Limber Lodge

For 5 weeks this winter, Thirroul movement studio Limber becomes The Limber Lodge: an 80s ski lodge built to keep its community moving through the year’s coldest weeks, while raising funds for the Black Dog Institute. Winter has a way of shrinking everyone’s world. The plans dry up, the cold keeps us inside, and the fitness routine is quietly put on hold. Winter is when our wellbeing can take the hardest hit. This year, community-minded movement studio Limber is set out to prove it doesn’t need to be this way.  From 25 July through to 31 August, Limber spends five weeks as The Limber Lodge – an 80s ski lodge built inside its Thirroul studio, après glow and all. Members and newcomers alike are invited to scoop up a ski pass and hit the mountain for a stacked winter season of themed classes, alongside a calendar of events and experiences both inside the studio and beyond it.  The Lodge’s jam-packed program gives the studio and class timetable an alpine edge, all designed to keep the local community moving, connecting and feeling good through the stretch of year when that can feel hardest. A new slope will be ready to carve up each week, including movement challenges, wellbeing tasks, community activities and dress-up moments. From sauna, run clubs, hikes and guided breathwork, to talks, art therapy, ‘Limboogie’, cold plunges and so much more – there is something to get anyone out of the house and moving their body this chilly season.  The Limber Lodge isn’t just for novelty. In recent years, an Australian study found 42% of people see their social life decline over winter, and one in three say they feel more down and depressed once it gets cold (McCrindle, 2023). Exercise tails off at the same time, and gym freeze requests climb. People stop moving and stop seeing one another, right when they need both the most. Group fitness members are also 56% less likely to cancel than people training on their own (Fitronics, 2024).   “Winter is when people naturally move their bodies less, we see it happen every year,” says Limber founder, Lily Murray. “We know the seasonal patterns of our wellbeing, but we also know the power that movement, connection and community have. So, we wanted to design something different, and fun! Rather than shy away from the seasonal blues, we want to give people a reason to keep returning to the things that support their mental and physical health. Something worth leaving the house for, and something to prove that winter doesn’t have to be isolating.”  Limber member Sally Arthur felt the shift firsthand during last year’s Winter Challenge by the studio: “The activities got me outside, into the morning sun, into the ocean, and doing things that really lifted my energy. I also loved connecting with members I’d never really spoken to before—it gave me a reason to reach out to people. Having little goals to tick off each week kept me motivated. It gave me something positive to focus on and made me excited to get back into classes and be part of the space again.” More affordable than a weekend at the snow, a “Season Pass” unlocks the Limber Lodge, giving your chilly bod the care it deserves. The special membership includes unlimited classes across the 5-week program, entry into the Season Challenge, access to the Lodge’s schedule of off-piste community events, discount codes for a suite of partners, home movement videos, weekly nutrition recipe drops, three breathwork sessions and more.  Stay the course of the challenge, and you’re in the running for the grand prize: a wilderness cabin stay with Unyoked plus three months of unlimited classes at Limber. Also up for grabs are Bondfire Sauna experiences, Limber giveaways, merch and much more. It all kicks off at the Season Opener on 25 July, where Limber welcomes the community to come into the studio and create their custom pass, grab a welcome bag and commune with fellow challenge seekers. If après is your style, stick around via an extra ticket to hear a panel of expert speakers from the Practising Naturopath Claire Grullemans, Clinical Psychologist Elizabeth Tillman and more in conversation, plus dig into food, live music and more.  Giving back to the community in more ways than one, 10% of proceeds from Lodge beanies and ticketed event sales go to the Black Dog Institute, Australia’s leading mental health research and suicide prevention organisation. Their work recognises the link between moving your body and looking after your mind – an ethos at the heart of Limber.