My seventh time. Six times before have I had the awesome pleasure to enjoy the ride. Wow, what rides! They have opened new dimensions to my life and given me so many beautiful moments, pure joy, true feelings, inner love and connection.

I’m truly grateful that I have been able to return so many years. One reason for doing so has been to follow the development of the camp. I been in the camp the year when we didn’t have shade over the tents, the year we ran out of water for days, somebody thought someone else bought the food and we had to send a car back to reno again, or when half the food went bad because we forgot to switch ice-blocks, or when the greywater tarp broke and all the water ended up in the dust which took hours to remove.

And the years we built the fantastic midsummer pole with a house under with fire-hoses nested so you could hang in the roof and climbe the pole (see below for proof), the amazing public space with cozy massage corners and hundreds of guests hanging in the bar, or the ecstatic mythical creature day party, the Regional Contact Network 25-years celebration party at our camp, and all the cozy, crazy, curious moments with fantastic, fabulous, free friends at an awesome, amazing and simply wonderfully challengeing place.



A lot of members of Nordic Paradise visit Black Rock City for their first time. Some are “experienced burners” (define in your own way). For some, Burning Man is their first burn (so called “virgin”, or the more politically correct term “newbie”). We really welcome virgins with open arms. Up to 50 percent, then a little bit less, until we reach 60. We also LOVE our camp members that return or those who hasxbeen with other camps before (until you also reach 60 percent, btw). Without you, it would not be possible. This also means that the camp renew itself rather quick. Some years only 10 persons out of 90-100 have been members of the camp before. So, if it’s your second year, you’re a veteran – pay it forward. I’m probably a dinosaur.

We are doing this together, we need all members, everybody in the camp needs everybody else to make it happen. The best way of building those connections is not by building a pyramid, but a stronger, more versatile and more clever structure like a web, or a snowflake. We share knowledge and make progress together, we have a plan, a structure, a common goal and we’re in this together; a safe place where [you can be your true self and where] as many as possible can have as much fun as possible. I’ve added the thing in the thingies [].

That means that we aim on what we can create together, how we can expand our Public Space and how we can make it nordic, mysterious, curious and relaxing, how we can make the preparation and the time in the desert as fun as possible, never letting a meeting, a shift with camp duty, or strike feel like “work without joy” at least not at the end line in the bookings. Your energy might go up and down. But your driving force may always be “I want to do this”, “I like to do this”, “I’m sexy and hot when I do this”. Be ready to pich in, there are no free-rides and we certainly aren’t any plug-and-play camp (twi!). It’s a lot of fun work for a lot of fun, if that works out…

We should be able to chillax, be ourselves, connect and create. We are building a family. That goes to the desert. A seriously dangerous place. Sometimes it rains, sometimes it is very hot and there’s always the dust to choke on. So, we have learned from the past and built a system to make sure we take care of things as smooth as possible. An advanced homepage, some policies, checklists, structure regarding decision making, organisation, meetings, virgin orientation, social events, a concept, a gift, a vision and an awesome spirit, and also a lot of stuff in two trailers.

Let us build an amazing public space, a chill roof-top area, an crazy bar, vibriant music, massage-corners, dance floor, and let us create a camp that feels like a warm welcoming home where we can sleep, relax, eat, be ourselves, connect, have fun and so much more!

Nicklas “Awesome” O
Lead Organisation