Posts tagged family
Families and Skiing
01 year ago
by Eric Hoffman
in photos
Bet you thought this post would be about families and ski trips and some angle like how they’re a key demo to market to. Some other time, this photo was just too funny:
The family that skis together, _______ together.
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Second Home Market Rebounding?
01 year ago
by Eric Hoffman
in article
With on-going chatter about the possibility of a double-dip recession it was interesting to read an article in USA Today about the growth of the second home market in family-friendly resorts. The article puts ski resorts together with golf and private-club communities, but here’s what it notes about ski resorts:
Ski resorts. Some resorts focus more on family activities than others. Among the most popular amenities is a slope-side “village center” that offers skating, dining, rentals, ski school and kids’ club in one convenient location. Beaver Creek, Colo.; Whistler, British Columbia, Canada; Northstar, Calif.; Stowe, Vt.; and several other resorts have them. Beaver Creek’s elaborate system of escalators in its village is frequently cited by parents of ski-boot-wearing children as their favorite feature. Beaver Creek and Colorado’s Snowmass, with its huge “Kids’ Treehouse,” were ranked in the top five family-friendly resorts by Ski Magazine. Beaver Creek is one of the priciest areas. Snowmass offerings start at $500,000-plus and run into seven figures. More-affordable options: California’s Northstar-at-Tahoe ski resort has a new village center with ice rink and “Mommy, Daddy and Me” ski school packages. Condos in the Village at Northstar start just under $300,000.
Are family-centric offerings key to a successful ski resort, or are they just one more pricey gimmick that may lure in a few people but isn’t truly a way to build a long term and sustainable business?
Photo credit: Flickr user dhgoodman
Resetting Expectations
21 year ago
by Eric Hoffman
in family
I’ve been meaning to write about something that I experienced with my daughter on the slopes here in Park City back in December for some time now, but I haven’t found the right moment too until now.
At work, we’ve been rolling up our sleeves and getting into a lot of strategic planning and I’ve found myself looking at many things from a different (and hopefully better) perspective. To understand where this is coming from I need to tell a little story about two days back in early December…
On the first weekend of this past December I was feeling pretty antsy. I had promised my daughter that we would head out with one of her friends (and his dad) for some skiing. Little did I know that a bitter cold snap was on the way and that temperatures would be hovering near zero as we were making preparations to head out. The other dad and I nervously texted each other but agreed that we would try for at least a run as we had set expectations for the kids and didn’t want to dash them.
It was cold…bitter cold…people were wearing layers on top of layers, but my daughter was wearing a huge grin and having a blast sliding around with her friends. The other dad and I were
stripping off layers as skiing with two year olds is a lot more work than one would think and we were steaming when we all stopped at the lodge for hot chocolate and M&Ms.
After a few minutes of rest and restrooms we were astounded when both kids asked to go back out into the bitter cold for “more skiing!” Needless to say, we went up for more runs and when we finally got home my wife was amazed that we had been out as long as we had.
The next week was another experience – a huge, blustery, wet, blizzard! Yet again, I contemplated whether or not the daddy/daughter ski date should proceed. I still couldn’t imagine that my daughter would enjoy being outside in wet snow that was coming down sideways. Once again, I stowed my worries aside and burrowed through the drifts to the resort where we (again) had an amazingly fun ski day.
My daughter and I have continued to ski together (and with mom sometimes) for almost every weekend this ski season. I’ve never again hesitated when weather conditions seemed inclement. And each time we’ve gone up, I’ve tried to put myself more in my daughter’s shoes and remember what it is like to experience life as a child without preconceived notions. As I’ve been doing this, I’ve been reminded of the many times that I came home as a child growing up in Minnesota with frozen solid blue jeans while having had the best time sledding and playing in the snow with friends. In my years, I’d forgotten how much fun it is to just do and to not worry. It took a two year old to remind me that it’s not good to go into every situation with expectations and therefore I’m resetting my expectations as often as I can be reminded to do so by my (now three year old) daughter.
Chris Brogan’s post on “The Importance of Story in Your Life” provided some of the additional inspiration I needed to write this post, thanks Chris!
Photo credit: Me – but mostly the wonderful girl in the photo, thanks little k!
Happy Thanksgiving – Say it Through the Computer Screen!
13 years ago
Raising a little one in this day and age of ever-evolving technology presents some really cool opportunities. Kaitlynn, our nearly 21 month old daughter, can already use a variety of remote controls and when she looks at my laptop she cries out, “Gamma” or “Pappa” because she knows that we video chat with my parents and my wife’s mother on a regular basis via Ichat and Skype. This is the topic of an interesting article that I just read in the NY Times today:
The Web cam adventures of the nursery school set and their grandparents offer a glimpse at what can be gained — and what may be lost — by almost-being there…
With families getting more and more spread out across the country, the ability for children to connect with their relatives via the internet is amazing. Particularly during the holiday season, it is such a blessing for Kaitlynn to see her Grandmas and Grandpa, and to say ‘Hi!’ There is something so much better about being able to see each other in real time as opposed to simply having a conversation over the phone. I love that our daughter is building a stronger relationship with her grandparents and that they are also getting the chance to see and interact with her much more often than they can in person.
So, during this Holiday time, I’d like to give my thanks to those great innovators that have helped put forth the technological advancements that have made video chatting a reality and I’m looking forward to see what they come up with in the years to come, “Thanks!”
