Crazy Snow Balance Camp – Switzerland February 2021 Edition

Location

Our mountain hut is at an altitude of 1.400m and right at a maintained snowshoe route. There are also some alpine snowshoe trails that will lead us to summits of up to 2.300m. The hut is located in a very quiet place, at the edge of the forest, almost at the very end of the valley and it’s one of the most quiet valleys of the Bernese Alps (no big ski stations around), Switzerland.

Accommodation

The mountain hut is simple. The beds are bunk beds in group rooms. There is a kitchen and a dining/living room. There are toilets and showers. Please do not expect luxury things like comfort, tv or wifi. In the house clothing is optional, except in the sauna (faq). In general you will have very limited personal privacy. You will be surprised how fast you will feel at ease with everybody, in a place where you can simply be who you are, far away from your day to day environment and habitudes. No smoking in the house or in the sauna. Bring a sleeping bag and a yoga mat. Target number of participants is 15.

How to get there

The village from where we will hike to our hut is fairly easy to reach. The nearest train station (and then one local bus) is eg. less than 6 hours by train from Frankfurt with only one change; 6 hours by train from Paris (with two changes); 3 hours by train from Milano (one change), 10 hours by train from Amsterdam with 2 changes (all indications subject to change of timetable). From the international bus stations Bern and Thun (Flixbus, Eurolines etc.) you would take a direct train (and then the local bus mentioned before). The other option is to offer or join a ride share, for example through blablacar or with other Crazy Snow Balance Camp participants; already from The Netherlands/Belgium/Luxemburg there might be a ride share available, approx. EUR 100 two-way per person (faq)Most probably, as time passes by, ride shares from other directions will be added.

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

Mind & Body

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, but in the snow around the hut as well…

There will be the unique Crazy Camp Slow Sauna – with jump in the fresh powder snow afterwards! as well as guided massage sessions.

There are uncountable moments of fun, feelgood and laughter at the Crazy Snow 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. And 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 choose another Crazy Camp :)

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

What if I love mountains but don’t want to join all that sharing and yoga and massage stuff?
Then please choose a different Crazy Camp :) Of course you can opt out of certain activities if you had a bad day in hiking, but if all these mind and body things are not your kind of thing, then the Crazy Snow Balance Camp is not your kind of thing.

Snow sports

In the daytime we will be doing snowshoe hikes. Snow shoeing is a very interesting sport; definitely a work out and at moments almost meditative and at other moments thrilling and exciting. A beautiful way of connecting with Nature and Winter. There will also be some less intense days with a walk in the forest and snowga (snow yoga) sessions or meditations in nature.

Please keep in mind that SNOW comes from NATURE so there is no guarantee for the amount of snow that will be there and on top of that we have to assess weather conditions etc. – our snowshoe hiking program might have to be adapted accordingly.

Program

After our daytime winter sports, at the end of the day and in the evenings we will be automatically together (we’re alone in the valley, there is nowhere else to go!) so we will make our own evening program. This will start with cooking, eating and cleaning together. There will be crazy group games, yoga and massage sessions and so on. And let’s not forget the unique Crazy Camp Slow Sauna! Basically everybody is expected to participate in the group life at the end of the day and in the evening (faq).

Food and drinks

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: If you have a hard core allergy, you’re not safe; you will have to bring your own alternatives for certain dishes. At breakfast there is oatmeal as an option. 2. Nuts: Can usually be left out of meals/served apart but if you have a hard core allergy, you’re not safe. 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 100% plant based.
Read Food DetailsThe provided food is plant based. 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 :)

Share your skills

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 photoshoot 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!

Couples

If you are a couple, please understand that in the Crazy Snow 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 else than yourself might be giving your partner a salt scrub in the sauna.

The deal

Your participation in the cost for these 6 days and nights is EUR 395 per person for accommodation, vegan food (that we will cook together), guided yoga sessions, guided meditations and tourist taxes.

That is cheap! However, don’t come if you are only interested in an affordable holiday. The Crazy Snow Balance Camp is all about the group, spending fun evenings together, doing crazy games, and enjoying the mountains together!

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 335.

The reduced price of EUR 335 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 Snow 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?
+ Guided yoga and meditation sessions
+ Accommodation
+ Plant based breakfast
+ Simple plant based lunch (sandwiches, leftovers of yesterdays dinner)
+ Plant based dinner (we will cook together)
+ Coffee, tea, water, juice
+ Tourist taxes
+ Unforgettable fun

x Snacks, fruit, energy bars, soft drinks etc.
x Sleeping bags
x Towels
x Equipment rental
x Parking fees in the village if you come by car