Outessa Summit photo by Christin Healey
If your bucket list includes a women’s retreat in the form of an outdoor adventure, then this Summer and Fall offers you opportunities to immerse yourself in accessible yet off the beaten path experiences. Participants in the Outessa women’s retreat series have the opportunity to build their own outdoor adventures from a curated selection of activities that offer education as well as fun.
Weekend itineraries with professional athletes and expert guides include options that range from Campfire Cooking, Walk on Water: Learn to SUP, Tired Feet Take a Hike, Essential Oils for the Outdoors, Women’s Wilderness Survival, Map and Compass Basics, Learn to Pitch a Tent, Sunrise Yoga, to Yoga and Athletes, and more. Learn how to host a camping party, build your mountain biking skills, empower yourself to navigate your surroundings if your GPS is unavailable (try a map and compass!), and kayaking basics. Take the intimidation factor out of camping by practicing skills like putting up a tent, learning to Stand Up Paddlebaord, discovering the secrets of wilderness hydration, and becoming familiar with mountain bike maintenance. Restore, renew, and rejuvenate with Yoga practices as well as good company, fresh clean air, and amazing natural settings and expansive views.
Professional guides include experts such as Olivia Jsu (yoga/rock climbing), Quinn Brett (yoga/rock climbing), Heidi Wirtz (rock climbing), Stevie Kremer (trail running/rock climbing), Magdelina Boulet (trail running), and Anna Levesque (kayaking/SUP/yoga). Choose accommodations from camping to resorts or hotels and enjoy fresh farm-to-table meals crafted by culinary artists in each region. Series co-founders Julia Stamps Mallon and Bart Davis combine their personal athletic commitments with their professional experience producing numerous running and other events. Outdoor retailer REI serves as the title sponsor for the event series.
Outessa Summit Dates
Aug 19-21 Kirkwood Resort, South Lake Tahoe
Sep 9-11 Powder Mountain, outside of Salt Lake City, Utah
For more information on dates, locations, and itineraries, visit outessa.com
Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.