MAMMUT PRESENTS THE UNWELLNESS RETREAT
Swapping wellness comfort for real mountain experience
October 8, 2026
Seon, Switzerland | Mindfulness. Gentle movement. Recovery rituals. Another quiet room designed to remove stimulation and promote inner balance. Wellness has become a haven for comfortable seclusion. The Swiss mountain performance brand Mammut challenges that idea with real mountain experiences designed to introduce friction, build capability and show what can happen when people step outside their comfort zones.
With the Unwellness Retreat, the Swiss mountain performance brand is inviting people to step away from comfort-led routines and into an environment that cannot be controlled, filtered or perfected: the mountains. Instead of five-star comfort, curated rituals or the controlled sweat of a sauna, participants are introduced to real mountain experiences under the guidance of qualified professionals. The aim is not discomfort for its own sake, but to introduce the kind of friction that helps people learn, adapt and experience personal growth.
Nic Brandenberger, Chief Marketing (Unwellness) Officer at Mammut: In a new era of friction-maxxing, wellness is losing its edge. Softer routines, calmer spaces and fewer challenges may soothe us temporarily, but they do not help us grow for good. The mountains demand attention, preparation and adaptability: the opposite of stagnation in comfort. That is the idea behind the Unwellness Retreat: not to reject wellbeing, but to challenge the belief that growth comes from making life easier.”
From comfort to Unwellness
The idea was first tested in the mountains of Chile, where Mammut invited three creators rooted in wellness culture to exchange familiar routines for unfamiliar mountain experiences: Annabelle , whose work focuses on wellness and movement; Mahinanani Alexander, an artist and teacher; and Jonah Kest, a yoga and meditation teacher. Guided by mountaineer Spencer Harkins, they reinterpreted traditional retreat activities through the mountains.
- “Finding Balance” became a highline experience.
- “Stretch & Recover” became a first ice climb followed by a snow plunge.
- “Trust Fall” became a high intensity search and rescue mission
Familiar ideas around trust, control and comfort were tested in an environment where preparation and cooperation matter more than optimization.
The resulting three-part film series documents the participants’ experiences without presenting the mountains as therapy or a shortcut to wellbeing. Instead, the episodes show the mountains as a place where capability, vulnerability and personal growth are shaped through direct experience. The episodes will be released on Mammut’s official Instagram and on YouTube, on 12, 14 and 16 October.
But the Unwellness Retreat does not end with a film.
The Unwellness Retreat now opens its doors
Following the success of the Chile retreat, Mammut is now giving members of the public the opportunity to experience their own Unwellness Retreat.
In Switzerland, Mammut, Zalando, Bergfuchs and Bächli Bergsport will invite members of the public to spend a night suspended on a portaledge at the Verzasca Dam in Ticino from October 18-23. Before leaving the ground, participants will train with certified mountain professionals and learn the equipment, techniques and safety procedures required for the experience, before putting those skills into practice during a professionally guided night on the wall.
The idea will also take shape in other countries. In Norway, Mammut is developing a mountain-based retreat concept that moves participants from a traditional spa setting into a more rugged outdoor experience. In France, two creators from the yoga and mental health space will be invited to face the unknown by learning how to cross a highline under professional guidance before spending the night on it, supported by Mammut athlete Julien Roux and mountain guides.
The principle remains the same: leave the comfort cocoon behind and enter an experience that asks something of you. Not another routine to optimize, but a moment to learn, adapt and grow.
And for anyone who cannot check into a physical Unwellness Retreat, Mammut is opening the idea through #extremepose on Instagram Stories. Starting on 22 October, Mammut will invite its community to use the “Add Yours” sticker to share their own extreme pose: a familiar wellness pose moved out of the studio and into the outdoors. The challenge is simple: choose the outdoors over the predictable, tag @mammut, and share a moment that shows what growth beyond comfort can look like. Selected entries will be amplified through Mammut channels, extending the Unwellness Retreat into a community-led expression of personal growth.
More than just a retreat
The Unwellness Retreat launches globally on October 8 across Mammut channels.
The campaign was developed with Small Giants, Mammut’s creative partner for the campaign, leading strategy, creative and integrated production from concept through execution. It includes the Unwellness Retreat hero film, three episodes documenting the original Chile experiences, behind-the-scenes content, community participation, and real-world Unwellness Retreat experiences in selected countries. The episodes will be available on Mammut’s official Instagram and YouTube.
Find out more about the Mammut Unwellness Retreat
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About Small Giants
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