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We’ll have a mountain hut just for our group at an altitude of 2.200m and far away from “civilisation”. In the daytime we will be hiking in the overwhelming mountain landscapes with picnics and swimming in wild mountain lakes. Yoga and meditations in the fields and at the mountain tops! In the evening we will do playful and meaningful group activities, cook and eat together, have massage workshops etc. The Crazy Mountain Balance Camp will be an amazing adventure!

Let’s enjoy this amazing adventure high in the Alps without any external stimulants! We will refrain from consuming alcohol and drugs. Our body will take care of generating adrenaline, endorphins, serotonin, dopamine and lots of oxytocin to get us high :) Read more here. All food is plant based.

In the hut and directly around there is hardly any GSM/mobile phone reception. Also on big parts of the hikes there is no (or almost no) network. In the hut there is no WiFi and if we keep our phones on airplane mode (as there is no network anyway) we will not be generating any radiation ourselves either.
Read DisclaimerDisclaimer: this has been the situation in this hut in the past years and in 2021 it was still like this. However I can’t guarantee that no telecom provider would put a new antenna somewhere that would change things. In all honesty, this is very unlikely because there is no economic interest to put extra antennas in this very remote place.

We will be in a simple mountain hut in the middle of beautiful nature: mountains with peaks of up to 2.900 meters above sea level, valleys, streams, fields and forests. In our proximity there are only some summer farms here and there where the farmers make cheese from the milk of the cows that stay on the high fields during summer (more about seasonal migration in the Alps here). We are in the south east of Switzerland, in the most natural province of the country (Grisons/Graubünden).
From our hut, it is around 2,5 hour walking to get to the nearest village (altitude difference: 700m). In that village there is a bus stop and at 45 mins walking from the village there is a railway station.

The mountain hut is very simple and with a very natural feel. The beds are bunk beds in a group room. There is an open kitchen with a wood stove. The toilet is a simple outhouse. Please do not expect luxury things like comfort, electricity, personal privacy or mobile network coverage. No smoking in the house. In and around the house clothing is optional (faq)

We will be in Grisons in the south east of Switzerland. One bus away from Chur and Chur can easily be reached by train; direct high speed train from Frankfurt for example; 5:30 hr from Paris by high speed train with one change; 4 hr by train from Milano with one change; night train from Budapest/Vienna with one change, etc.. Chur is also serviced by Flixbus and Eurolines international buses. The other option is to offer or join a ride share, for example through blablacar or with other Crazy Mountain Camp participants. (faq)

Switzerland is member of the Schengen agreement. If you can travel in any other Schengen country, you can travel in Switzerland.

Although just being in this absurdly beautiful, remote mountain valley is already a good reset for your stressed brain, we will be actively working on bringing back balance to your life. Every day there will be yoga sessions and meditations – in the hut in case of bad weather, but more likely in the fields around the hut, at silent mountain lakes, on mountain tops…

There are uncountable moments of fun, feelgood and laughter at the Crazy Mountain Balance Camp. And there are moments of emotional release. One of the house rules is “Feel happy at all times – except when you don’t feel happy.” All feelings are welcome and the intention is to not judge any of them. You are invited to welcome all feelings that might arise in you. We will be doing plenty of exercises and games (eye gazing for example) to connect with ourselves and with the others. If you are not ready to engage in those exercises and games, or you are only interested in the “light & fun” side of reality, then please join the Crazy Mountain Camp 2022 :)

 

What if I love mountains but don’t want to join all that sharing and yoga and massage stuff?

Then please join the Crazy Mountain Camp 2022 instead :) Of course you can opt out of certain activities if you’re tired after an extreme day of hiking, but if all these mind and body things are not your kind of thing, then the Crazy Mountain Balance Camp is not your kind of thing.

Please notice that there is no ‘leadership team’ or ‘staff’ at the Crazy Mountain Balance Camp. The yoga facilitator and Klaas will participate in the Crazy Mountain Balance Camp activities just like the other participants. At best they are ‘primi inter pares’. We’re all in it together :) (faq)

A good part of the Crazy Mountain Balance Camp will be dedicated to mountain hiking. Not mountaineering; no ropes, crampons or helmets. More info on the trail classifications (T1 etc.) here. Please do read!

There is a hiking program set up but it is not an obligation to participate; if you are a seasoned mountaineer you might prefer to go rock climbing by yourself instead of hiking with our group. And also if you want to spend your days relaxedly searching for berries or spotting birds, feel free to do so. Basically everybody is expected to participate in the group life at the end of the day and in the evening (faq).

The program might look something like this:
First day We’ll all meet in the afternoon at the bus stop in the village. Walking up to the hut (3 hours, T2). Luggage will be brought by tractor to the hut.
Second day As a warming up we will make a hike (T3) that is not very long and not very technical – but will take us to a 2.750m high peak. Picnic and sunbath on the summit before we go back to the hut.
Third day A not so long hike (T3) will bring us to the ruins of an alpine underground ore quarry from past centuries. We will probably take a guided tour through the interior of the mine! Afterwards we’ll hike back to the hut through the forest (T2 and T3).
Fourth day No big hikes; rather chillax, do some meditations and yoga sessions. Also we might explore our creativity, expressing ourselves interacting with the mountains and trees, through for example photography, making rock structures, or whatever inspires us. It’s about the process, not about the result.
Fifth dayA long hike, 8 to 9 hours, T3, that will bring us to a dip in the lake and then we’ll ascent another 2.750m high peak before hiking back to the hut.
Sixth day Another day dedicated to meditation, yoga and bodywork.
Seventh day Vacate the hut in the morning and descent back into civilisation. After this hike: the farewell hug in the village!

Weather conditions in the mountains can change fast and often. For this reason, the program can be changed according to what is safe and enjoyable. At this altitude it can be that we’ll hike in full sunshine with 27 degrees air temperature – and it can be that we wake up with fresh snow around our hut!

One thing about hiking in groups. Keep in mind that a ‘stronger’ person can adapt to a ‘slower’ person, but a ‘slower’ person can not adapt to a ‘stronger’ person. So when we hike in a group, we’ll set the capabilities of the ‘slower’ group members as standard while the ‘stronger’ people will have the satisfaction of applying their social skills by adapting to the group :-)

As we are in a remote, non-touristic location, there is a chance that we will be able to spot some interesting wildlife. Marmots, eagles and ibexes are the most probable; the chances of seeing wolves or a bear are, in all honesty, very small – even though they do live in our valley.

Although the Crazy Mountain Balance Camp is intended to be a relaxed, non-competitive event, mountain hiking is a sports activity that demands some extra attention for two reasons: altitude and safety. You don’t really need to have experience in mountain hiking, but you will need a fair condition, good mountain hiking shoes, a daypack, a water bottle, rain protection and something warmer also. A pair of hiking poles is helpful but not a necessity. If you suffer from vertigo or acrophobia, some parts of our hiking program will not make you feel happy.

What if I love mountains but don’t want to join that ‘serious’ hiking?

I really like the whole idea and I would really like to join, but I’m really not into all this T3 and T4 hiking. Are there options for me?
Yes there are. You can make easy hikes for example around the hut. For these kind of hikes you don’t even need mountain hiking shoes; good walking shoes will do the job, but forget about flip flops, heels and mocassins. If you’re into nature photography or drawing landscapes, you will find a multitude of subjects within 500 meters from the hut…
Most probably you will not be the only one that will not join the bigger hikes.

Cooking will be done by the group and for the group; no à la carte service :) Because we are high in the mountains, our resources are limited and we’ll all have to be flexible. If you are very precise/specific with your food, then this is not the right experience for you, sorry.
Read Details About Diets And Restrictions1. Gluten: Often meals are low on gluten but if you have a hard core allergy, we’ll have to discuss in advance how you can be facilitated. At breakfast there is oatmeal as an option. 2. Nuts: Can usually be left out of meals/served apart. 3. Sugar/Diabetes: Usually things are without sugar. However you will not be able to follow that precisely engineered menu that your dietician wants you to follow.

All food is vegan.
Read Food DetailsThe provided food is vegan. Also please don’t bring any animal origin foods with you, such as meat, chicken, fish, seafood, honey, milk, yoghurt, cheese, products containing gelatine, etc. If you can’t do without them, please choose another Crazy Camp :)

This is an alcohol free event.
Read Alcohol DetailsThe provided drinks are non-alcoholic. Also please don’t bring any alcoholic drinks yourself. We’ll do without external stimulants :) So no drugs as well. Only for coffee we’ll make an exception. If you can’t commit to this, please choose another Crazy Camp :)

There is space and time for workshop-like activities, so if you would like to share some of your knowledge or skills, feel free! Maybe you want to teach us some capoeira, do a photo session, or make us sing the traditionals of your native culture? Just some ideas… it really can be anything. And if you don’t want to, that’s fine as well!

If you are a couple, please understand that in the Crazy Mountain Balance Camp you can not behave like a couple. In general the beds are allocated through a lottery (faq) and we’re all sleeping in one big space. And you are expected to participate in all activities and group life as individuals and not as a couple. Yes you will be hugging – in the numerous group hugs! So be prepared to sit each at opposite sides of the table during dinner, and accept that someone other than yourself might be giving your partner a massage of the sore muscles.

Your participation in the cost for 6 days and nights is EUR 685 per person for accommodation, food (that we will cook together), guided yoga sessions, guided meditations, and tourist taxes.

That is incredible value for money! However, don’t come if you are only interested in an affordable holiday. The Crazy Mountain Balance Camp is all about the group, creating meaningful experiences together, spending fun evenings together, doing crazy games, human connexion, and enjoying the mountains together!

Should the exchange rate between EUR and CHF change dramatically, I will have to adapt these amounts.

If you identify as female or are genderqueer and you choose to use the Gender Pay Gap Compensation (faq) then your reduced participation fee is EUR 580.

The reduced price of EUR 580 is also available for students and people that receive unemployment benefits. In these cases you will be asked to provide a proof of your status.

If you feel that the Crazy Mountain Balance Camp is really the right experience for you and you are seriously struggling with the participation fee: please reach out to me.

What is included/provided?
+ Accommodation
+ Breakfast
+ Simple lunch (sandwiches, leftovers of yesterdays dinner)
+ Dinner (we will cook together)
+ Coffee, tea, milk, water, juice
+ Guided yoga sessions and meditations
+ Massage workshop
+ Tourist taxes
+ Unforgettable fun

x Snacks, fruit, energy bars, energy drinks, soft drinks
x Sleeping bag liners
x Towels