It is with great joy that we invite you to the second annual CoP Summer Revival—CoPCon!
From June 21–25 2023, we will welcome around 25 people to our beautiful farm just one hour north of Oslo (about 40 minutes from Oslo Airport Gardermoen). We are flexible regarding arriving earlier and departing later than the event dates say. If you want to camp out longer, feel free to do so!
We are extending the event from three to five days so that people have more time to enjoy the farm and each other's company! Moving the start date to Wednesday means that Mid-summer’s Eve is on the first day of the event and we are excited to facilitate a group pulling ritual that evening! We also hope that having another couple of days will allow for more hook fun, activities, workshops, and just hanging out together!
Fee—NOK 3000
Same price for all, deadline to pay: 16. May
We will provide food for everyone—breakfast, main meal, and supper. The sleeping arrangements will be like your favorite outdoor festival: tents or hammocks around the farm or you can sleep in your vehicle if that is your style (we have plenty of places to park).
Due to ongoing Covid concerns, and to protect everyone at the event, everyone attending must be vaccinated for Covid-19!
We look forward to welcoming friends, old and new, to the Church of Pain for this Summer Revival! You don’t need to be a member to come—but you might be one when you leave! Link to registration can be found all the way at the bottom, but please read the event text first. Or at least after.. :)
Welcome to Vestrønningen!
We are looking forward to seeing you out here on our little farm! We want to make sure that your visit to us is as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. With that in mind, here is some practical information.
Program
We have set the arrival time for 9am on Wednesday to give everyone enough time to arrive at the farm, spend some time walking around the property and find the perfect spot to set up camp. (That being said, we are probably up from around 6am, so if you want to come earlier, please do!) We will be serving a light lunch at 1pm and will have a crew meeting at around 2pm.
The Summer Solstice group pull is planned to start around 6pm, with prep and piercing around 4pm. Since the program for the event is a little dependent on the weather, we will be taking the suspensions and other activities as we go from Thurs–Saturday, with the last-hook call at 5pm on Sunday.
One of the reasons we added more days to the event was to give us time for a social event on Saturday night. We are not planning an Oslo SusCon-style knock-down drag-out afterparty circa 2007, but something that gives people the chance to relax and reflect on the past few days, enjoy some refreshments, and talk with each other. We hope that this will open Sunday up as a travel day (for those who must), a day to try that terrible idea you had late the night before, or just a day to go on a walk and/or enjoy the surroundings. We will serve a bigger lunch at 1pm on Sunday so that as many of us as possible can share that meal together.
Hanging points
The most popular point to hang from is our tripod. It is picturesque, tall (about 10m from the ground to the top pulley) and allows for all kinds of suspensions ranging from very simple to postures with more intricate rigging. We love to explore the myriad possibilities we have for rigging points around our property, but the tripod is always the favorite spot and suspension focal point.
This year, we will try to set up a static point for people who want to do static rigging (hooks or shibari) or are looking for something a little more secluded. We are also open to doing other rigging set-ups so long as we have the gear and the time (contact Alan to discuss your idea!).
Check out pictures by Katarsis Foto from the last Summer Revival in 2022.
The weather
Since we are in the beautiful Norwegian countryside, it is always a good idea (even during the summer) to have a sweater, some thick socks, and a layer or two to keep you cozy if there is a chill in the air. It’s not easy to predict the temperatures here at Midsummer, they have ranged between 10–29°C the past few years. Even though we find the temperatures delightful around this time, we do realize that our nice and warm summer temperatures are somebody else’s “where’s my puffy jacket?”. Please pack according to your own level of comfort for a trip (and we cannot emphasize this enough) to NORWAY.
While suspending outside in not perfect weather can seem intimidating to some, we believe that being pushed around by the wind, feeling the sun come and go as it filters through the clouds, and even experiencing a bit of precipitation can really enhance a person’s experience of Nature! Last year, we had some lovely rituals in decently cold weather, even during a cold record event (for our weather station, anyway).
You can see an occasionally accurate weather forecast for our farm Vestrønningen on yr.no.
Workshops
We were very happy when Ida suggested having voluntarily based workshops where those who want can share their knowledge and interest in different themes (like shibari, meditation circles, yoga, etc.). She has agreed to be our volunteer activity coordinator and will be very happy if you have a suggestion for a workshop or a group activity that you can contribute to. We love participant-driven events and hope people will consider participating in or leading a workshop or activity that they want to experience or share!
Facebook group
We hope that the Facebook group—I'm going to 2023 CoP Summer Revival—will make it easier for everyone attending to coordinate transportation among yourselves, figure out other practical things, to talk about workshops, and get to know the people attending before you arrive. We will add you if you are in our friends list, if not please ask to be added through the group. If you do not use Facebook, please let us know. Our main channel for information will be through emails from contact@churchofpain.org, please add us to your contacts and check your spam folder.
Vestrønningen
Our farm, Vestrønningen, covers an area of around 46 000m2 (11 acres) at the end of a small road. It is a mix of forest and field and is generally secluded and peaceful, although you may hear one of the neighboring farms’ tractor or chainsaw from time to time. On the property you’ll find our small house built in 1936 and the barn from around 1948. Please make yourself at home, look in the cupboards for a coffee cup, chill in the living room, go hide in the upstairs sitting room for a while, investigate the barn, etc., just be respectful when you do so and don’t leave any trash around.
Address
The address is Øgardshøgda 382, 2332 Åsvang. It's located in Stange, Innlandet.
Car
If you come by car, your smartphone should easily lead the way. If you want directions from E6 going from Oslo, you may follow these: take exit 65 (Rv 3) at the big white bridge toward Tynset/Elverum/Trysil, then exit to Fv 24 toward Kongsvinger.
At a big, white building and a church, turn left onto Tomtvegen toward Åsvang and follow this until a four-way intersection where you will turn right onto Åsvangvegen. Then, turn right onto Øgardshøgda toward Amundrud and go 0.9 km until you see a bright pink mailbox on the right. Follow the road, stay right at the Y, and you will arrive at our lovely farm.
Train
If you come by train, get off at Stange station. Trains to Stange station will land you about 12km away from the farm. Train R10 will take you there. The train runs for the most part once an hour, between Drammen and Lillehammer (or Dombås), be sure to check the schedule for Sunday or holiday travel. Oslo Airport Gardermoen is one of the stops between us and Oslo.
Taxi
There is a taxi office next to the train station, they charge around NOK 400 for a trip from the station to us. They have a maxi taxi available with room for about ten people. We will not be able to pick anyone up from the train station, please use the Facebook group to coordinate among yourself how to share the fare. There is bus service from Stange to near us, but you could literally walk to our place faster.
Photo by Katarsis Foto
Sleeping
We have a variety of pretty places to pitch tents and hang hammocks. We encourage everyone who has a tent or hammock camping solution to bring one and enjoy the (Norwegian) summer weather, remember to bring a tarp in case of rain. You may also sleep in your vehicle if you prefer. Some of the campers from our 2022 event said it got chilly at night, please bring your preferred amount of stuff to keep you warm. No campfires, please!
We will not be able to accommodate anyone in the house except for emergencies. This is partly because our house is small and we need the space for other purposes and contingencies, because our well is small and the laundry will add additional stress to it, and because we want you to have the full CoP Nature Experience.
Bathroom
We have one bathroom in the house with a shower and a side-by-side outhouse farther up on the property. Feel free to pee in forest or field to help us save precious well water.
Showers
We will set up a shower structure with a screen for privacy and encourage people to use the solar shower if they feel the need for a wash. Since this is a shower space for everyone, please be considerate about making sure that the shower bags are lying in the sun and that at least one of them is full for the next person. If you would like to be our volunteer shower commander, we would love that! Please bring your own biodegradable soap for washing.
Wi-Fi
We have fast fiber Wi-Fi in the house, but the connection is limited the further from the house you get.
Photos
Yes, please! If you give us a copy of your best ones and let us use them for our channels, we will always credit you and will forever be grateful! You are free to use your photos for any non-commercial purpose. If you want to sell your photo of yourself or someone else hanging for commercial gain, you will need that person’s and our (Smertekirken) approval. If somebody does not want their picture taken/shared/tagged—no problem, just let us know.
Food
We will be making vegetarian (ovo-lacto) breakfast, and vegan friendly main meal and supper, quite possibly including our own home grown and locally foraged ingredients. We serve breakfast from 9am, the main meal at 1pm, and supper at 7pm. There will be water, coffee, tea, and some snacks on hand as well.
If you bring your own food, beer, etc., be aware that there will not be space available in our refrigerator (because cooking for so many people dominate all available refrigerator space). If your food needs to be kept cold, please bring a cooler. The rock basement under the house is cool and has successfully been used to store food and beverages in the past, but we would not recommend storing meat there all week.
The closest grocery stores are Kiwi Romedal, Joker Vallset, Joker Åsbygda, and several options in “downtown" Stange.
Intoxicants
We want to make sure that everyone who attends our events enjoys themselves without negatively impacting fellow participants. While we do enjoy a beer or two at the end of a long day, we want to acknowledge that many of our participants are either sober or very light users of intoxicants. This is one reason that we ask that people do not party every night. We encourage people to enjoy themselves but to remember that the primary focus of this event is suspension.
Animals
The property is ruled by a (now deaf) senior cat named Lillepus and next to nothing happens on it that is not under her supervision. Her safety, well-being, and comfort are of utmost importance to us. Lillepus is not fond of dogs and attendance by dogs will, therefore, be extremely limited. If you want to bring a dog, please get in touch with us. Also, by law, any dogs in the area must be always kept on a leash (båndtvang). Other animals on the property include (among others) moose, deer, fox, wolf, hare, weasels, and voles but you will most likely not see any of them (they might see you, though).
Bugs
Depending on where you are on the property, mosquitos and/or horseflies may be present. We have found a few ticks on the cat, so they are around but not pervasive. There are usually not many bugs around the house during the day, but likely some closer to the forest and in the evenings. You may want to bring some repellent.
Photo by Katarsis Foto
Surprising sharp things
We have done our best to clean up around the area but, due to previous owners’ relaxed attitude to burning and burying trash, we suggest wearing shoes when not directly around the house or in the yard (even though June walks barefoot all the time…). Pay attention and remember: Spatial awareness is a key to survival.
Because Vestrønningen was actively farmed up until a few decades ago, there are remnants of fencing (regular and barbed wire), rusty nails, pieces of old machinery, etc. in rather unlikely places. We have found significant amounts of metal and glass buried here and there and have cleaned up a lot of it but don’t want you to get injured. While not super sharp, our property is blessed in areas by burning nettle thickets which can and do regularly sting June…
Farm machinery and tools
If you would like to fondle any of our sharp implements, climb on any of our structures or vehicles, or pull on an old rusty cultivator, please ask first. Thank you.
Please bring
• refillable water bottle
• tent or hammock, and a tarp in case of rain
• a sleeping mask (if you have trouble sleeping when the sun is up)
• bug repellent
• solar shower (we have 3 spares if you do not own one)
• a pee funnel (for those without a penis)
• warm clothes
• warm blanket etc. in case you are cold at night
• head beamer
• good shoes (if you want to have a walk around the forest etc.)
• data for your phone (if you want to steam down by the tripod or in the barn)
• Dreamies or other bribery for Lillepus
Please don’t bring
• strong perfumy items (we’d rather smell the real you than avoid you)!
Comments