Posted by Topher Donahue on Tue, May 11, 2010 @ 04:22 PM
I just picked up one of those books that could change the world. Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv, is a best seller of such magnitude that its implications will send ripples through families, universities, and - hopefully - our entire culture.
In it, Louv coins the term “nature deficit disorder”, and gives the reader a shocking view into the wide range of issues today’s children face and how many of the issues can be blamed –at least in part - on how little direct contact with nature they have compared to earlier generations. The book opens the floodgates of contemporary studies that are in the process of proving that our electronic, indoor, hyper-compartmentalized lifestyles are liable for issues including ADHD and obesity – and that time in the natural world has therapeutic potential to help with the very same issues.
This morning I watched my twin three-year-olds grow hyper and irritable as a spring snowstorm prevented even a short play in the garden. It seemed obvious that the time outside was crucial to their learning and happiness as I reread a few of Louv’s best lines:
“Increasingly, nature is something to watch, to consume, to wear – to ignore.”
“As far as physical fitness goes, today’s kids are the sorriest generation in the history of the United States.”
“They (researchers) say the quality of exposure to nature affects our health at an almost cellular level.”
“Pediatricians now warn that today’s children may be the first generation of Americans since World War II to die at an earlier age than their parents.”
“The CDC found that the amount of TV that children watch directly correlates with measures of their body fat.”
“A study of Finnish teenagers showed that they often went into natural settings after upsetting events; there, they could clear their minds and gain perspective and relax.”
“There is a real world, beyond the glass, for children who look, for those whose parents encourage them to truly see.”
“Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle maintains that each hour of TV watched per day by preschoolers increases by 10 percent the likelihood that they will develop concentration problems and other symptoms of attention-deficit disorders by age seven.”
“I was intrigued by the way children defined play: often, their definition did not include soccer or piano lessons. Those activities were more like work.”
“Typical Americans spend 101 minutes in their car daily, five times the amount they spend exercising.”
“Time in nature is not leisure time, it’s an essential investment in our children’s health (and also, by the way, in our own).”
“Two-thirds of American children can’t pass a basic physical: 40 percent of boys and 70 percent of girls ages six to seventeen can’t manage more than one pull-up; and 40 percent show early signs of heart and circulation problems.”
Louv reveals that even our playgrounds, parks, and arenas are not providing the experience in the natural world that has nurtured children’s development since the beginning of time. And the Internet, while a gateway to the world in so many ways, is entirely devoid of the very same sensory experiences that nature supplies in abundance: the smell of a pine tree; the deep vibration of a wave crashing into a rocky shore; the tickle of a cool breeze blowing off a snowfield.
For adventure travelers, skiers, mountaineers, hikers, farmers, gardeners, sailors, surfers, people like us in the business of providing exceptional experiences in the natural world, or anyone who finds time in nature is essential to their health, "Last Child in the Woods" puts to words something we have been feeling for a long time.
Photo by Topher Donahue
Posted by Topher Donahue on Fri, Apr 23, 2010 @ 09:01 AM
When you show up at the airport these days, just getting on the plane is an adventure. It reminds me of travel in parts of the third world where you need a pocket full of bribe money, extra time to get anywhere, the mental fortitude to patiently handle whatever you encounter - and a sense of humor.
Remember when air travel was fun?
First they ding you for your checked luggage. Ok, if we all travel lighter, the airplanes use less fuel. It also gives the marketing department at airlines like Southwest endless advantage over the other carriers: they just advertise NOT doing what the other airlines are doing. Now Southwest advertises, “Your 1st and 2nd checked bags are free only with Southwest Airlines!”
More recently, Spirit Airlines unveiled a plan to charge for carry-on bags. Anything that goes in the overhead bin will cost passengers $45, almost double the cost of a checked bag. Some items will be exempt from the rule including “umbrellas, coats, cameras, car seats, strollers, medicine, reading material and food for immediate consumption. “ I can just see the new travel luggage that looks like a Burger King go-bag but is actually a high-quality roller bag, hair driers that look like Nikon cameras, and jackets with pocket capacity for a 2-day trip.
Now Ryanair, a low-cost European carrier is taking the next step: charging passengers to use the toilet! And they are trying to convince aviation authorities to allow them to redesign the cabin with only one toilet to make room for more seats. If passed, the new ratio will be 189 seats for one toilet! In an article in Business Week, the Ryanair CEO, Michael O’Leary rationalizes: "The purpose of charging for the toilets is to change peoples' behaviour," he said. The company sees profit in the theory that by giving people incentive to use airport toilets before they depart, it would be able to remove two out of the three toilets on each plane, making space for six additional seats. Seats they can sell.
Who are they kidding? Changing people's bodily functions? Everyone I know already tries to avoid using the cramped cabin toilets by using the airport toilets just before boarding. I don't know of anybody who waits to get ON the plane to use the toilet. I can just see Southwest Airline’s next slogan: “Use the toilet for free!”
Do you think this family is waiting until they board to use the toilet?
The nice thing for us at CMH is that these trends in the air travel industry make our all-inclusive approach and helicopter travel seem that much more refreshing. Just show up for a CMH Heli-Ski trip and we’ll take care of the rest. Sure, we charge additional for massages and alcohol, but everything else is part of our award-winning
adventure travel package. We’re not about to start charging for the spa, nor do we charge rental fees for our fleet of powder skis and guest packs - and we certainly don't charge you for using the toilet.
Photos by Topher Donahue
Posted by Topher Donahue on Mon, Apr 19, 2010 @ 11:24 AM
There are few things more intimidating for a parent than teaching a kid to ski. We looked at websites devoted to family skiing and saw warnings like:
“Starting your child at age 2 or 3 should strictly be for a photo opportunity.”
“Your kid must be potty trained to enroll in ski school.”
My wife and I were so nervous about the prospect of putting our twin son and daughter on skis that we decided to wait a few years and let them learn whenever they wanted to go skiing. Then somebody gave us a couple of tiny pairs of used cross-country skis with strap-on bindings that work with any snow boots. So, while the twins were still 1 year old, with a few inches of new snow in our yard, I put on my cross-country skis. Immediately they wanted their own skis. I pulled out the plastic skis and they squealed with excitement. We put the skis on in the warmth of the house and skied right out the door.
For the next 45 minutes they tromped around the yard looking proudly at their tracks. A few days later we went on a “ski hike” in an area of flat woods where we went on toddler hikes the summer before. We skied a hundred meters, had lunch, and walked back to the car. Over the next few months we ended up skiing a lot. When they were 2 years old, we put them in downhill gear and started riding lifts with them. Now, at 3 years old, they are making parallel turns on their own, have season passes for next year, and are in love with skiing.
Here are the big things we learned as parents that made introducing our kids to skiing a fantastic experience for all of us:
Start on cross-country skis:
- Teaches them to stand on the ski without leaning into the back seat.
- Lighter gear makes just moving much easier for their tiny muscles.
- Teaches them to avoid crossing their ski tips.
- Introduces them to the ski without the feeling of awkward, hard plastic boots.
Then upon transitioning to downhill skis:
- Take it easy: We live 10 minutes from a ski area, but even if you travel, give yourself a few days to avoid the pressure of feeling pressure to ski any particular amount of time. Some days we drove to the ski area, walked to the lift, and then turned around and went home.
- We avoided holding the kids between our legs skiing except for getting down steeper sections in the beginning. Instead, we let them hang on to the handle end of a ski pole while we held the other end. Soon, we were barely holding the end of the pole, and using it to steer.
- Snacks: Take food on the hill and stop at a safe place for a tiny picnic after a couple of runs. Without snacks we'd make it 4 runs. With food we could do 8 runs and go home wanting more.
- Fun: If it is not fun, go home and come back another day.
The best line I ever heard about kids learning to ski was from CMH Galena ski guide Bernie Wiatzka. One day at the ski hill, a passing skier asked Bernie, "How old is your kid?"
"Two." Bernie replied.
"He's skiing really well."
"Yeah. He's doing a lot better than last year."
Kids n' Skis is the best website I found for information on kids and skiing. Once you're well along the learning curve, take them heli-skiing for the family experience of a lifetime. CMH offers family heli-ski trips that are designed for maximum family fun with kids 12 years old and older.
Do you have any tips for skiing with kids you could share with us?
Posted by Jane Carswell on Mon, Dec 14, 2009 @ 01:10 PM
Well, Christmas is almost upon us. All us
CMH’ers are so wrapped up in the great snow and ski conditions out in the Columbias I almost forgot that there’s a big holiday coming up. But I was chatting with our gregarious
Bugaboo Area Manager, Dave Cochrane and asked him about his holiday traditions.
JC: Dave, Where’s your favourite place to spend Christmas?
DC: Over the past thirty years I have spent at least twenty Christmases either at the
Cariboo Lodge or the Bugaboos. I have been fortunate on these weeks to have enjoyed great friendship and shared phenomenal skiing with friends, staff and guests. It often starts to snow like crazy during this part of December, almost like the snow gods are thinking about us.
JC: What makes Christmas at the lodge so special?
DC: The cool thing about Christmas at the Bugaboos is that it is our opening week. Everyone is jazzed to renew friendships, be back on their skis and boards, to be out in the mountains feeling the cold fresh air, taking in the views and flying in the heli. It’s all about renewal in our life, a seasonal one that is inspiring emotionally, physically, and mentally.
JC: Is it really Christmas at the lodge, or just like another great week of HeliSkiing at the Bugs?
DC: No, man, it’s full-on Christmas. Christmas trees and decorations, Christmas eve dinner, champagne, SANTA, Christmas day dinner, hockey on the pond, bonfires and yeah, even a surprise gift or two or three…There’s special activities for the children and teenagers… Sharing all this with our “extended family” at the lodge is very special.
JC: Sounds like fun!
DC: It totally is. You should come! Bring the kids – they won’t be the only ones there. Skiing kids get a special rate with a lower vertical than the adults. When they tire out they can come back to the lodge for supervised activities. Consider joining us. I guarantee you will enjoy beyond measure the spirit of our “family” and make some great friends, maybe even ski a bit!
JC: Kay, my kids are a bit young, but I’ll see you there in 10 years!
DC: Deal!
Have you finalized your holiday ski plans? We’ve still got a few spaces over
Christmas and New Years…or Spring Break for that matter! Or if you can't make it this year, imagine the "I Love You"'s that you'd see on Christmas morning if your family unwrapped a 2010 Christmas at CMH gift this year?! Call us at 1.800.661.0252 and we'll set you up for lots of love this Christmas!
Posted by Topher Donahue on Wed, Nov 11, 2009 @ 09:32 AM
On Christmas morning of his freshman year of high school, Nathan Bailey’s grandpa gave Nathan a special gift: a heli-hiking adventure deep in the wilderness of Western Canada. But it came with strings attached: He had to improve his marks in school.
For the second semester, Nathan worked harder, but at the end of the year no report card arrived in his mailbox. Likely excuse? Not according to Nathan. Some books were lost, so the report card was withheld. He was willing to raise the stakes to prove his commitment to the deal.
“I’ll pay you back if my grades don’t show up.” Nathan proposed to his Grandpa, Fred Noble, a 35-year veteran of heli-skiing with CMH.
“Ok” Grandpa Noble said. “If your grades don’t show up, then you have to pay off every penny of the cost of the trip - working for me.” That summer Nathan went heli-hiking in the Adamants.
I spoke with Nathan eight years later.
TD: How did you raise your grades?
NB: I just gave it more effort.
TD: So you went to Canada and had a great trip, but why did you keep up the effort in school afterwards?
NB: Going up there made me realize what you can do by working hard. I did things I never thought I would do. I climbed a mountain! After that, I had more motivation and gave everything more effort. I had a 2.2 GPA my freshman year, and I graduated with a 3.6 GPA.
TD: How did the trip change your motivation in the rest of your life?
NB: It changed everything. In the beginning of the trip, I didn’t even want to do it. Before I went, I was afraid of heights. I hadn’t even been on a Ferris Wheel! Then I did all these things I never thought I would do. When I got home I realized all these things I could do by trying hard.
TD: What do you do for fun now?
NB: Sports. I love sports. Basketball, football, baseball, golf.
TD: Did the heli-hiking trip change how you look at sports?
NB: Yes. I went rock climbing! It showed me these different forms of athletics. It pushes you harder than average sports. Makes you try really hard.
TD: Would you go back?
NB: If I could afford it, I’d go up there every year. I went there four times and never saw the same place twice.
TD: Anything else?
NB: “My Grandpa showed me the way. This might sound, well, overused, but that trip changed a lot of things in my life.”
Nathan went heli-hiking with his Grandpa every summer for the next four years, visting the Bobbie Burns, Bugaboos and the Adamants. By 23 years old, his focus on effort - discovered in the mountains of Western Canada - had landed him a management position with Famous Footwear in McMinnville, Oregon.