Big White is AWESOME! And Healthy!

So, you want to lose some weight? er yes please Mr. Pickles.

Hold on captain, what is the picture to the left? Well that is Scafell Pike - (with gravitas please) "It is the highest peak in England my son..." Yes a whole 87m high... not really, it is 978m.

Wait, what..? Well this blog is about Big White, (which is Awesome by the way.) And Big White is 2,319m - 9.4379 times higher than Scafell...

Ok, this is the point. Living at altitude is believed to increase your base metabolic rate - the number of calories you burn. So if you live at Big White, going to Kelowna makes you fat! And you all thought it was food.

Research.
A study in Germany tested 20 obese men whilst in Munich and at 8,700ft. Whilst at altitude the men lost an average of 3lb each in a week. 20 is not really enough to pass muster with the FDA - still according to the journal of made up statistics (doing a course right now) Colorado has the lowest levels of obesity out of the whole of the USA - less than 20%. 

This link provides more info 

I don't know what the stats are for Big White, I think it is around 0%, apart from the odd chubby Golden Retriever - obviously they have not read this article or the stats...

Now the question is, does Big White attract healthy people or make healthy them?

I think probably a bit of both.

Of course you also have to work - nothing is free, my preferred activity is squash - look at the chart squash burns more calories per hour than any other activity. 1520kj (1 Calorie is roughly 4 kj) per 30 minutes for a 70kg, 40 year old woman. If only I could play like a woman.

Running also helps, but soft snow and high altitude makes it very challenging - like running up a giant sand-dune without oxygen.

So anyway back to my point, not only is Big White a great place to live and raise a family, it is also naturally, a healthy place to live - even better than Scafell...

Oh and the pitch - if after reading this you are convinced Big White is for you contact Sólido Properties or like us on Facebook for more information and rental options.

Big White is AWESOME! Random Musings.

Ok, so I may have mentioned that Big White is Awesome...? No? Well it is!

Last week it was warm, capital W, warm. And with the warm weather came lots of melt and with lots of melt comes everything buried in the snow, since October. Mostly garbage, the BW community organized a clean up and got to it. Well done everyone!

The Sherriff's played their part to a small degree - Snowbird Way is now has the equivalent of one garbage bag less of garbage lying around - Whoohoo! Unfortunately you cannot tell, Boo! - we will be out again :)

Of course in addition to the trash under the snow there is also Treasure - last year during the season I lost my iPhone :( and I never found it. But I did find a brand new iPhone 4s - all shiny and new, not a scratch on it. Perfect! I put it in a bag of rice (I'd heard this works) and two days later I plugged in the power... it instantly came to life (good old Apple) and instantly I was able to find the owner... in Australia, he was happy, me, less so - I needed a new phone but what can you do?

Actually speaking of Apple their products are quite durable, my daughter put her iPod Nano through the wash and that was fine. And one time I dropped my (first) iPhone in the snow, I found it the next day, and I am sure it would have been fine... if not for being crushed...

Other treasure - unopened beer in the snow, under the chair lifts - and yes, I do drink them - for practical purposes only, the can is much lighter to carry off the mountain without contents...

People. (no I don't find spare people)

There seems to be a lot of people around this year, the last time I ran up the mountain (yes that idiot is me) there must have been 10 others skinning/hiking/snowshoeing up/down. And there are always people at Globe (open everyday except Friday). The first year (2000) we did not see anyone for weeks, we arrived May 11th and that weekend it must have snowed half a metre - we saw a dog and that was it, Saxon (RIP).

Anyhoo... thats it from me for today - 

PS Forgot my pitch - anyone looking for seasonal rentals or rental management visit our Facebook page or website or email solidorentals@gmail.com

 

Big White is AWESOME! A bit on Seasonal Rentals

Roughly 1300 seasonal staff hit Biggie every year...

Seasonal staff on balance tend to pay over the odds, their choices are limited and they have a reputation for being hard on property. 

But I have rented to seasonal staff since 2003, and if you respect your renters and stay visible, they will respect you and your property - there is always going to be wear and tear but usually no more and often less, than vacation renters.

So, some tips for owners renting to seasonal staff.

1. Meet them or have your agent meet them.
2. Take 6 months rent up front or first and last months rent.
3. Take a damage deposit.
4. Get a contract signed by all or a head tenants.
5. Do not permit 'friends' to stay for a couple of nights.
6. Girls are (usually) cleaner than boys.
7. Check the property regularly.
8. Inform the tenants of any noise (or other relevant) by-laws before they occupy the property.
9. Direct deposit is the best way of collecting rent, followed by credit card, cheque and then cash.
10. Rent payment holds varying places on the list of tenants priorities - it is usually behind beer, snowboarding, socialising, shopping. :)
11. Couples can be good unless they break up, and remember for many this is their first time travelling together - break-ups happen.
12. Be Nice! Expect minor wear and tear, expect some noise, expect them to be untidy, expect them to get drunk. Most of these kids (it is a broad definition) are good kids, so treat them fairly.

And pay back the damage deposit promptly - these kids are usually broke by the end of the season.

But what about the Staff...? You ask? Well here is something I didn't prepare earlier.

1. Find your place early! Really, I cannot emphasize this enough - there are around 1300 seasonal staff arrive at Big White every year - 90%+ are looking for accommodation after they arrive. Starting in the hostels, and immediately scouring snowpines for places to share - the same as the other 1,290 people. It becomes a renters market - which means higher costs and lower quality accommodation...
2. Read Tip one again!
3. If you are doing this early enough you can decide where you want to live - what is important to you? Access to the village for work/recreation? Ski in/out? Amenities? I have lived in Snowpines, top of the village and Happy Valley - Happy Valley is #1 for me, but I have kids and dogs - school, cross country trails, skating rink, Moose Lounge and the gondola gives me immediate village access. These are important for me. Decide where you want to live.
4. Choose your roomies carefully! For many Big White is the first time away from home and people have different levels of personal hygiene... 
5. Decide on some common sense house rules - shared cleaning, groceries etc.
6. Damage - hmmm, do not buy a BB gun and put up a target - you will use it when you are drunk. But consider, if you have one guy (girls don't usually get punchy, although I did have one girlfriend...) who trashes the place - you are all responsible. See tip 4.
7. Keep in contact with the owner or contact person, let them know of any issues - if the fridge breaks they will fix it. If the fridge breaks because you chucked it off the deck, they won't fix it...
8. Pay your rent by direct bank deposit - it is much easier to prove you have paid.
9. Respect the property you are in.
10. Work out a budget for the season before hand, figure on $550 per month per person for shared accom, add $40+/- for utilities, and factor in - food, drink, socializing etc.
11. Don't sign up for utilities, have the owner keep them in their name and reimburse - don't make it difficult.

Big White have about 130 pillows they manage, dedicated to their 'first-time' staff - if you have never spent a season at Big White, this could be a good option. The rates are lower - $425 - $450 per month but your accommodation is tied to your job - lose your job, you lose your bed! Mostly bunks but probably better than the hostel.

Remember Tip 1. Whether you find a luxury place in Happy Valley, sharing with 6 other people or a basement dump in Snowpines sharing with 11 others, your rents will be similar - the quality variable is a function of time not money!

So here is my pitch - Sólido Properties rents and manages their own and other properties - if you need property management or guaranteed rental income talk to us, if you are looking for long term or seasonal rentals talk to us, if you need marital advice, have health issues, problem children/pets, drink/drugs problem or any other issue... don't talk to us.

www.solido-properties.com 

Yes, you cannot stay here! :)

C.

Back home at Big White! And it is AWESOME!

Yesterday my kids got to enjoy a ride on  one of the grooming machines (Thanks Jeremy) - how cool is that for a 10 year old boy!

I'm 45 and I thought it was cool... but I did not get a ride... cos nobody loves me... :(

There is still tons of snow and we woke to almost 6" of fresh today. Lack of snow is not why the mountain closes its lack of people - Kelowna there is golf, lake, wineries, mountain biking... etc etc.

But it is slowly changing, this year it feels like more people are on the mountain, Sam's was open, Globe is open during the day and the great big announcement (from the Doc's office) is the clinic will be open one day per week - woohoo!

There are a couple of bike trails here and there are countless kms of logging roads to dirt bike but it is the chicken and the egg - people won't come until there is stuff to do, business won't open until there are sufficient people to support them.

I often wonder what writers block is now I