Spring Retreat
7 - 10 May 2023
Coming into presence
4 days, 3 nights
Outdoor sleeping with tarps or under the stars
Language: English/Dutch
Standard price: Chf 840 / € 850
Early bird (till 17 April 2023): Chf 755 / € 765
Guidance and coaching:
Renate Kranenburg &
Femke Mooij
During this 4-day retreat you will immerse yourself in the beauty of the Maderanervalley in the Urner Alps in the heart of Switzerland. A wild, romantic valley with snowcapped mountains rising up in every wind direction, lush forests, mighty waterfalls, minerals and powerplaces which invite you to recharge your batteries and reconnect to your inner power. The Maderanervalley will be awakening from its wintersleep and welcoming spring time. There is hardly any better moment to be in the mountains!
Guided by 2 experienced outdoor coaches, you will go on an adventure. We go back to basics. No luxury, digital detox, you will only carry the necessary equipment to survive in nature. Yes, we will bring our own food, and pick what we find in nature. The idea that less is more is certainly important when on a nomadic retreat and you will discover soon that you don't need much to survive.
Building outdoor skills
We will teach you the basic survival skills, such as how to build a safe shelter, a group camp, which wood is suitable for making fire, how to make a fire in unfavourable weather conditions, and how to create culinary highlights on woodfire. We will also look at orientation in the mountains, how to read a topographical map and hike in a safe way. We will hike for 2-3 hours with a heavy backpack on some of the days. For 3 nights, your bedroom will be expanded to the skies and you will sleep under a tarp of under the stars.
Inner journey
Imagine if you could free yourself from your daily responsibilities and give yourself the gift of time and nature? During this retreat you will leave your comfortzone and enter your growzone. We will hold the space for your personal process to unfold and will coach you along the way. Through nature experience, inner work and bodywork you will connect with your essence and inner power, and become deeply aware of the present moment. You will rediscover yourself in the here and now. As you come into presence, you will experience more calm and joy. We let nature work as a mirror and a metaphor for life.
Group process
The group process is an essential element of the retreat, since we will need to work together, for example when building a group camp, when we make a fire or cook in the wild. Collaboration and connection with the group are at the basis for a successful retreat and therefore your openness to the group is key.
Do you hear the calling from the mountains? Then don't miss this unique adventure and sign up now.
Criteria for participation
This retreat is open to adults aged 25 and over. On some days, we will hike for 2-3 hours with a heavy backpack. The better your fitness level, the more you can enjoy. Be prepared that hiking and spending nights outside can be challenging. Discomfort caused by sudden weather changes is part of your experience. Mountain hiking experience is a must and we expect you to be in good physical and mental shape and that carrying a 16-18 kg backpack for 2-3 hours at a time, even on the sometimes steep trails, is not a problem for you. The retreat will take place in all weather conditions, however the program may be adapted accordingly.
Meals & drinks
Are included, with an exception on the first day where you bring your contribution for the grouplunch. The meals are vegetarian and cooked by the group on the fire. All meals will be carefully put together, taking into account the weight in the backpack. Meals will be basic but healthy and nutritious. Please inform us of any dietary requirements (gluten-free, vegan) and allergies when registering, so we can do our best to take them into account.
Language
The language spoken during the retreat is English and/or Dutch. We will adapt as much as possible to the language of the participants.
Including
- Guidance and coaching by two certified outdoor coaches
- Careful planning of route and bivouac sites
- Meals from Sunday evening until Wednesday afternoon
- Individual and group material for the bivouacs
- Online pre-meeting
Excluding
- Travel to and from the retreat location
- Compulsory insurance covering mountain sports
- Personal expenses
In order to create create a maximum level of safety and intimacy in the group, we keep the group size small and limited to 10 participants. Book your place by registering here.
After receiving your registration, we will contact you to get to know each other. You will then receive a booking confirmation within 3 days, as well as an invoice. Payment is in two instalments; a down payment of €/Chf 400 and the remaining amount. The invoice will state the payment due date. Cancellation 1 or more months prior to the retreat: 50% refund. In case of cancellation less than one month prior to the retreat no refund will be given.
Meet your hosts
Renate Kranenburg
#freespirit #connectedtonature #intuitive
For Renate, life is like an endless journey of discovery where meeting and transcending boundaries is a common thread. She has a great passion for nomadic travel in nature. She is at her best when she is active outdoors and surrounded by forests, mountains and lakes. Meanwhile she has learnt not to be always on the move, and to sit still at times. Adventure is what's calling her time and time again. Alone or with others. With a tent or without.
Her adventurous spirit has brought her to many countries where she lived or travelled, or did both.
Renate was born and raised in The Netherlands and has been living in Lucerne, Switzerland, with her two children since 2019. She has a master's degree in Health Sciences and is a trained coach and systemic experiential pedagogue. She held various positions in international companies and organisations in Geneva and The Netherlands, respectively. Over the past 15 years, she lived in Geneva, Lausanne, Munich, Brussels and Stockholm, among other places.
A major life event meant the start of her personal journey to healing and opened the doors to her spiritual development. Renate's mission is to help other people discover their true essence and support their transformation process towards a lighter and fulfilled life, lived from the heart. She offers personal coaching, indoors as well as outdoors, and mountain wilderness retreats for individuals and organisations.
In her free time, Renate can usually be found in her extended backyard; on a climbing rope, touring skis, trekking shoes or in a cold lake. Renate has accomplished climbing- and trekking expeditions to Mount Aconcagua in South America, the Himalayas in Nepal and the Cordillera Real in Bolivia. You can read more about Renate in her profile section.
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Femke Mooij
Femke is an outdoor freak pur sang. Since she was a student she went on big climbing adventures. She participated in expeditions to India, Nepal, Peru and other big mountain destinations. She is an experienced and strong mountaineer.
Femke has combined her passion for mountain sports with her work as a medical doctor and she ran a busy family practice for many years. After some personal setbacks which threw her back at herself, she decided to change the course of her life. Femke set out to nature even more, spent nights on a row in forests and ate what she found in nature. These times of withdrawal let her rediscover herself and eventually helped her to heal and experience herself as the human being that she is.
To support her development, she took a training in Salutogenesis for health professionals, and started courses in yoga and meditation, non-violent communication, mindfulness and systemic constellations. She also became a trained Outdoor Coach with Special Forces in Business.
Femke’s mission is to take people out in nature, where they can discover the gifts that are waiting for them to be found and where they can reconnect body, mind and soul. Back to nature and to one’s inner nature.
Femke was born in Nijmegen and raised in the hills of Limburg in the south of The Netherlands, where she lives with her partner and her three children. The mountains keep calling her and she is always preparing for her next outdoor adventure.
Femke & Renate have known each other for over 20 years and shared many outdoor adventures together
