ChockaLife

Looking to move to a small mountain resort off the beaten path that attracts a pinch of celebrity, yet still maintains its rugged charm? Telluride just might be for you. Backed up against a box canyon, the historic mining town of Telluride was established by gold miners seeking their fortune. The jagged peaks of the rugged San Juan Mountains still bear the scars of old mine sites and ghost towns haunt the area with echoes of the past. And while you may see celebrities here, they aren’t the main attraction.  Locals pride themselves on keeping it real, and the hometown artists are just as famous in town as any name brand film star. Why come here? Epic chutes. No lift lines.  No freeways - the nearest stoplight is 45 miles away. Dictated by nature, Telluride will never become a big city with large bedroom communities of workers commuting along a busy highway. It can’t.  It’s at the end of the road. And I mean that in a great way.

World-class ski mountaineer, Hilaree Nelson, has chased adventure on the world’s biggest mountains. Originally from Washington, she carved her first turns at 3.  Seeking bigger challenges after Colorado College, she moved to Chamonix, France and discovered the world of big mountain skiing and climbing. A passion for big descents led her to ski volcanoes in Russia and mountains in Mongolia, Pakistan, Lebanon, Cho Oyu in Tibet and Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. Outside Magazine named Hilaree one of the most adventurous women in the world of sports:  A well-earned title. By becoming the first woman, and only the fourth human ever to climb Everest and Lhotse in a continuous push, Hilaree entered the record books for high-altitude innovation and prowess.

Hilaree continues to travel the globe as an adventurer for The North Face, always ready for new challenges. But her true compass always points home to Telluride where she lives with her husband and two boys. Hilaree tells me what it’s like to live and ski this mountain town.

Looking to move to a small mountain resort off the beaten path that attracts a pinch of celebrity, yet still maintains its rugged charm? Telluride just might be for you. Backed up against a box canyon, the historic mining town of Telluride was established by gold miners seeking their fortune. The jagged peaks of the rugged San Juan Mountains still bear the scars of old mine sites and ghost towns haunt the area with echoes of the past. And while you may see celebrities here, they aren’t the main attraction.  Locals pride themselves on keeping it real, and the hometown artists are just as famous in town as any name brand film star. Why come here? Epic chutes. No lift lines.  No freeways - the nearest stoplight is 45 miles away. Dictated by nature, Telluride will never become a big city with large bedroom communities of workers commuting along a busy highway. It can’t.  It’s at the end of the road. And I mean that in a great way.

World-class ski mountaineer, Hilaree O’Neill, has chased adventure on the world’s biggest mountains. Originally from Washington, she carved her first turns at 3.  Seeking bigger challenges after Colorado College, she moved to Chamonix, France and discovered the world of big mountain skiing and climbing. A passion for big descents led her to ski volcanoes in Russia and mountains in Mongolia, Pakistan, Lebanon, Cho Oyu in Tibet and Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. Outside Magazine named Hilaree one of the most adventurous women in the world of sports:  A well-earned title. By becoming the first woman, and only the fourth human ever to climb Everest and Lhotse in a continuous push, Hilaree entered the record books for high-altitude innovation and prowess.

Hilaree continues to travel the globe as an adventurer for The North Face, always ready for new challenges. But her true compass always points home to Telluride where she lives with her husband and two boys. Hilaree tells me what it’s like to live and ski this mountain town.

If you're looking for a resort lifestyle that includes the rich and famous along with a mountain big enough to satisfy even when the lift lines are long, Vail might be the place for you.  Though small, Vail Village resort offers bars, boutiques and restaurants high end enough to compete with the biggest wallets.  While the glamor factor is high, it’s still laid back enough and less pretentious than Colorado’s other glitzy resort, Aspen. Vail Mountain also might just have the best terrain in the state. Wide open and immense, the back bowls are legend, especially on a powder day.  Vail Valley stretches along the I-70 corridor offering an easy escape to parts beyond to explore.  A popular spot to see and be seen – Vail can sometimes be awash in tourists.  However, the long valley gives you options to get away from it all. Working for Vail resorts also gives you entre to a variety of resorts;  Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado, Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada, Canyons in Park City, Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan.  

Tracey Flower happened upon Vail via serendipity in 2005 and has made it her home since.  Through hard work and determination, she has created all the elements required to craft a lifestyle affording a rewarding work life balance in the mountains.  Tracey and I talk about what makes Vail her ideal home.

If you're looking for a resort lifestyle that includes the rich and famous along with a mountain big enough to satisfy even when the lift lines are long, Vail might be the place for you.  Though small, Vail Village resort offers bars, boutiques and restaurants high end enough to compete with the biggest wallets.  While the glamor factor is high, it’s still laid back enough and less pretentious than Colorado’s other glitzy resort, Aspen. Vail Mountain also might just have the best terrain in the state. Wide open and immense, the back bowls are legend, especially on a powder day.  Vail Valley stretches along the I-70 corridor offering an easy escape to parts beyond to explore.  A popular spot to see and be seen – Vail can sometimes be awash in tourists.  However, the long valley gives you options to get away from it all. Working for Vail resorts also gives you entre to a variety of resorts;  Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado, Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada, Canyons in Park City, Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan.  

Tracey Flower happened upon Vail via serendipity in 2005 and has made it her home since.  Through hard work and determination, she has created all the elements required to craft a lifestyle affording a rewarding work life balance in the mountains.  Tracey and I talk about what makes Vail her ideal home.

You often hear that everyone's got a script in development in Hollywood, but how do you actually get from script to screen for real?  Joelle tells us what it's like to be a writer in Hollywood and how she got from dream to reality.

You often hear that everyone's got a script in development in Hollywood, but how do you actually get from script to screen for real?  Joelle tells us what it's like to be a writer in Hollywood and how she got from dream to reality.

Thinking of living in a mountain ski resort? Each has their own distinct personality and way of life. Which one is right for you? Crested Butte began as a coal mining town, not a manufactured ski mountain: a real community where crowds are few and the locals are the heart and soul of the town. Located smack dab in the middle of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, big city distractions are well away. A true mountain adventurer will find all they need. No busy interstates bring hordes of day trippers. Crested Butte locals work and live in town full time, making for true community events.

Crested Butte has everything a ski town offers. A full roster of summer and winter activities and a mountain that will test your skills and satisfy your need for adventure.  While the mountain is known for some of Colorado's best in-bounds extreme terrain, there is something for everyone. This town also has the oldest mountain biking group in the world and the tracks to prove it.

A bona fide local, Wendy reveals the things that make Crested Butte special and why you just might want to live there too. Wendy strapped on her first sticks at 2. She honed her skills at Burke Mountain Ski Academy in Vermont, trading western powder for ice. As part of the ’92 Winter Olympic team, she qualified for the DH/SL combined and GS, and continued to ski with the national team through the mid-1990s.

Next, Wendy conquered the big-leagues of extreme skiing, winning two World Extreme Skiing Championships and the 1998 pro tour title and competing in the first X-Games women’s skiercross. You’ve probably seen Wendy, holding her own with the guys, skiing big air and big mountains in the films of Matchstick Productions, Warren Miller and Powder Magazine.  Recently, she proved she's still got it (did anyone really think she didn't?), filming Switchback Productions, Super Mom for Salomonfreeskitv.com

Wendy is the mother of two boys, but her devotion to snow sports and community continues. She is currently the Crested Butte Mountain Resort's Ambassador and teaches private ski lessons and finds the time to be the Executive Director of the Crested Butte Snowsports Foundation. I got the chance to speak with Wendy Fisher, long-time local, Olympian, extreme skier and proud mom, about what it’s like to live and ski this mountain town.

Follow Wendy on Twitter and her Website

 I've always been interested in and fascinated by those who choose to work in parts of the world where either disaster, war, famine or poor governance has created a dire medical situation.  These heroes are a special breed of humanitarian. Most of what they do is never celebrated or publicized to match the degree of their sacrifice and hardships in war zones and disaster areas.  While we always think of the doctors and nurses first in these organizations, there is an entire administrative team behind the lines working to get the medical staff what they need in order to do their work.  Lainie's path to working for a medical humanitarian organization began after her first volunteer job in Cambodia with an Australian Government program similar to the Peace Corps.  In the past five years, she's found her calling in this organization working as an administrator in the field with medical teams - making a difference doing useful work serving people in great need. Her original area of study was communications followed by work as an administrator in small businesses, while volunteering her spare time for community organizations. Since her initial assignment in Cambodia - she has worked in Kenya, South Sudan, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar, and is presently in a position in Geneva headquarters. I spoke with her about how she got involved with this organization, what it's like to be out in the field and what it takes to endure the challenges as well as the unique rewards of helping those in need. 

 I've always been interested in and fascinated by those who choose to work in parts of the world where either disaster, war, famine or poor governance has created a dire medical situation.  These heroes are a special breed of humanitarian. Most of what they do is never celebrated or publicized to match the degree of their sacrifice and hardships in war zones and disaster areas.  While we always think of the doctors and nurses first in these organizations, there is an entire administrative team behind the lines working to get the medical staff what they need in order to do their work.  Lainie's path to working for a medical humanitarian organization began after her first volunteer job in Cambodia with an Australian Government program similar to the Peace Corps.  In the past five years, she's found her calling in this organization working as an administrator in the field with medical teams - making a difference doing useful work serving people in great need. Her original area of study was communications followed by work as an administrator in small businesses, while volunteering her spare time for community organizations. Since her initial assignment in Cambodia - she has worked in Kenya, South Sudan, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar, and is presently in a position in Geneva headquarters. I spoke with her about how she got involved with this organization, what it's like to be out in the field and what it takes to endure the challenges as well as the unique rewards of helping those in need. 

Many of us are passionate about a cause that tugs at our heart but we often feel limited in our ability to become involved either by lack of time, money or the idea that we're not qualified. Rarely, are any of these things true. Volunteering for a nonprofit of your choice is always an option - but starting one - now that takes moxie.

Kimba likes to refer to herself as an “accidental abolitionist.”  An Emmy-award winning producer and 20-year veteran of the television and video production industry, Kimba has always had a passion for storytelling.  Just two short years ago, though, the story of modern day slavery and sex trafficking wasn’t even on her radar.  When her friend David approached her as a partner for a new organization he wanted to form to empower survivors of sex trafficking, she was intrigued.  Little did she know how the issue would grab her heart and never let go.

Free The Girls is a nonprofit organization that works to provide jobs to women rescued from sex trafficking in developing countries by helping them set up micro enterprises selling bras. Through the collection of bras in Western countries, they strive to educate people and organizations about the scourge of human trafficking worldwide.

Kimba heads the Free The Girls U.S. office and is responsible for day-to- day domestic operations of the organization, which includes speaking to women’s groups on the subject of human trafficking, igniting fires in new abolitionists, raising funds for the cause, and packing and shipping thousands of bras.  Kimba hopes she serves as an example that global change requires people from all types of backgrounds to step up and offer what they can where they are.