Big White is AWESOME! Do we live in a Blue Zone?

Is Big White a mini, Blue Zone?

Maybe I should define ‘Blue Zone’ first. Well, maybe I’ll just let Wikipedia do it.

And this is Poody... he's 89!

A blue zone is a region in the world where people are claimed to have exceptionally long lives beyond the age of 80 due to a lifestyle combining physical activity, low stress, rich social interactions, a local whole-foods diet, and low disease incidence.[1] Examples of blue zones include Okinawa Prefecture, Japan; Nuoro Province, Sardinia, Italy; the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; and Icaria, Greece.[1] The name "blue zones" derived simply during the original survey by scientists, who "used a blue pen on a map to mark the villages with long-lived population."[2]

So, active, social, low stress, good food, and low incidence of disease...

How does Big White compare?

Wifey and I were talking about the the annual, long term, seasonal visitors to Big White. You know the retired or semi retired, singles and or couples that come for the whole season, every year… and whether their lifestyles match or mimics the lifestyles of the people living in the recognized ‘Blue Zones’

Let's start with Physical Activity.

Skiing - they all come to ski and you see them every day. Sometimes it is just a couple of ‘em’ sometimes it is a group of up to ten. No their exercise is not that intense, but skiing is still an ‘extreme’ sport… ergo it is a challenging sport. And because they come for the season and are all retired, and, they motivate each other to ski almost every day they are getting that exercise daily... a couple hours each day and it is every day, a lot of exercise.

Gavin... 126!

Social.

These groups come to Big White and they ski together, they have social nights together - dinners, wine tastings, coffees, lunches etc etc. The point is they have the social support system and or group. 

A local Whole-foods diet... nope.

This obviously, is missing. Whole or healthy foods. The Standard American Diet (aptly acronym-ed SAD) is imo killing us. The global obesademic (yes, a term now being used) is a result of our diet. Ultra Processed Foods - UPF’s in some countries is unbelievably high. This graphic is taken from a recent edition of The Economist. The study was published in 2021 so this graphic is already four years out of date.

Big White does not have a natural, local whole foods lifestyle. Yes, it is an option if you are very very very careful. Of course correlation is not causality - other lifestyle factors undoubtedly play a role. There are some options, we buy beef in bulk from a farm in Princeton - it works out far better value than Costco.

I have been trying to figure out healthy eating, on and off, for a number of years now (I struggled with my weight since childhood). Keto works for me, but what most scientists agree on is that ultra processed foods (UPF’s) are bad. 

Low Stress.

The last Blue Zone factor is the low stress element. Is Big White a low stress area? I guess that would depend. If you’re retired and coming here for the season… skiing daily is not that stressful. On the other hand if you have a business that is struggling… or are say a ski instructor trying to make rent... 

Low Incident of Disease.

I was talking to Blue Griffiths on the chairlift a couple days ago. If you know Blue you know he doesn’t look his age… Anyhoo, Blue commented that he, after 25 years living here, he did not know anyone who had got cancer living at Big White... I looked cancer statistics, statistically over a lifetime, men have a 42% and women a 37% chance of getting cancer. 

Actually I do recall one person getting cancer at Big White, but, you would think that over 25 years of living at Big White, I would know more than one person?

A modified Blue Zone?

The Blue Zones idea was first established in 1999 by scientists looking at why certain populations were living, constantly to the ripe old age of a 100. Science has evolved since the first assessment, since then other elements have proven to be beneficial - sunlight and spending time/living at elevation.

Very Blue...

Sunlight.

Recently (published in 2011) a study in Sweden that was started between 1990 and 1996 looked at 38,000 women asking four questions - 

• Do you sunbathe?
• Do you go on sun vacations to sunbathe in the winter?
• Do you use a sun bed?
• And, do you go on sun vacations in the summer?

I won’t go into the details but you can read the study here-

https://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/scheer/docs/sunbeds_co158_en.pdf

Or for something less taxing than reading... this is Dr. Max Gulhane talking about the study.

If you don't want to read or watch... the study expected to find that sunlight/sunbathing increased the chances of skin cancer - makes sense right? But, the results showed something surprising, basically, it showed that sunlight reduced all cause mortality. All cause! 

So, back to Big White. Our groups of visiting sunbirds getting sunlight every day... every day reducing their risks of all cause mortality. 

Incidentally a typical North American lifestyle 'enjoys' getting just 2% of natural light every day. By the way, a window filters sunlight - being in a car or behind a window doesn't count.

So sunlight helps.

Elevation and reduced oxygen. 

From Gladstone.Org-

Sunlight helps -
here is some for you to bask in

Compared to those of us who live at sea level, the 2 million people worldwide who live above 4,500 meters (or 14,764 feet) of elevation—about the height of Mount Rainier, Mount Whitney, and many Colorado and Alaska peaks—have lower rates of metabolic diseases such as diabetes, coronary artery disease, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity.

Now, researchers at Gladstone Institutes have shed light on this phenomenon. They showed how chronically low oxygen levels, such as those experienced at high elevation, rewire how mice burn sugars and fats. The work, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, not only helps explain the metabolic differences of people who live at high altitude, but could also lead to new treatments for metabolic disease.

Cold... and Blue.

Metabolic diseases for those unaware consist of CVD, some cancers, obesity, type II diabetes etc etc. The takeaway here is that living at a higher elevation is better for your longevity.

And living at elevation helps.

So, Blue Zones.

Wikipedia defines five elements - low stress, rich social, physical activity, healthy diet, and low disease incidence. The outlier for me is the low disease - that is out of your control. In fact I would claim that low disease incidence is a result of the other four factors, which are within your control.

Four original factors, plus, for Big White two additional factors - sunlight and elevation.

Do you want to live in a Blue Zone?

Globally the life expectancy (2022 stats) is just over 72 years. Verses life expectancy  in a Blue Zone to be 100... Life expectancy is to live to 100. Let me repeat that - 100. 40% longer.

"But they don't live here year round." I hear you say. Yes, that is true. But how much does it take? People in Blue Zones live 40% longer... how much will living at Big White give you?

So, is Big White a Blue Zone? For me the answer is yes, we have four of the original five elements - social, active, low stress, low disease, plus we have an outdoor and elevated (literally) lifestyle.

What do you think?

Obsessed and Enthusiastic has been obsessed and enthusiastic (see what I did there?) about Big White for a while. We have owned, rented, bought, sold, built, renovated and managed property here since 2000... exactly! We are old. You can contact us Here!

Big White is AWESOME!!! Thinking of coming to Big White for a season...? And you're nervous...? Part Duh!

See what I did there with the 'Duh'? Well... "Duh! Of course we did... dumbass."

So, I have a little confession. That was really the first two days. I spent two nights in Switzerland - hitchhiking back and forth over the border... at midnight or 1am on the second night. You see, instead of being 'related to someone semi-smart' and getting my act together on day two... nope, I didn't. On the first day after arriving, I went skiing instead and then went to the bar... and then hitchhiked home at 1am... instead, instead of getting my act together - that is a true story. Actually, it's all true.

The previous story really happened over two days... but I have more details for that story... it is a little R rated... unfortunately not as R rated as I wanted it to be, but you know.

So... Michel says to me "Tonight you will stay with me and my wife." Obviously it was in a heavy French accent, a gravely French accent... he had, and still did, smoke Gauloises cigarettes... probably since he was 15, and by this time he was in his early 60's... Gauloises - who needs filters?

So, we get back and I meet Nicole, his wife. Obviously she is really pleased to see Michel, two hours late from work, drunk, with a dumb, none French speaking, English, homeless person... also drunk... who had also obviously led her completely innocent husband astray.

What is the problem?

We ate, I'm sure it was delish... no, I've no idea what it was - it was 31 years ago, and I was drunk. There wasn't much conversation as I recall, Nicole didn't speak any English... or, I believe, in the mood to speak French...

We finished dinner and it was getting late so obviously I had to get back to the bar - job hunting of course. "Au revoir..." I said, completing my total repertoire of French words. Leaving Michel to er... I'm guessing, to try and explain himself.

I did, I promise I did... well I had every intention... but you see Sam had just arrived and she needed a slobering wreck to bother her - that was where I came in. To be honest, I don't think she was bothered at all... I was pretty cute back then, fit (just out of the army, and a veteran) and I was also gonna say an ex-model... but that was before I did some modelling - true story... another.

But, like I said it was only kinda R rated cos not much happened.

But also what didn't happen was I didn't go back to Michel and Nicole's... not until 7am... and Michel had already left for work... and Nicole was just leaving...

Do you know how to apologize profusely in French? Nope, me neither. I know how to look embarrassed and shrug my shoulders and do that funny toothy grin... and say Au revoir... but it didn't seem to fit, not for me anyway.

Nicole, let me in, and she left... I'm thinking Michel was in even more trouble.

But, I didn't care, I was off to meet Sam to go skiing... Yay!!! Sam did not turn up... Boo!!!

Maybe I skied, maybe not. What I did do was go and find some gifts for Nicole and Michel; just to say thank you, sorry and probably,
good bye.

When I get to their place they are just getting ready to go out for a celebration dinner. To celebrate their very first, ever, brand new car. Nobody was in a bad mood... But I didn't realize Michel was in that much trouble...? Good job I wasn't a blonde, Swedish girl (I'm gonna add) model, (here, cos you know) who stayed out all night... with
Michel...

Anyway they were enthralled with my crappy gifts. Yep crappy. Not because I chose crappy gifts but because I was a dumbass... in reality the gift were very thoughtful - a cuddly toy for Nicole (who doesn't need a cuddly toy... eh?) and Michel had been using this crappy knife at work, so a new knife for Michel... it was pretty crappy too, but new.

Enthralled!!! I tell you, so much so that they invited me to their, no-longer, romantic French dinner. No, wait... it was still French, and Yum.

And me? Where did I sleep? I didn't ditch them that night, I didn't go to the bar to find a job, I didn't 'lose' my way home... I stayed with them... and slept. It had been a while.

Christmas Eve in France is the next dumb story.

Solido Properties has been renting seasonal properties from owners at Big White since forever!!! Well, I lie, since 2013... but, same thing. 

If you are looking for a place to stay... here are a couple of tips.

1. Staff accommodation - Big White have a number of beds, if this is your first season, and you work for the resort, you have a chance of resort accommodation.
2. Local businesses - a number of my properties go to local businesses for their staff. Ask if anything is available.
3. Coming late? February there is sometimes change over - life happens, people go home, move, split up... you may find something in Jan/Feb... maybe.
4. Keep looking and posting on Facebook - keep trying. After a day your post is long gone... keep posting. I'll say it again - keep trying.

Good luck.

Do you know, I written over a hundred of these posts? If I was smart I would have added, to all of them... please like and share... well, only if you did like, and wanted to share.

If you want to visit the website - it's rubbish, then you can do that here - www.solido-rentals.com our Instagram (also below par) is here ObsessedandEnthusiastic

Big White is AWESOME!!! Thinking of coming to Big White for a season...? And you're nervous...?

Who wouldn't be...? 

And you're on your own...? In a strange country...? Without a job...? Or friends...? And you can't ski...? (which is important) Or snowboard - which, you know, who cares...?

Will you even survive?

Shall I tell you my story...?

It all started whilst I was still in the army, driving back to my base from Wigan (UK) to Andover (again UK). I picked up a hitchhiker who told me he'd lost his driver's license (drink driving), and was heading to tell his (new) boss (in London) that he couldn't do the job anymore - delivery truck driver... "What'll you do?" I asked... he told me he would head back and work in a ski resort in France.

You can imagine a cartoon image of me putting on brakes... "What??!" I didn't know that was a thing. No, I  didn't slam the brakes on, but, you know, I was definitely distracted...

So, I drop him off somewhere, get back to camp and the next day, I went in and signed my PVR (Premature Voluntary Release) papers... it was probably a six month release/wait period... I didn't care as it was still summer. I was 24 at the time... kinda risky eh? 

Prep.

Six months, and you know I didn't do much. I had some distant family relations who were big into skiing - they had an equipment shop and they organized ski vacations... I bet I had only ever met them three times in my whole life. But, they were a start, so I went to see them. 

They arranged some stuff for me in Switzerland... flight, meeting at and airport shuttle to the resort, accommodation, and ski tech job at a hotel... or so I thought... and they sold me some great 90's ski gear... which was great cos it was the 90's.

Flight.

There was a little confusion at the airport... they didn't know who I was but I had proof I'd paid for my flight so I was allowed to board (this was pre 9/11) just a short 40 minutes 'after' the plane was scheduled to depart... yes, I was the guy everyone gives those 'if looks could kill' daggers to.

Pre-flight...

But I barely noticed... cos let me add something here... I was leaving Wigan, to go to live in a ski resort in Switzerland, so the night before my buddies and I all went out and partied... coming home at 5am I figured I'd best start packing, (it's amazing the packing decisions you make whilst drunk) shortly after which my brother drove a very hungover 'me' to the airport.

Geneva...

I landed around noon... well, everyone did actually, I wasn't special. To be greeted by no-one. Which was inconvenient, I and my hangover decided... I then spent the next six hours walking up and down Geneva airport trying to figure out my life. Eventually I figure out a shuttle to the resort (Morgins) and to the hotel where I was supposed to be doing my thing - I had a hotel name. It was pretty close, maybe 90 minutes drive.

The job...

Did not exist.

The accommodation...

Came with the job... that didn't exist... ergo... 

What to do?

I have too much stuff, no job, no place to sleep, it's now 10pm... over 40 hours without sleep... and my hangover seemed to be the only thing I still had with me.

Bar...

Seemed the obvious solution. It was dead. But there was a waitress. Long story short - she could probably let me have a bed for a night. But we had to wait for her boyfriend to come back, and for her to finish work at 2am... not the best but a bed. I think they charged me 5 Swiss Francs per night.

Advice...

They were great, they advised me to hitchhike 5kms to Chatel in France. "It will be easy" they said, and it was, "and there will be more jobs..." and there were. So I did.

Job #1.

I went to the local tourism office and not speaking and French I said "Je suis cherche pour travais." I'd learned that phrase. But of course it didn't help because they (inconsiderately) responded in French... But, they sent me up to the hotel to find Michel, who needed a labourer.

Things were going great, all morning that is... all morning until the French, labourer/builder, with maintenance experience turned up.

End of Job#1.

Of course Michel paid me, but you know... French, builder, experience... he could even speak fluent French! Batard! Which is French for, you know, what it kinda sounds like.

So, no job and er... still no place to stay...

'Best go to the bar then...' I decided, all by myself.* Twenty minutes later Michel walks in - "Let me buy you a beer" I say. A couple hours later a drunk Michel says to me "Where are you staying tonight?"

A drunk me responds "ah... I'll just go to the hotel down the road..."

"Nope!" exclaims Michel.

"Nope! Tonight you will stay with me and my family..." And I did.

*Going to the bar was not a bad idea, more than one person had told me, that's where all the seasonal staff go and they would know of any jobs available.

The point of my story...?

You will figure it out... and you will have great stories to tell about how you figured it out. Did I meet people...? Did I find another Job...? A place to live...? Did I ski lots... did I (soto voce) snowboard too... did I have one of the best seasons of my life...?

Maybe I'll tell you more stories from that season one day, and you can decide.

Sólido Properties have been managing properties at Big White since 2003 (commercially since 2013). And we specialize in er... seasonal staff places. Our goal is to find the best places for the best staff. If you are the best staff (yes yes, everyone says "We" are the best) send me a message via that link or to solidorentals@gmail.com

And if you're an owner looking for stable, steady, honest income... you can do the same thing. True story.

PS If you're looking at the website today... you'll notice it is not quite finished. There is a good reason behind that - yep, I'm rubbish... another true story.

Big White is AWESOME! Dodgy rental scams...

Maybe I'll just title this - Do Your Homework!

If you're looking for a place to stay at Big White... do your homework. Go on, I'll say it again - Do your homework.

There are scammers out there looking for easy marks, don't be an easy mark; a couple years ago my wife got a call. 'The renters of Timbers 206 couldn't find the owner/landlord and could she help?'

"Uh oh..." She thought. You see, I was the developer of The Timbers and my wife knew the building well... specifically, there was no, and there never was a 'unit 206'. Imagine travelling from Australia for the season of a lifetime and... nope, not fun.

Last year I was contacted by, 'a tenant' she was suspicious of a rental company... could I offer any advice. Great place, great location, great pictures... found on a (almost) professional looking (if you didn't look too closely) website, everything you'd expect, pictures, address, contact number... and a great price. Now rents are not cheap at Big White. But you know, ownership is really expensive too and a Landlord/Owner has gotta pay their bills. 

Anyway, my point is, if a deal looks too good to be true then it probably is.

The place I was contacted about? They were asking $1500 per month... it was probably worth $5k - $8k per. So, yeah, too good to be true.

So, do your homework, and, conveniently, here are some tips for when you are looking for a rental property.

Rental rate... Too Good to be true...?

What is the asking, and how does it compare to other places? If it seems really low then...

Friends and friends of friends.

Almost all my rentals these days come from friends of existing, or previous tenants. You can have a lot more confidence in a place at which your buddy already lived.

Get References.

Your landlord has probably has a rental history. I don't as previous tenants for references but I always offer contact details of my previous tenants. If this is a problem then I'd be a little concerned.

Speak to your (potential) employer.

The biggest problem for seasonal staff at Big White is accommodation. And your employer is acutely aware of this - they will know most of the landlords. Ask them - "Do you know Chris Sherriff?"

Look on Facebook.

I hate to say this but I know Facebook is kinda old school these days... but you know what, your landlord is probably old school too. You'll find years of history for me at Big White - why not do a search for your landlord to be... and if they're not there, do more homework.

Ask for a physical inspection.

Yeah, it's a pain for the landlord... but if you're the perfect tenant...? Most landlords live on the mountain so this is their job anyway. If they don't want to show you, or your friends be cautious.

Video Walkthrough.

I offer video walkthroughs for my 'tenants to be'. It is really hard for a scammer to fake a real time walkthrough.

Pressure.

Are they putting pressure on you to pay immediately? I usually give my tenants a decent period to pay their initial payments. It allows them to do their own background research on me... and since I'm real, it doesn't matter.

Payment.

How do they want paying?

• Cash? Cash is great if you're meeting at the place and get a chance to look at the unit. Not great if it's not at the property. Just be smart.
• Bank transfer? You can be a little more confident if it is to a company - Ltd, LLC, LLP, Inc etc, because these are expensive and hard to set up. We are Solido Properties Ltd. We are registered in British Columbia and you can find us if you do a company search. Here.
• Western Union - I believe it's the medium of choice for scammers. I would stay away, there are so many other options, why risk it?
• E-transfer... once my tenants are resident, this is my preferred option. If it was me looking to rent I would be cautious if there are other red flags as the money can go anywhere... in Canada anyway.
• Credit and Debit? I've used these in the past, I prefer physical transactions... I used to carry a machine around with me, on rent days anyway :)

They contact you...

I was guilty of this last year -hello Lachy and Meg :) this is a pretty big red flag - if it happens, take all the other precautions.

I'm sure there are other things, (do they have a ten year old blog...?) you know even if your landlord to be has a terrible FB reputation... at least they're real... maybe I'll do a blog topic on crappy landlords... yes we... wait, I mean 'they' exist. Trust your gut, it's been right lots of times.

So, I guess that's if for today, next is my business pitch, so you can ignore the rest if you want.

The Pitch.

Actually, I'm struggling with the pitch, I cannot word it well... so I'm just gonna stop here and just leave the crappy one below. 

Solido Group has been around since 2000. We have been involved in real estate sales, marketing, management, renovations, development... developing, amongst others...

• 
  The Edge... don't talk to me about the roof(s).
• The Raven.
• Timbers...

Roughly, building and selling, over 100 properties. 

If you are a property owner and want to find out more about what we offer, including a guaranteed income business model. Contact us via Solido Properties Facebook Page.

Big White is AWESOME!!! It has been a while... wait... have I used that title before?

 I have? Well... in that case I er... don't care. True story.

Yeah, it has been a while. Covid, 2020, property sales, teaching in Japan... trying to buy property in Japan... nope it didn't work out. What? No, no, it wasn't anything bad.

Okay, I'll tell you the short version. After looking at a bunch of places we put an offer in on a place in Myoko Kogan. Every been? Shorter seasons than North America but far more of that, you know, Japan Powder - 14m annually... they say. Anyway we'd considered a couple of places but nothing seemed quite right - too expensive, too run down, wrong location... then just before we left Japan a realtor messaged to say he'd found a place. We were in Hokkaido, so a quick change of flight - yeah, it was really easy and inexpensive... no, obviously not Canada.

A Japanese Heron... you can tell by the Samurai outfit.

This place was AWESOME, yeah, Big White AWESOME. True Story. They were asking 40m Yen... I offered 48m Yen, that's enough, right? I paid the deposit, flew back to Canada and er... twiddled my thumbs for three weeks. Dave (my Japan side consultant) thought we had it in the bag... the Bag, easy... Nope. Apparently a Japanese buyer thought it was worth even more.

If you're considering a Japanese, resort, property purchase... they are insanely cheap. That place? Slept 50, had a commercial kitchen, had two Onsens (I love onsen), located in the resort... and $340k Cad. Actually, the Canadian dollar has strengthened 18% since I was teaching in Hokkaido during the 2022/2023 season. Then $400k, now $340k. Crazy!

I had plans, partners, investors, clients... I was gonna start a ski school, and you know make billions... or at least financially survive... oh, and ski.

Anyhoo... I'm still looking. And if you're considering Japan and want a recommendation? Speak to Dave in Myoko. Or if you know an awesome place for sale... send me a message.

What else?

You know, I was gonna talk about rental scams but I think it deserves its' own post... so, next time I will address that big Elephant, yep, capital E.

Finally

Solido Properties have owned, managed, developed, renovated, bought, sold... and been passionate about Big White since 2000... man I feel old.

Business Pitch.

If you're looking for a rental solution to your real estate management quandary... and when I say quandary I mean, how do you optimize rental income, usage, maintenance needs, renovations and occupancy rates... then contact Solido Properties through the normal avenues... wait... what... you want a link? Oh, well, that makes sense - here and if you want some more pics of Japan... keep scrolling.

And and and... if you looking at this, after I've updated the website from the 'park-page' to an actual site... you can visit it here. If not, then you can still visit it there. True Story.

And... if you actually read to here, I have a joke as a thank you - "There are two things I hate... Racism, and Foreigners. It's a joke.

But if you feel the need to complain, you can contact the complaints dept. at goaway@Idontcare.com

Do you like my slippers?