Ahhhh, the Rocky Mountains, drink them in… For many of our ancestors, these beautiful peaks marked an arrival to "The West," to opportunity, to a better life. Today they still serve as a beacon of the pinnacle in lifestyle and live/work balance with Colorado owning two of the top three best places to live. They are the glorious backdrop of our amazing tech hub cities Denver and Boulder. Some would even dare to say that Denver/Boulder is at risk of being a midwest "flyover" without them. As much as Colorado changes with rapid population growth, our foundation, our DNA, lies with the Rockies. The watercooler conversations of the Front Range area are always dominated with people sharing stories of past or future powder days, first tracks, and of course, shredding the gnar. There are few things that inspire more jealousy or FOMO in a Front Range office than boastings of bottomless weekday pow sessions and complaints of sore quads… You keep having to navigate terrible weekend traffic, while they shredded during the week and got their work down.
So the question is how can I maximize both my skiing in Colorado experience as well as staying on top of work responsibilities?
Fear not, we have the answers… Well, at least four answers that we came up with to help keep your work-life happy while you get to hit those sweet sweet slopes. Luckily you are a tech employee and love communication tools like Slack, Zoom, Hangouts, so as long as you have some great WiFi, that’s half the battle.
Here are some skiing hacks we wanted to share so you can get to the amazing Colorado slopes and stay on top of work
1)Identify clients, colleagues, and partners who ski -- Multitask on the mountain, WE DO and it works!
- Winter and spring skiing is our summer golf, and nothing builds lasting trust and strong relationships like enjoying the mountains and chairlift conversations of business or leisure. We have 3 epic mountains within approximately one hour’s drive from Denver:
- You can shred and be back by lunch. Buy early season 4-packs or corporate passes and share the stoke! Offer passes to their employees or families if you can’t use them. Our mountain of choice is Loveland Pass, especially for working here's why:
- All-mountain cell coverage
- Soulful slopes
- No crowds
- And great skiing -- come ski with us!
2) Build relationships with the entrepreneurs and founders of our budding mountain coworking spaces so you’re set for a 2nd office anytime you ride.
These coworking spaces all offer day pass options (key for drop-ins, keep in mind hours are usually 8AM-5PM for day use), provide fast internet, conference rooms, and phone booths. Having a second working haven means you can crush some business after slaying the pow, shredding the gnar, and/or cutting some corduroy.
There's nothing harder than trying to get work done and your friends are already deep in the Après mode... Probably giving you a look like this from across the room:
We tried to get a decent spread of coworking spaces that work for both Ikon pass holders and Epic pass holders by mountain:
Vail / Avon - BaseCamp Avon Coworking
Noteworthy Mentions:
- On top of the normal monthly private/shared desk options, they have a $25/day pass.
- They also have a "drop-in" membership that gives you 8AM-5PM access for $125/month or weekly for $49. It's nice to have options depending on your frequency/duration to the Vail/Beaver Creek area.
- Gig WiFi (video calls for days)!
- Free parking
- Free coffee
Winter Park - Blue Arrow Coworking
Noteworthy Mentions:
- The first day-pass is FREE, go here!
- They have other unique 24/7 access membership options to their lounge "hot-desk" area including Part-Time which includes 12 days per month and some conference room time baked in.
- Gig WiFi (video calls for days)!
- Free coffee and tea
Breckenridge / Keystone / Copper / Vail -- Frisco, CO -- Elevate
Noteworthy Mentions:
- $29/day pass for high-speed WiFi, coffee/tea, and printer/copier access that can be bought online. You can add conference room access to the day pass online as well!
- They are also open to having the space rented out for events... Did someone say, "Mountain offsite?!" ...Yes. We did. Do it!
Steamboat Springs - The Ski Locker - Steamboat
Noteworthy Mentions:
- Best name out of the bunch, by far!
- Downtown Steamboat prime location.
- Day pass, week pass, and conference room rental options for short-term users.
- Boast two soundproof phone booths for those who need to take lots of calls.
- Fiber WiFi (video calls for days)!
- Free coffee, La Croix, and tea.
Snowmass - Engage Coworking
Noteworthy Mentions:
- Day pass and Punch Pass (10 days for $175) options make going here really easy.
- Snacks, shower, printer/copier, and sit-stand desks make sure you're going to be comfy, clean, fed, and productive.
- High-speed WiFi (video calls for days)!
- Free coffee and tea
Downtown Aspen - ALT Aspen
Noteworthy Mentions:
- Location, location! Seconds to the Silver Queen Gondola and in house ski lockers that fit two sets of skis... Can't beat it!
- Luxury all the way, amazing interior decoration, but the price is not even disclosed... Expect a premium.
Crested Butte - Cement Creek Commons
Noteworthy Mentions:
- The most reasonably priced (damn near free!) of the bunch at $9/day, $24/week, or $59 a month for 24/7 access with conference room access... You can get a dedicated desk for just $99/month here. You know what, we might be moving to Crested Butte... Sadly, we are just kidding, but no one will deny that their pricing is a DEAL!
- Very cool, laidback, and unique cabin/lodge/bar vibe.
- Also available for event rentals.
- We love this spot!
3) Eldora's Ski/Board AND Work on Fridays
Go to Eldora, meet some new people, and then take turns watching each other's computers and hitting the slopes. Definitely on the less formal side (just like Eldora) than a coworking space, but definitely a uniquely Colorado experience and an opportunity to build that ski/board/work-buddy network.
You can get all the information for this HERE.
4) Look for OR push for the “Powder Day” employee benefit…
Yes, it's a thing! IF/when there is a powder day coming up, you can skip work. Fantastic, right? Some companies including these 9 companies in Utah and a bunch based in CO allow and/or require (yes please) their employees to play hooky if it’s a powder day. Usually, there is a limit of the total number of days, but it’s cool to know you can ask and it’s not unprecedented.
HomeAdvisor, in Golden, CO, encourages sales reps who meet their weekly quota by Thursday, to get to the mountains on Friday during ski season. We will take a moment to toot our horn here, we have lots of clients who are open to this idea... Maybe we can help you find the dream job have been looking for?
Crushing work and hitting the slopes do not have to be mutually exclusive. Seize the day!
Here at BWBacon Group, we know and live what you are experiencing as an employer or job seeker in Denver, Boulder, Dallas, San Francisco, New York City or any of the other cities we work in. We believe great recruiting starts and ends with understanding people.
If you have any questions about living, working or playing any of the areas we serve, please contact us. We are happy to help. Seize the day, every day, that’s what we say!