Medical fitness assessment

The following questions help us determine which accommodation category is most appropriate for you. Answer honestly. The forest will find out the truth regardless.

Can you lift a 20 kg log?

This is the standard weight of a processed Siberian pine log. Category A residents are expected to handle these regularly. Category B residents may lift smaller logs or sort pre-cut timber.

Please select an option

Yes, comfortably
You will be considered for Category A (Active Lodge)

Yes, but with difficulty
You will be considered for Category B (Supported Lodge)

No
You will be considered for Category C (Care Lodge)

Can you tolerate temperatures below −25°C for extended periods?

Average winter temperatures at our retreats range from −20°C to −36°C. Winter lasts approximately eight months. The remaining four months are referred to by residents as "not winter."

Please select an option

Yes, I am comfortable in extreme cold

I can manage with appropriate clothing

No, I am sensitive to cold

Do you own a coat?

Please select an option

Yes

Residents who do not own a coat will be issued winter clothing upon arrival. The Programme cannot guarantee that this clothing will fit, be stylish, or smell of anything other than the previous resident. Previous residents are not available for comment.

Can you walk 2 kilometres through forest terrain?

The nearest neighbour at most retreats is at least 2 km away through dense taiga. In practice you will not be walking to see them, but we like to ask.

Please select an option

Yes

With assistance or limited distance

Have you previously spent extended time outdoors?

This includes camping, hiking, gardening, or standing at a bus stop in Rotherham between November and February.

Please select an option

Yes, I am comfortable outdoors

Some experience

No, I have primarily indoor experience

Residents with no outdoor experience are allocated to shelters closer to the camp perimeter so that the forest can ease them in gradually. The forest is patient. The forest has time.

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