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| Dr Simon Hudson at work on the slopes of Breckenridge a few years ago |
This week I had an article published in the Sun Peaks Independent News about the growing group of Digital Nomads in Sun Peaks. You can read it at: https://sunpeaksnews.com/could-sun-peaks-become-a-hub-for-digital-nomads/.
One of the main communalities was the loneliness of working solo in front of a screen or phone. They all want to find avenues to meet people for networking, recreation and friendship. Coincidentally, in the same issue of Sun Peaks News, I also wrote an article about the growing Sun Peaks Locals’ Social Club, now almost at 300 members. It might well have topped 300 now, due to the level of response since this was published last week! This club, and the other social groups I covered in that second story, could help solve some of the nomads’ isolation issues and get them integrated into the community. However, a dedicated Digital Nomad Group could be the most effective solution and local Councillor, Julie Kimmel is now spearheading a new initiative to created networks and social opportunities.
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| Sun Peaks Locals Social Club |
In my Algarve summer home, the seaside town of Lagos (just five minutes drive from my village) is welcoming thousands of digital nomads. I’m not exaggerating! A Facebook group called Lagos Digital Nomads was launched a couple of years ago by Joana Gloria and I remember her celebrating when it reached 1000 members in its first few months of existence. It now has 6.2k members! I joined this group as soon as I noticed it on Facebook as I, too, am a digital nomad. Since 2005 I’ve been working as a writer from various homes around the world - sometimes ski resorts, sometimes cities, often beach areas, and even on a world-travelling university ship - Semester at Sea - check out my blog about one of those voyages on: http://onetwoski.blogspot.com/p/world-odyssey.html And just recently I got the job to work on it again as the Coordinator for the Lifelong Learners for the Fall 2023 voyage - please check out what this involves at: https://www.semesteratsea.org/lifelong-learning/. It’s a life-changing experience whether you go as staff, faculty, student or lifelong learner.
The remote working trend has been growing exponentially since the pandemic turned many more people on to this alternative to the traditional workplace. So, I thought I would include in this blog some of the extra information and comments that I unearthed when interviewing for my SPIN article.
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| Revelstoke Mountain Co Lab |
While researching existing digital nomad networking hubs, I came across the Mountain Co Lab in Revelstoke. Run by a board of volunteers and a part-time operations director, it is a not-for-profit enterprise which has been furnishing digital nomads with workspace and facilities since 2015. “We get really busy in winter during the ski season, with a wait-list for all types of desks, and then typically see slightly less demand in summer,” says Board Member, Nia Williams. “Since the pandemic, it seems remote working is here to stay and Revelstoke is a really popular town for digital nomads wanting an active lifestyle. It’s also a fantastic vibrant community, which keeps a lot of people here beyond the end of the ski season.” The group is fulfilling the need for workspace, networking and a sense of community. By offering the downtown facilities 24/7, they are also enabling flexi-schedule nomads to ski and ride (or bike, hike, golf etc) all day and work into the evening.
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| Go-Lab Golden |
The growth in the digital nomad phenomenon has been recognized in Golden, too, where Marloes van Lent is the owner operator of Go-Lab co-working. “Personally I think co-working is only still in its baby shoes,” says van Lent. “I think the last two years has proven that there is a need for a different work setting. People want to live or travel wherever and bring their work with them.”
Key to accommodating digital nomads is flexibility especially in terms of opening times. “Having 24/7 access to the space is a must plus providing a ‘private’ space for phone calls. We don't have a big space in Golden and at the start we didn't have phone booths. At one point we didn't have free spot left in our space and more than 50% of the people were on the phone or in virtual meetings. Needless to say, it was loud! With the subsidies available we were able to purchase two phone booths that are well used,” says van Lent. An electronic key system provided by Proximity enables 24 hour access which is especially beneficial for those working in different time zones.
With socializing now back in full swing, van Lent is prioritizing social events for Go-Lab in 2023: “We can invite these remote workers to come and socialize as that is a challenge when you work by yourself from your home. People are starting to feel a need to have more social interactions.” Plans include a weekly ‘coffee crawl’ supporting local cafés and regular cross country ski nights.
Van Lent is personally opposed to the term ‘digital nomad’ and prefers to be called a professional. “I am a professional who needs a professional work space to do my job. To attract professionals to your ski town, make sure you have a professional work space with reliable internet (which has become easier and easier in the last few years) and the flexibility to access it. Have a variety of spaces, private offices/flex desks and meeting rooms to accommodate the different tasks professionals do during the day.”
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| Gary Boddington at work in Sun Peaks - courtesy of Dawn Boddington |
Back to Sun Peaks and Gary Boddington who I featured in my Sun Peaks News article. Recognizing the need for a social group before the pandemic hit, he launched SPIT - Sun Peaks Information Technology group - with several others. It folded due to Covid restriction, but he would like to see it revitalized. Every digital nomad I interviewed for this article reinforced this need for dedicated groups and activities to facilitate social connectivity as an antidote for the loneliness of working from home.
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| This could be your home office in Sun Peaks - it’s Judy Bartha’s pad, available for swaps through HomeExchange.com |
Judy Bartha is a Life and Leadership Development Coach, who works from her Sun Peaks base sporadically. She has a second home there which she lists on HomeExchange.com, enabling other digital nomads to take advantage of the spectacular spot for their work and their play. Bartha is keen to have a source for office and computer supplies, equipment and support in the village. But, more importantly, she envisages a collaborative Sun Peaks group that is both work and social-focused.
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| Photo courtesy of Judy Bartha |
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| Karyn with son Krisjan |
I found Karyn Brynjolfson through Sun Peaks Survivors Facebook Group. She and husband Reid both have virtual jobs based in Australia which they conduct from Sun Peaks. “It has certainly been a very interesting 10 months living the virtual mountain life,” says Brynjolfson. “The lifestyle and working hours are the best part of working remotely. It allows us to schedule our time as we please so we have the flexibility to enjoy the mountain during the day and schedule meetings earlier or later in the evenings.” There’s a price to pay though: loss of face-to-face contact with colleagues and other professionals. “If there was a space available that was set up for teleconferencing with good lighting and sound that would be appealing,” she says. Meeting likeminded people has been an unexpected challenge. She’s a regular at gym and yoga classes and is learning Nordic skiing with local teacher, Laura Kalina who has also connected her with the Sun Peaks Book Club.
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| My digital nomad co working space at Sun Peaks Resort |
Another interviewee for this project was Geological Consultant, Bruno Barde, who is a supporter of the idea of a co-working centre. Recently, he has been using office facilities at the Sun Peaks Grand Hotel while working remotely. During the pandemic, Barde’s family of four was able to work comfortably from their home, Kodiak Timber Lodge. “It would be great to have a remote worker group, where we could give/get some training, and work as a community,” he also confirms. He first became aware of the shared workspace concept over 20 years ago: “We used a co-working space for a start-up in Vancouver from 1999-2002. It worked well for us to find an exploration project, raise money and work toward a merger.”
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| Bruno Barde’s home office |
Next there’s Registered Dental Hygienist, Afifa Eidher who moved to Sun Peaks with her husband and two young sons last year. “We chose Sun Peaks because we love skiing and were looking for a beautiful, safe place to raise our children,” she says. Perks of her new role include the accommodating schedule which enables her to spend more time with her kids: “I can be available anytime, drop them off and pick them up, and volunteer as a chaperone for their phys ed.” Although very grateful for her new active outdoor lifestyle, she thinks there is a lack of indoor recreation. “There are very few indoor activities that don’t involve alcohol. I am not a drinker, and it would be great to have more indoor options for socializing. The village needs more action, and things to do. So many businesses shut down during shoulder season, which adds to the boredom outside of work. A coffee shop with Wi-Fi where we could work would be great. It would be great to bring my laptop, have a London fog, listen to music, work and have the odd chat with locals.”
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| Tanya Billheimer |
After working a variety of jobs around Sun Peaks since 2003, Tanya Billheimer landed a remote role 14 months ago with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. “I think my work life balance is very good - my manager is very accommodating with my schedule, and I work shifts that I could ski or get on the lake in the summer almost every single day either before or after work if I wish, and when my work day is complete it is done. I do not need to attend to any work matters until my next work day.” Three daily breaks means she can get away from her home desk to walk her dog. For security purposes, she can only work from home with dedicated internet on dual 24-inch monitors rather than taking advantage of a co-working centre. But, she says, this enables her to appreciate uplifting views of the colourful sunrises and sunsets from her home office windows.
A recent member of the Sun Peaks Rotary Club, Jackie Van Vliet works as an Investment Advisor with CIBC Private Wealth. “But my job is about so much more than just investments,” she says. “The best part of what I do is getting to know my clients, discovering what is important to them, and helping them live a life they love.” Already a Sun Peaks resident when she first took the job, Van Vliet was attracted initially to the village community and outdoor lifestyle: “My husband Anthony and I moved here with our daughter Charlotte who was four months old at the time. We have now been living here for almost four years. We wanted to raise our family in a small community that had lots of activities to keep us active and outdoors as much as possible.”
Remote working was important as the couple were seeking a quieter environment with no commutes. Van Vliet’s job combines four days at home and one day in the Kamloops office - about an hour’s drive - for paperwork and networking/educational events. Her customers typically prefer the ease of online chats or video calls. “It’s rare that clients prefer to meet in my office. People lead busy lives, and a one hour meeting turns into much longer when you consider driving time, parking, etc.”
Van Vliet already had family living in Sun Peaks, but other draws were the K-12 school right on the ski slopes and the ski in/ski out village: “I love that I don’t need to drive to access skiing, hiking, etc. For example I can get out for a few ski runs on my lunch break and be back home within an hour. It’s also so peaceful, and good for my soul having views of the mountains and trees right outside my office window.”
As a member of Rotary, she plans to help host networking events for digital nomads. She’s also a fan of co-working venues as a hub for connection and collaboration. “As far as attracting digital nomads to Sun Peaks, I think getting the word out there - through articles like this one - that people are successfully working remotely while enjoying the perks of living in a resort town helps plant the seed,” she says. “Access to child care and housing are key to attracting and keeping young professionals.”
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| Jackie Van Vliet - photo by Zuzy Rocka, Sun Peaks artist and photographer |
On chairlifts and in après ski bars, I have bumped into countless digital nomads who have become Sun Peaks residents or part-timers over the past five years or so. Many have invested in property, others support the seasonal rental market, some come and go in camper vans, especially those taking advantage of Sun Peaks being added to the Ikon Pass. They are all looking for ways to belong to the community rather than be considered tourists.
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| Tahoe Mountain Lab when it was at mid-mountain at Heavenly Resort |
I’ve been writing about the growing importance of digital nomads in ski resorts for the past decade. While skiing at Heavenly a few years ago, I even visited Tahoe Mountain Lab, at the time the highest co-working space in North America. Overlooking the spectacular lakeside mountains, the Tahoe Mountain Lab was ski in/ski out from the top of the Aerial Tram, 8,200 feet high. The building has since been repurposed so the company moved to another 12,000 ft location ten minutes from Heavenly’s California Lodge.
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| The view from a room at Keystone Conference Center in Keystone, Colo. BOB WINSETT - photo courtesy of Vail Resorts |
One of my early digital nomad articles was published in the Boston Globe focusing on the ‘Bleisure’ trend: a blurring of business and pleasure. Back then I interviewed Amy Kemp who had founded the ELEVATE coSPACE in Frisco, Colorado and then created the Mountain CoWorking Alliance, linking 11 independently owned co-working spaces in ski areas including Jackson Hole, Revelstoke, Tahoe, Park City, Durango, Avon (close to Vail and Beaver Creek) and Chamonix, France. The Alliance gave two free days of work at each venue for members, like collective ski passes. In response to ski in/ski out demand, ELEVATE was about to open a satellite branch at the base of Peak 9 in Breckenridge. This has since closed but has led to an array of co-working spaces around the Town of Breckenridge.
If you’re wondering how big this digital nomad trend really is, then you might be interested in the work I am doing with my husband, Dr Simon Hudson, while updating a new edition of a book on Marketing for Tourism, Hospitality and Events to be published by Sage later this year. Here’s an excerpt: “The COVID-19 pandemic prompted many tourism destinations to diversify so as not to be so over-dependent on tourism. According to a recent Migration Policy Institute report, more than 25 countries had launched visa programs for digital nomads as of June 2022, enabling travelers to work legally, longer and more freely. ‘International remote work is not without its challenges for employees, employers and governments. But for traditional tourism countries, many of which are middle- and low-income societies, reforming immigration policies to welcome digital nomads could help compensate for income lost due to lower levels of tourism during the pandemic, which are expected to continue until at least 2024’ said the report.
The trend, sparked by the pandemic, began with small, tourism-dependent European and Caribbean nations. They were followed by larger economies like the UAE, Brazil and Italy who have all introduced their own initiatives. For all these countries, digital nomad visas are a way of attracting new ideas and talent to their shores as well as capitalising on the growth of remote work to inject foreign capital into their local economies. ‘A digital nomad can bring to us skills in everything from architecture to engineering, so it’s a good way to open up our country to skills from abroad,’ said Luca Carabetta, an Italian parliament member, as he introduced the new digital nomad visa in Italy. He was expecting the visa to attract 5 per cent of the global nomad market, which he estimates to be around 40 million people, in its first full year. With the oldest population in Europe, Carabetta also sees the temporary visa as a way of attracting younger residents, who can use it to test-drive a more permanent life in the country. ‘Our ultimate goal could be to have them, yes, as guests in Italy, but also to possibly establish themselves here.’ In preparation for the new visa, Carabetta said Italy had spent more than 1 million euros strengthening IT networks, improving transport and modernizing infrastructure in rural communities – all in the hope that digital nomads drawn to Italy’s more rural areas could help contribute to their economic development.”
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| Pristine, unspoiled, low density ski area: Just one of the reasons digital nomads are attracted to Sun Peaks Resort |
