103
AUTUMN
/
EARLY WINTER
2015
|
TheFall season
forme is likeChristmas Eve is for kids, I think.
Kids have trouble sleeping in anticipation of the awesomeness of the
nextday. The thoughtof family,and foodandPRESENTS! Forme, Fall
is the like the night before ski season. As the days get shorter and the
leaves turn and the frost starts to settle in, I think about SNOW; and it
makesme smile.
Now, I know that this opinion does not ingratiateme to every other
Canadian. Iwouldevengoso faras tosay that thepluralityofmycoun-
trymen findmyenthusiasm for cold, and snow…well…nuts. But I have
somethingmost of themdonot. A sport that I love that getsmeoutside
and enjoyingagreat Canadianwinter. Not only that, it is a family af-
fair.
Summer is the season thatmostCanadians thinkaboutwhen they think
of time spent with the family and great times outdoors—memories of
camp, family cottages or vacations. I
recently attended a wedding by the
sea inMaine. Thebrideandher family
spent every summer for 5generations
on those shores, andmany, many of
the guests were family friends from
those fondly remembereddays. Itwas
really lovely to see their interactions.
Hearing the songs theyused to sing to-
gether, and hearing the stories about
clam-diggingand lazy summer days.
Thesearestories thatyou rarely, ifever
hear fromCanadianswhenbeingnos-
talgicaboutwinter.
Unlessyouarea skier.
Igrewupski racingon theEscarpment.
Igrewupgetting in thecaronaFriday
afternoonanddrivingNorth.Mywin-
terweekendsweremorehighlyscheduled thanour schoolweeks. Ihad
agroupofwinter friendswho,even though Ihardlyever saw themwhen
therewas not snowon the ground, were an important part of my life.
Myparentswere friendswith their parents, andweate lunch together
almosteverySaturdayandSunday.Someofourbest,andoldest family
friendsareoneswegrewupwithon the ski hill.
Now, Iwasnevera top-echelonski racer. Likeeverykid in theprograms,
I aspired to the podium. I dreamt of Olympic glory and of the Hah-
nenkamm.While I nevermade it toKitzbuhel, I didget something from
my time that isnowasvaluable tome. I considermyselfpart ofawinter
community. In the sameway that generations of cottage-goerswatch
their kids splasharound the lakewith the kidsof the kids that theyused
to splasharound the lakewith,my kids arenow racingwith the kids of
thekids I used to racewith.
Whenyouhearyourkidaskyou if theycanhavea fewextra runsat the
endof theday, orgooutside tobuilda snowmanwhileyouarehaving
abeerat thebar, orask if theycanhavea sleepoverwitha teammate
that night, you realize that youhavebecomeapart of a seasonal com-
munityeverybitaspowerfulandmeaningfulas thecamp,andcottage-
going set.
That in turn fuels a significant segment of
our local real estatemarket. Peoplewho
buy ski places and rent chalets when the
snow flies fuel the same typeof market as
cottagers.Asour littleskiareamatures,you
evensee thesame trends.Familyski chalets
bustingat the seams as 3generations get
togetherweekly toenjoy their sharedpas-
sion forwinter sport. A familymemberget-
ting their ownplaceaway from the family
chalet so theycanhavea littlemorespace,
but stillcomeover foravisit. Parentsbuying
achaletnot for theneedsof their teenagers
today, but in the hopeandanticipationof
when theirkidsstart tobringgirlfriendsand
boyfriendsup forawinterweekend,when
spouses start to come into thepictureand,
offon thehorizon, room for thenextgener-
ationof ski racers.
The seasonsmay bedifferent, but theparallels between the nostalgia
for cottageand ski hill are remarkable. Thecommon themesof loveof
the outdoors, lifestyle, family and friends are powerful ties that bind
throughgenerationsof like-mindedpeople.
Youdon’t hear toomanyof uscomplainingabout theapproachofwin-
ter. I, forone, can’twait.
Oh,andby theway…when thesnowmelts,youcanuse that sameprop-
erty toenjoy thenext season’sactivities. Howgreat is that?
Now,while realestateactivity typicallyslowssomewhatduring Julyand
Augustdue to familyvacationplansandother summeractivities, thede-
mand for our area’s real estate remained very strong, throughout the
summermonths.
DesmondvonTeichman
Broker of Record, Owner, Royal LePage
LocationsNorthRealty, Brokerage
MARKET
watch
The seasonsmay be different, but
the parallels between the
nostalgia for cottage and ski hill
are remarkable. The common
themes of love of the outdoors,
lifestyle, family and friends are
powerful ties that bind through
generations of like-minded people.
By
ESCARPMENT
®
real estate
