Kandersteg International Scout Centre - Camps and Activities

Camps and Activities

The site has a history of camps, starting with the 50th Gilwell Scout course, organized in 1926, and the 1st World Scout Moot with 2,500 Rover Scouts from 23 countries in 1931. After the war, in 1953, the 5th World Scout Moot was back in Kandersteg with 4,000 Rovers from 22 countries, and in 1992 again the 9th World Scout Moot saw nearly 2,500 people from over 50 countries.

In 1979, the site hosted Camp Kristall, with 1,700 scouts from 42 countries. The camp was one of those that replaced the cancelled 15th World Scout Jamboree that year. In the 1980s, the #Transatlantic Council of the Boy Scouts of America used Kandersteg for annual and even more frequent camps. In 2007, the centre played host to KanderJam, 'The Alpine Link to the 21st World Scout Jamboree', which brought over 2,000 people from all over the world in celebration of the 100th anniversary of scouting. The year after that, in 2008, the centre ran the first ever World Scout Winter Games.

The activity programme offered by the Centre is based on three themes of International Friendship, High Adventure and Eco Adventure, designed to help guests learn, develop and have lots of fun. In the summer they offer, within the three themes, a fixed weekly in-camp programme including International Campfire, Pioneering Competition and BBQ, as well as a wide range of daily activities such as trails, nature workshops, hiking, rock climbing, crafts, mountain biking, paragliding, river rafting and trips to various parts of Switzerland. In the winter, the programme offers a range of alpine snow activities such as downhill or cross country skiing and snowboarding. There are also a variety of other activities in and around Kandersteg, like sledging, curling, ice skating, snow shoeing and caving.

Throughout the year, Kandersteg offers programme activities for groups. Options vary with season and exact time of the visit. By participating in the programme, guests can work towards the award that exists for each of the themes. These are designed to bring together guests of all ages, nationalities and cultures, while encouraging them to experience, learn about and appreciate the alpine environment.