How we built an alpine innovation playground in 12 months
It’s been a year since Dream Valley opened its doors for business so I thought I’d take a moment to look back at what the hell just happened.
For those who don’t know Dream Valley is an alpine adventure playground in the French Alps 1 hour from Geneva. We have luxury chalets, ancient farmhouses, glacial lakes, forests, waterfalls, wildlife and wonderment. You can bike, hike, ski, climb, kayak, snowboard, parapente and wing suit your way around the epic natural landscapes. Or you can chill, be still and let the mindful mountains manifest their magic.
We wanted to replace meeting rooms, flip charts and conference halls with forests, mountain bikes and waterfalls. To take off the suits, put aside the agendas and help people get some much needed perspective and clarity of vision. To promote wellbeing and a healthy lifestyle as smart business strategies and to foster the development of meaningful relationships.
We wanted to put Dream Valley on the map as a destination for entrepreneurs, dreamers and change-makers gather to meet, play and reinvent the world in positive ways.
That was the vision anyway.
Our approach to realising this vision is to run a series of experiments. We call them Dream Valley Projects .
The first big project kicked off in January 2015 . A deep winter gathering of 16 business leaders who believe business should be a force for good.
#1 Conscious Business in the Snow
On the first morning legend Kees Klomp led us in a walking meditation and compassion workshop. On the second morning our tired muscles were treated to a pre-breakfast yoga session with Michelle Wilmot. The venue, food and hosting team at LVF Alps were as always just perfect.
We spent 2 days skiing together then on the 3rd day our mountain guide Jamie Carr led us through a forest on snow shoes to a remote corner of the valley where we took refuge in a farmhouse and shared our hopes and dreams over fondue and vin chaud. There were revelations, tears, hugs and high fives. We were off to a good start.
#2 Slope-Off
Our most ambitious project took place in April, a 7 day music festival in the snow which was really 10 projects rolled into one. We sought out the most incredible venues, dressed them with trademark styling from Marisha and hired the finest sound system known to man. 200 party goers from our extended network of family of friends invaded Samoens and joined the locals for a week of creative play making.
Propellernet insight director Sam Zindel flew out to warm up for Soul 11 Soul DJ Aitch Bee at the Soul Lake City opening party. Not bad considering it was his second day working at Propellernet.
Propellernet creative technologist Mark Slade created a radio show hosted by none other than every ones favourite delinquent stoner giraffe Snowy G.
Mark then hijacked the closing party with his rebel future sci-fi collective and took down Gordon Romance, CEO of the evil OneCor entertainment goliath.
Singer Songwriter ** Kim Slade concluded his european tour at Slope-Off and along with pal Jake Denham launched their new venture Unknown Epic with a sunrise breakfast service on the summit of a mountain. These guys have seemingly built an iconic adventure brand in just 6 months. You just have to watch this project to realise why.
Comedian Sanderson Jones of Sunday Assembly fame was our host for slap up club, a pop up restaurant at Chalet Badney with fine dining from Lucasz and Bethan from LVF Alps . It was a raucous evening of belly-filled laughter concluding in spectacular style with a game of live chat roulette.
When DJ Kelvin Andrews turned an art deco cinema into an acid discotheque on wednesday night the whole town turned up and for one night Samoens reached for the lasers in sweet harmony.
Special thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make Slope-Off possible. The memories will stay with us forever.
Winter was now officially over and spring had most definitely sprung.
#3 Alptitude
One of many collaborations with my good friends Laurence and Carlos at the Happy Startup School . 30 business hippies from far flung corners of the globe answered the call and gathered in Dream Valley for 7 days of Alptitude. We rose each day to yoga, pilates and meditation, did talks and workshops in the mornings and in the afternoons we went rafting, biking and hiking. We laid rock cairns of intention in the high mountain and carried fire torches to the midnight melting pots of starry eyed innovation.
Something clicked at Alptitude. It had the right balance of fun, wellbeing and innovation. This was what Dream Valley was all about. You can read the stories here .
It was now June and the wild flowers were in full bloom across the alpine meadows. The snows receded, the cow bells chimed and the summits beckoned.
#4 Man V’s Mountain
A simple but timeless endeavour. 16 of my homies from Propellernet were dropped off in darkness in a remote forest and made their way across a series of raging rivers to a remote refuge hut for a beer quick mission briefing before bed. An early start and we were off on a 10 hour journey up and over the mighty pointe d’Angolon. It’s so rare to spend time in all male company (other than at stag parties that nearly kill you) and with each step our friendships deepened. I salute this band of heroes for their bravado and inappropriate mountain wear.
#5 Mountain Divas
Not be be outdone the Propellernet ladies invaded Dream Valley in July for a day of low heeled high mountain adventure. 24ladies/24hours was the format.
Summit hikes, riverside bikes, paragliding from the mountain tops and whitewater rafting through an ancient gorge to end up at Chez Hubbard for chilled wines, fresh summer salads and barbecued meats.
I love these girls and it was great to see them all charging around like amazonian warriors doing battle with the elements.
#6 Fat Wheelz
This project was open to anyone in our network crazy enough to ride a push bike around the Grand Massif. We numbered 7. The focus was on having fun and making friends. We spent 2 days with our guide Arno de Jong exploring the trails of the Grand Massif on full suspension bikes. We ended the first day at Haut Combe, a rustic hotel tucked away in the wilderness but with great food and a hot tub. There were plenty of falls and its a miracle there were no broken bones.
#7 StoryStream
CEO Alex Vaidya and CTO Neil Witten from StoryStream took 3 days out of office to get some exercise, inspiration and reflect on some key business decisions. Day 1 was spent mountain biking and on day 2 we hiked for 9 hours up over a mountain pass and stayed overnight in a refuge hut. The merry making and laughter went on into the night. It was great to share quality time with these guys and to explore their plans for growing their awesome business.
#8 The Bucket Project
A collaboration with scout leader, cider maker and culture catalyst Steve Stark. 10 hand picked business leaders shared 3 very special days together. Knowing nothing in advance, they placed their trust in Steve and I and allowed the adventure to unfold before them. I can’t tell you any more or I’ll have to kill you, but if you are interested follow this trail…………
#9 Holiday Extras
I love this crew. They share the Propellernet DNA. Positive energy, fanatic learners, seasoned innovators, tech startup-ers and a prolific great place to work. Matthew Pack is a great role model for aspiring CEO’s. I met Caroline Creed at an event in London the year before and told her about my vision for Dream Valley. She then saw the Alptitude stories emerge and got in touch to organise a 2 day adventure camp for the Holiday Extras leadership team.
On day 1 we cycled up the notorious Tour de France Col de Joux Plane (albeit on electric bikes), then left the bikes to scale the pointe d’Angolon on foot. On day 2 we rode the bikes to the bout de monde (end of the world) where we sat on the riverbanks to share some rare moments of peace and mindfulness.
#10 Alpselerator
The basic idea for a startup accelerator is get a group of early stage businesses together for a period of time with the goal of accelerating their progress. This was our first experiment in this format and we opted for 5 days and very little structure. We were joined by our friends Happy Startups, CogLode, Coverage Book and WorkSnug to spend a week living and working together at chalet Badney. Jon Barnes from hyper Island residing as our free range facilitator.
#11 Operation Red Dawn
The last big project of the year took place in mid-November at the drop dead gorgeous Ferme de Ciel . Mark Slade and 12 of his band of infamous Red Stars were back in Dream Valley to develop music and film ideas for production in 2016. 24 tracks were created and a plan was hatched for a 10 part mini series for 2016.
Between Projects
In addition to these bigger projects we’ve have seen a steady flow of Propellernet people, friends and family and collaborators all dreaming up cool stuff and working together to bring it into reality. We’ve made many new friends who seem to like what we are doing here and have ventured out to explore potential collaborations. This is something we would encourage and invite more of. Every project is a collaboration with a kindred spirit.
Free Range Work Habits
When the weather is good and the kids are in school, we close the laptops and head for the hills. We talk as we climb, blood pumping, our thoughts and conversations energised. We stop occasionally to take a photo, make a call or send a message but otherwise we are on the move with our thoughts.
I’m spending more time connecting and developing people and ideas and planning experiences and less of my time in meetings, processing email and managing my diary.
I am consciously choosing to share thoughts and ideas when they are fully formed, ripe and when the right moment arises. I used to fire off hundreds of ill-formed ideas every week, creating chaos for those around me. I’m thinking in years and planning in months now. I used to think in days and plan in hours.
I’m not saying that what I do is right, I’m just sharing what I’m learning from this ongoing work/life experiment.
Project Reflections
The adventure aspect to the projects is great but the wellbeing and creative aspects feel a little underplayed. There is a great restorative and creative energy in the valley and it is this element we’d like to develop more in 2016.
We’d like to bring more yoga, meditation and mindfulnesss to our projects. We’re keen to explore healthy energising nutrition in our menus. We’d like to collaborate on more music, film, art and storytelling projects.
Looking Ahead
Next year we will be running most of these projects again (with the exception of the boozy behemoth that is Slope-Off), and adding a few new projects into the mix.
We aim to launch the Sixteen project in August (a collaboration with my good pal Tom Nixon and mindfulness gurus Joel and Michelle Levy). We will take sixteen sixteen year olds away for a 7 days of high mountain mindfulness.
We aim to run the first dream accelerator project in April with the Propellernet team. 10 people spend 5 days working together to bring their collective dreams into reality.
We aim to run a leadership course on mountain bikes with Dieter Hachenburg and a road bike networking trip with Carrie Bedingfield from purposeful startup accelerator 50th Generation both around June time.
We are hoping to build an immersive destination website for Dream Valley in partnership with Yellow Bird . Imagine an online theme park map where all the rides are clickable. When you click and wear VR goggles you get to ski, ride, climb and maybe even wing suit all the great adventures experiences of Dream Valley. Completely immersed in the experience. Think Lawn Mower Man after a few Red Bulls.
We want to strengthen our relationships with the great local partners who have supported us over the last year. In no particular order our team is shaping up like this.
Kate Gaze, Bespoke Project Organiser
Arno De Jong, Bespoke Project Organiser / Mountain Guide
Jamie Carr, Mountain Guide
Ben Chatfield, Mountain Guide, Sound Engineer & DJ
Franky Bosse, RaftRider, Rafting and Canoe Centre
LVF Alps, Farmhouse Event Venue and Bespoke Catering
Le Badney, Wellbeing Centred Event Venue
Ferme De Ciel, Luxury Chalet Accommodation
La Covagne, Lakeside Event Venue
Restaurant Cirque fer a Cheval, Event Venue
Go Massif, Airport Transfers
Rorie Mcintosh, Graphic Designer
Soren Rickards, Photography
Tessa Klotz, Yoga & Massage
Michelle Wilmot, Coaching, Mindfulness and Yoga
Claire McFarland, Massage
Frances Morrissey, Childcare
Zig Zag Ski School, lessons and guiding
Xtreme Glisse, Ski and Bike Hire
Martin Girat, Wine Tastings & Sales
Big ups to the above and a huge thanks to every one else who believed in our vision and helped us make it a reality.
Johanna Blood, Kim Button, Nicola Whiting, Sam White, Steve White, Antony Hirst, Nick Morrissey, Onno Scholten, Shane & Bunty, Asa Cunningham, Louise Bjork-Mann, Toni Waite, Barb Allen, Kim Slade, Jake Denham, Josh Kynaston, Kees Klomp, Ray Richards, Jamie Pyper, Tom Hemmings, Neil Witten, Richard Stobart, Carrie Bedingfield, Tom Nixon, Dan Webb, Sarah Boyd, Oli Pointer, Laurence McCahill, Carlos Saba, Fiona Duffy, Neil Shaw, Oli Unwins, Jon Markwell, Anna Markwell, Marisha Taylor, Dave Jackson, Kelvin Andrews, Karl Miller, Charmaine Baines, Trevor Sinclair, Arnaud Retrif, Willy G, Laura Wilkins, Mr Lewis & RC Viking, Sanderson Jones, Eulalie, Snake Eyes, Normanton Street, Alex Vaidya, Matthew Pack, Amanda Pack, Caroline Creed, Simon Hagger, Anna Divers, Mark Slade, Angus Wilson, Alan Stockdale, Paul Williams, George Young, Tom Harris, Jamie Patterson, Kris Turvey, Sam Zindel, Rik Turner, Stephen Baker, Steph Sheehan, Andy McLane, Nikki Gatenby, Gary Preston, Stella Bayles, Antony Ribot, Jerome Ribot, Steve Stark, Richard Rutter, Penina Shepherd, Marc Munier, Rob Ashton, Rebecca Kimber, Charles Davies, Martine Kviem, Ruth Anslow, Lady Gar Gar, The Man Kumaran & Lady Latha, Wiro & Judith Kuipers, Jon Barnes, Ted Irving, Blake Owens, Vicki Berr, Richard Alderson, Richard Easton, Tom & Alex Druitt, Gayle Murphy, Greta Azzopardi, Andrew Berger, Robin Waechter, Eddie Gomes, Jonnie Gomes, Ben Mcallinder, Adam Boulton, Andy Keetch & Arno Bouchet. I could go on.
We love you guys and look forward to many fun times ahead.
Merry Christmas Everyone,
Jack & Linda Hubbard
@DreamValley365
www.DreamValleyProjects.co.uk