The co-work-live-holiday adventure sports opportunity
I’ve just returned from a trip to the Alps, where I stayed in the lovely Chalet Chardons. All in it was a great week. The space was full of freindly and lively individuals, from the staff to the other guests.
But I kept feeling out of place, as if there was something missing, as if I somehow didn’t belong. In this I see an opportunity.
Most people on a trip like this fall into one of three categories:
- The holidaymakers — happy to eat, drink, and be merry, forgetting entirely about their lives back home and any real responsibilities, for a short while, for some quality time with friends and family, as a wonderful escape from the general rigidity and obligation of their lives at home. They are usually great fun. I have often in my life fallen into this category, so I know this one well.
- The cool kids — these are the guys and girls who make this place their life. They’re also often the people who make it possible for the holidaymakers to have their fun. They’ve either come out for a season and plunked down the cash to do so, or they’re working in one of the chalets doing whatever work they can get so they can max out the time spent on the snow perfecting their ski/board skills. They’re having fun, drinking daily, and living completely in the now. It’s easy to be a holidaymaker and wish you were one of them-laughing, having fun, ‘living the dream’.
- The life-hackers — these are the individuals, such as Simon Cooke, the genius snowboard coach, who have really worked out how to master this life. They are on the snow every day, teaching, guiding, having a blast and getting paid for it; delivering excellent value to their customers along the way. They know everyone, are constantly smiling, are generally fit and happy, and truly appear to have mastered the art of doing what they love and living it fully.
But is there a fourth category, hidden in the mix, those who would like to manoeuvre in this environment in some other way?
I still want to maximise time spent on the snow, but I do not want to give up my London life by becoming a life-hacker or a cool kid, and being a holidaymaker is fun for a few days, but personally I want my clean food, my daily yoga, and the space to get some work done when the creativity kicks in from all the flow state fun.
Snow sports are probably the single most demanding physical activity most people do in their lives, and yet we typically pair this off with extra booze, too much unhealthy carbs and dairy; and to top it off we don’t stretch.
What is this doing to our bodies? I recall numerous excursions of my life’s past where returning from such a trip I felt as though I needed a few days to recover before going back to work.
With so much emphasis on clean living and so many people opting for healthy retreats and holidays, why has this trend not hit the adventure sport community yet?
While the rest of the startup community goes on about co-living and co-working, why haven’t these trends been combined with adventure sports?
Where is the place where I can go to ride my snowboard all day, meet some cool people, have fun, but also take a morning or an afternoon off to connect to the world, work on my projects, make some calls, and remain productive?
Where is the clean food to nourish my body whilst I push it so hard on the pistes? Where is the yoga to stretch and rejuvenate my body so I can come back fitter and stronger, instead of stiff and sore?
I want to have my fun, but still be able to remain connected to my work.
I want to meet new people, but still have my own quiet space.
I want to be here in the Alps with access to it’s wholly non-nutritious diet, but still eat vegan if I choose.
I want a clean, quiet, space to practice yoga
My dream is a place that includes all these things:
- Compact, but clean/comfortable living quarters
- Co-working space up to London standards
- A yoga studio with classes daily, and self practice space
- Clean eating equipped kitchen & cafe with great coffee
- Kids & Pets welcome
- Direct access to the snow
- Bookable for short or long stays
I do not think I am alone in this dream. I think others share it. Perhaps others are out there creating it right now and I just haven’t found them. Yet.
Do you know of any such projects?
Do you share my dream?
Have I missed it? Have you seen it? Should I create it?
P.S.
My two missions in life are to to help others see the value of a simple yoga practice and how integrating adventure sports activities to hack flow can help them outperform.
More on yoga: Crisp Yoga
More on flow: Adventure, Flow, Create
