole camp. Fun and new skills come first, so it suits first-timers and confident skiers or riders.

A week of coding at codora's center in Zurich's Kreis 4, in groups of eight at most. Younger kids learn with Blockly, snapping blocks together into programs with loops, conditions and variables, and finish by building a small game of their own. Older kids work in Swift on six projects instead of theory. Each 5-day course ends with a certificate, and no coding experience is needed.

Afternoon language classes in German, English or French during the February sports break, at the ILS Junior school in Oerlikon. Kids join beginner, intermediate or advanced groups of up to eight, and lessons lean on speaking and games. Outings, a game day and a challenge day let them use the language with peers. Suits kids keeping up a school language; less so families who need full-day care.

A holiday day camp inside FLIP LAB, the trampoline park at the Riedmatt Center in Rümlang, just north of Zurich. Trainers teach trampoline jumping, parkour and other sports, and break up the day with small challenges. Lunch is at a restaurant in the center, with snacks between sessions and grip socks included. Suits kids who need to burn energy; less so a child who wants a quiet craft week.

A sleepaway snow week from schneezüri, the Zurich ski camp group backed by the city's sports office. Kids ride the train up with their skis or board, then spend every day on the Davos Klosters slopes in small groups sorted by ability, with qualified leaders. Nights are at the Ferienhaus Ob dem See in rooms of four to ten, meals are vegetarian, and everyone pitches in with chores.

A football week at FABRIK11's multisport halls. Mornings are coached training in groups sorted by age and level: technique, athletics and game play. Afternoons switch to a mini World Cup, a team olympics, an athletics challenge and the SoccerBot360 challenge.

Girls and boys are welcome whatever their football experience. Lunch and an afternoon snack are included, and every kid takes home a FABRIK11 T-shirt and water bottle.

A competition-focused tennis week at Sportcenter Schumacher in Dübendorf, by Stettbach station. Mornings are two hours of tennis and an hour of fitness in groups matched by age and level. Afternoons bring singles and doubles matches, a Davis Cup format and a closing tournament, with a mixed-sports afternoon midweek. It suits kids who already rally well; beginners and under-8s do better on the morning-only option.

A ski or snowboard week in Elm, a resort in the Glarus Alps, run by the village's Swiss ski school during the winter sports holidays. A supervised bus picks kids up at stops around Zurich and the lake each morning and brings them back after skiing. Days mix group lessons with a supervised lunch, and the week builds to a ski school race. Suits first-timers and kids who already ski.

A week-long circus course at Zirkusschule Marotte, a circus school in Adliswil. Kindergartners in the «Firlefizze» group take their first playful steps toward acrobatics at the Marotte-Haus. Older kids train with the school's artists in the gym of the Rudolf Steiner Schule and build a full circus program: floor acrobatics, balancing on rollers and balls, and trapeze. The week ends with a dress rehearsal and a show for families.

An English-language winter camp run from the Academicus Atelier in Enge, built around a Frozen theme. Each day pairs songs, a story and a craft at base with an outing across the city, from ice skating at the Dolder to a winter-animal scavenger hunt in the Wildnispark. Suits native English speakers, bilingual kids and children with conversational English who want to use it more.

A week of ski and snowboard lessons in the Andermatt-Sedrun area, run by schneezüri for the City of Zurich's sports office. Kids travel up together by coach, sleep in a group lodge in Realp and eat with the group in Andermatt. Lessons are in groups with qualified leaders, and the rest is camp life with other kids. Families bring their own skis or board, or rent them.

Ski and snowboard lessons over the Christmas break, run by schneezüri for the City of Zurich's sports office. Kids take the train up together, stay at the Gemsstockhaus course center next to the Andermatt lifts, and ski in groups with qualified leaders. The rest is camp life with other kids. Families bring their own skis or board, or rent them.

A week-long ski and snowboard camp in Scuol, run by schneezüri for Zurich schoolkids. Groups travel together by train, sleep at Val D'Uina, a former hotel in Sur En turned group house, and spend the days on the slopes of Motta Naluns. On the snow, kids are sorted by ability into small groups with qualified leaders. Families bring their own skis or board, and a helmet is required.

A day ski and snowboard school that runs from Zurich. Each morning a coach takes kids from the city to Flumserberg, where trained instructors teach in level groups following the Swiss Snow League program, from first snowplow turns to parallel skiing on ungroomed snow and simple jumps. Kids bring their own checked equipment and a helmet. It suits families who want proper ski days without an overnight camp.

A ski and snowboard week in the St. Moritz area, run by schneezüri with support from the City of Zurich's sports office. Kids travel up together by coach from Zurich, stay at the InnLodge in Celerina, and spend their days on the slopes in small groups sorted by level, led by J+S-trained leaders. Helmets are required. Families bring their own skis or board, or rent them through the partner shop.