When skiing is really bad…

So far, my ski days are still under 20 and I’ve skied so little in such awful conditions. So, people could be wondering what positive value I'm getting out of it. 

The snow is hard, irregular and seems to be intent on catching my skis for no good reason, so getting on the snow appears to have no redeeming value, but then again, as some caustic sportsmen say: “If skiing were easy, it would be called snowboarding!” 

So here I am, the guy who thrives on harsh conditions, on challenges of all kinds, on the most terrifying terrain, recycling Nietzsche’s comment that “If the snow conditions don’t kill me, they’ll make me a lot wiser!” 

So, as you see, the proposition is compelling and if I want to become the real man I aspire to be, I should have the courage to go out and measure myself against the uncooperative elements. Does it make sense? Probably not, but at least it seems to be the best fight I can deliver against some unexciting ski conditions...

Six years meditating… (Part Two)

Long-term meditation practice is also associated with a physical reduction in the size of the amygdala region of the brain (the "fight or flight" center). This leads to permanent lowering of baseline anxiety. At the cellular level, long-term meditation appears to slow down the "clocks" inside our cells. Telomeres are the protective caps at the end of our chromosomes. 

Short telomeres are markers of aging and disease. On that subject, a study published in Psychoneuroendocrinology showed that long-term meditators (averaging 5+ years) have significantly higher telomerase activity. This is the enzyme that repairs telomeres, suggesting that daily meditation may actually slow cellular aging and increase longevity.

In addition, our brains have a "Default Mode Network" (DMN) that is active when we are not doing anything specific, like "mind-wandering" and worrying about the past/future. A Yale University study found that in experienced meditators (10+ years), the DMN is permanently transformed. 

They don't just "quiet" their minds during meditation; their brains have a new "default" state where mind-wandering is reduced, leading to higher levels of daily happiness and presence. This said, some of the most extreme results come from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which studied intense meditators (10,000 to 50,000 hours of practice). 

These showed massive increases in Gamma wave activity—the highest frequency brain waves associated with peak concentration, "flow" states, and feelings of universal compassion. Crucially, these high levels of Gamma activity stayed even when they were not meditating, suggesting that after 10 years, the "state" of meditation becomes a permanent "trait" of the person. 

Clearly, the more years and minutes we put into meditation, the more our brain changes for the best. Pretty cool! Do you need more incentive?

Six years meditating… (Part One)

It’s been more than six years that I’ve been meditating daily and from what I have realized, this practice has changed my life and has been the best thing that recently happened to me. That prompted more research on my part to understand what scientific studies had found on the subject. 

What I’ve been able to find is that studies on the effects of meditation over 5 to 10 years move us away from the "feel-good" temporary benefits of the practice and into the domain of permanent structural and biological changes. 

Because it’s jstf to keep a control group from meditating for a decade, most research in this time span is cross-sectional (comparing "expert" meditators with 5–10+ years of experience against "novices"). However, the results are remarkably consistent across various peer-reviewed studies.

Beginning with the physical brain structural neuroplasticity, the most significant finding is that meditation "thickens" the brain in areas responsible for attention and sensory processing, while "shrinking" the areas responsible for stress. 

A landmark study by Dr. Sara Lazar (Harvard/MIT) found that long-term meditators (average 7–9 years of practice) had increased gray matter thickness in the prefrontal cortex—the area responsible for decision-making and executive function. Most importantly, Lazar found that 50-year-old long-term meditators had the same cortical thickness as 25-year-old non-meditators. Meditation appeared to offset the natural thinning of the brain that occurs with age. 

There’s even more to this and I’ll share it with you tomorrow...

Skiing with family or friends

Any time I ski with family and friends, my old ski instructor background and attitudes come to the fore. Here I am literally putting myself on the skis of my guests as long as they are a tad less proficient than myself, which, it seems to me, at least, continues to be the case. I pick runs and conditions that I feel are best adapted to them and that they will thoroughly enjoy in perfect safety.

As much as humanly possible, I always preselect the itinerary I chose beforehand to make sure it’s appropriate. This is my top priority. When we stop, I ask them how they do, if they’re hot or feel too cold, tired or are having any problem, if their equipment works okay for them and if everything feels great. 

As I precede them and ski down the mountain I turn my head around and look behind me as regularly as I can to make sure they’re still following and see how they’re doing. By doing so my enjoyment shifts from a personal one to a much greater, richer one as their welfare, safety and own enjoyment takes precedence over my little person. 

Call this the pleasure of sharing what I love, pleasing those I value, the true joy of giving!

Surviving a “down” cycle? (Part Two)

Anyone who sustains long-term projects doesn’t stay motivated all the time. People just stay connected to why they started, even when the emotional charge goes down temporarily. Sometimes it helps to write down the reason we care and revisit it during low-energy phases and remind us that the work still matters even when the spark dims. 

During these times, it’s also helpful to break the mission into something small enough to succeed at today. 

This is understandable, because when we’re in a down cycle, the big picture can feel overwhelming and shrinking its scope is more likely to help us stay in motion without burning out. 

This could be illustrated by small actions like: 

• “I’ll make one phone call” 
• “I’ll write for ten minutes” 
• “I’ll fix one small thing in the house” 

Easy, small wins rebuild momentum faster than waiting for inspiration to return and can put us back on the rails. In addition, let’s never forget to reconnect with people who share our values as isolation amplifies discouragement but connection dissolves it. Even a short conversation with someone who knows how to deal well with “ups and downs” can reset our emotional compass. 

We don’t need a pep talk, just a reminder that we’re not carrying the world alone will suffice! In conclusion, we always need to keep the long view in mind, as any meaningful effort whether it’s personal, political, creative, or social experiences “seasons” like Growth, Plateau, Doubt and fortunately Renewal. 

A down cycle is often the precursor to the next insight or breakthrough, like the compost that feeds the next growing season. When we zoom out, the dip becomes only one part of the story, not the end of it. Lastly, sometimes the most courageous thing we can do is stop pushing for a moment. 

Rest isn’t quitting, it’s just maintenance for the part of us that keeps showing up. We can’t lose momentum by resting — we lose that momentum if we ignore the need to rest!

Surviving a “down” cycle? (Part One)

Sometimes it's hard to remain optimistic and charged up, no matter what. Everything is cyclical and when the "down" cycle comes, how to keep the faith in what we're doing without getting discouraged? I know that it’s completely human to feel that dip — that moment when the energy drains out of the room and the purpose that felt so clear yesterday suddenly feels foggy.

When that happens to the best of us, we’re not doing anything wrong. we’re just brushing up against the natural rhythm of being people who care deeply and pushes too hard. So how can we stay steady through these cycles? 

First, we need to remember that down cycles aren’t signs that we’re off‑track. They’re just part of the track. We ought to treat the “down” cycle as information, not judgment and not think things like “Something’s wrong with us”, “Maybe we’re not cut out for this” or “Why can’t we stay motivated?” But in reality the dip is often simply our mind saying: 

• “I need rest” 
• “I need perspective” 
• “I need to reconnect with meaning” 

All this means that we must re-frame the dip as a signal, rather than see it as a failure. Above all, we must remember that if motivation is cyclical, commitment should remain steady. A good example is to see the two elements as follows: Motivation is like weather — it shifts, sometimes dramatically. Commitment is like climate — it changes slowly, with intention. 

In the next blog, we’ll see how to handle dips in order to re-emerge much stronger, so please, stay tuned!

I hate Trump, what can I do?

Since I can't stand Trump and his regime, what can I do to make it bearable, and better yet, what steps can I take to fight it effectively? I know that I’m not alone in feeling this way, and it makes sense to want both emotional resilience and effective action when political leadership feels incompetent, cruel and misaligned with our values. Here are a few ways we can address that quandary. 

All are constructive, grounded ways we can choose to take when we feel politically discouraged or want to create change. The first thing we all can do is make the situation more bearable. Political stress is real, and it can drain our energy if we don’t systematically manage it.

So here are a couple of ideas that should work for us, starting by protecting our mental space, limit “doom‑scrolling” on our smartphones and instead choose a few trusted news sources instead of the mindless feeds that are served to us. We must also set boundaries around political conversations that leave us depleted. This isn’t avoidance, it’s simply preserving our capacity to act. 

We must also make sure to stay connected to people who share your values as community as a powerful antidote to political frustration. Of course, we must focus on what we can change or influence, so when national politics feel too overwhelming, local action often has more immediate impact and is emotionally grounding. 

This said, I vote in every election, encouraging others to register and participate. I also regularly communicate with my Senators and my Representative (that happen to be all Trump supporters as we live in a Republican, fascist state). I do it concisely but as forcefully and originally as I can so my message can’t get ignored. 

If you live outside of the United States and don't appreciate Trump, it's easy to boycott everything US from Amazon to X (ex-Tweeter) including Apple, Boeing, Google, Meta, Microsoft, etc. You have plenty to do if you muster the courage to just do it!

In the end, I never miss an opportunity to speak up my mind and tell things the way I see them. Freedom and democracy are too important to me!

Running the world with AI? (Part Three)

Well, you’ve now discovered most of the answers to my question. All of these answers are, for the most part, hypothetical. This said and with all of its flaws, I still believe AI management would be far preferable to Trump, Putin or Netanyahu’s horrible style of leadership. Also, AI is self-learning and as long as it is programmed to behave well and follow a world’s constitution, there are very good reasons that it can keep going in the right direction for an indefinite amount of time. 

Again, I believe that given the dismal state of our political leadership, we have to worry about humanity being able govern itself wisely in an era of climate instability, resource pressures, rapid technological change, ideological polarization, short-term political incentives, views and programs, widespread corruption, as well as whether a system grounded in shared global principles could help us avoid self-inflicted disasters. 

That’s an urgent, serious and very human concern. If the question is what an “AI guided by global ethics” would look like, an AI guided by global ethics isn’t a robot president or a digital dictator. It’s more like a planetary operating system that helps humanity make wiser choices while staying anchored in shared moral commitments. 

Think of it as a system that blends technical intelligence with ethical guardrails drawn from global frameworks like the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and climate‑sustainability principles. 

Something that could be kept accountable whether it is supposed to help with climate, conflict, or inequality and the many times human leadership has failed due to bias or short-term approaches. 

In conclusion, my vision of running the planet with AI is a vision of perfection, but when you think about it, there’s might be nothing as boring and demotivating as perfection. Of course, the day we change our mind we quickly long for the good old day when Trump, Putin or Netanyahu did not exist as politicians! Could we all live with that concept and who among us really wants it or needs it?

Running the world with AI? (Part Two)

Great ideas bring with them their good and bad unforeseen effects. 

To begin with the good news, where could AI outperform human leadership, not necessarily as a ruler, but as a decision-support system? On the subject of evidence-based policy, AI could analyze climate data, economic models, and demographic trends without political pressure. 

In terms of long-term planning it could literally shine as humans and their short-sighted political leaders tend to prioritize short-term wins. AI could optimize human life conditions for decades or centuries. As it will become a global leadership device, AI would not be subjected and bound by borders or national interests. It could also be designed and adjusted to minimize certain human biases (though it can also inherit others if it’s not carefully built). 

Naysayers will object that there are areas where AI as we now envision it could not replace human leadership. Even the most principled AI has limits, like in terms of its legitimacy, as people accept leadership when it feels accountable and human and as it now stands, AI could not replace democratic consent or cultural legitimacy. Besides, there are those who believe that some decisions require human values, empathy, and lived experience. 

Then, there’s the accountability issue. If an AI makes a harmful decision, who is responsible? This is could be a major unresolved ethical issue. Furthering the list of limitations, there are risks of misuse of AI, as any powerful system can be co‑opted by authoritarian governments, corporations and military forces. Even if the AI is principled, its operators might not be. 

Realistically, most experts envision not “AI replacing leaders,” but see it ,more used as a sounding board or a global advisor in evaluating policies, predicts long-term consequences and flagging human-rights risks. It could play a huge role in modeling climate and resource impacts and helping leaders avoid catastrophic decisions.  

Perhaps we should see it as a UN‑aligned guardian of long-term thinking, not a ruler. This hybrid model would preserve human accountability, democratic legitimacy, cultural nuances while offering at the same time data-driven insight, long-term planetary perspective and reduced impulsiveness. 

Tomorrow we’ll search how my question can really be answered…

Running the world with AI? (Part One)

Given the appalling mediocrity of our elected leaders, I often wonder if an Artificial Intelligence (AI) based on the UN general principles will be better than our elected leaders and dictators for managing and leading humanity and planet earth? 

Maybe I’m not just the only one thinking that way as a lot of people are wrestling with right now: whether a system built on shared global principles could outperform the messy, inconsistent behavior of our present human leaders.

First, when I talk about “UN general principles”, I mean the UN Charter and related frameworks that emphasize human rights, peace and conflict prevention, environmental stewardship, equality and non‑discrimination, international cooperation and sustainable development. 

Hypothetically, if an AI were built to strictly follow these principles, it would be oriented toward long‑term planetary well‑being, minimizing harm, seeking fairness across populations and evidence‑based decision‑making. 

As you can see an enormous difference from how many human leaders operate, as they often face short election cycles, national interests over global ones, pressure from donors, parties, or elites, personal ambition and cognitive biases. 

All this means that, in theory, an AI could be more consistent, less self‑interested, and more long‑term oriented than our politicians. In a next blog I will see the true possibilities and challenges with a government by AI...

Unorthodox ski boot testing

Last Sunday, I was still unsettled with my new Nordica rear-entry boots that I felt I needed to push their assessment a tad farther. During my active career in the ski industry, I’ve been in charge of marketing ski boots and that activity, as well as my ski background, took me testing boots on many occasions as well. In the process, I became keenly aware of testing methods (and their highly subjective nature) as well as assiduously scrutinizing test results, mostly those of ski publications. 

Today, I realized that the way we’ve been testing boots all along was pretty much flawed, in the way we neglected “direct comparison” when we evaluated different pairs of boots. We would put on a pair of boots A and then boots B, C, etc. and try to remember how A, B and C compared to each other. Remembering sensations is extremely hard, if not impossible that way.

That’s perhaps why, the Saturday before I did that new test, I got an insight that the way to test a pair of ski boots was to put on foot into A and the other one into B (the sole lengths being identical and requiring no binding adjustment), and this is exactly what I did the next day. When I hit the slopes no one even noticed that I had two different boots on. 

As soon as I was on the chairlift I could compare the pressure point locations on either foot, with a weighted or unweighted boot, and the same went on as I initiated turns, carved or just skidded my turns. Very soon I could feel the difference which, to my surprise, was just located around the ankle bones, a frequent occurrence with brand new boots that had not yet “nested” the bones protrusions. 

Yet, I was impressed by the excellent skiability of this new rear-entry boot that I could clearly sense and judge on the hard packed portions of my runs. In fact, what makes this rear-entry so good technically is its amazing heel purchase. On that subject and as I had previously noticed, entry was not that easy as the heel had to clear a sill of sorts that let the heel move back inside a well designed heel pocket that held it in place remarkably well while skiing. 

Again, this boot's secret weapon! That secured heel position was also what made getting out of that boot not that easy as the heel had to clear the heel pocket and demanded a specific effort for it. This was more a disappointment with the product than anything else as I precisely bought the boots to facilitate their exit at the end of a ski outing. 

In spite of it, at the end of the afternoon, I was still sold on my new boots and impressed with my direct comparison method and feedback I got from testing one different boot on each foot!

The “Lego” home building system (Part Two)

Now that we learned all the obstacles that get in the way to making our home building techniques more in line with modernity, where do we see efforts made in that direction? Well, there are still companyies currently Trying to disrupt this situation by the boundaries.

I don’t know what’s going on in Europe or in Asia, but in the United States, 

• Plant Prefab is a California‑based company building high‑quality, architect‑designed modular homes by focusing on sustainability and speed. 
• Villa is another outfit focused on accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which are easier to standardize and ship than full homes. 
• Biltwise is another modular builder working on efficient, sustainable prefab systems. Method Homes is known for custom, high‑design modular homes built offsite. 
• Dvele is a high‑tech modular home company emphasizing energy efficiency and smart‑home integration. 
• Module based in Pittsburgh is a mission‑driven modular housing company focused on affordable, community‑oriented housing. 

The list goes on with more companies aiming a that goal, but the question remains, why hasn’t a “Tesla of Housing” emerged yet? It’s simply because housing is not like cars or phones. 

Again, it’s regulated locally, it’s still built on‑site, its tied to land, heavily dependent on local labor, if made far away, expensive to transport and the industry remains slow to adopt new methods. Even very well‑funded disruptors like Katerra, backed by SoftBank, collapsed under the weight of trying to industrialize a fragmented industry. 

This said the companies that are succeeding tend to start small (ADUs, small homes, repeatable designs), stay regional instead of going national, are partnering with local builders instead of replacing them, focusing on sustainability and energy efficiency and using panelized or hybrid systems instead of full volumetric modules. 

So, at this moment, the future of modular may not be giant Lego‑like blocks, but smarter, lighter, more flexible prefab systems, until we become all surprised by a new invention that will make us exclaim: “Why didn’t I thought of this!”

The “Lego” home building system (Part One)

Given the high cost of housing construction these days. and the inefficient building methods in America and elsewhere, I've always wondered why a "disrupting company" wouldn't come up with a manufactured, modular home assembly system. In fact, I’m a “frustrated architect” (in hindsight, I should have exercised that profession!) 

There’s of course nothing new to my question as lots of of architects, builders, and frustrated home-buyers have also been asking for years. The short answer is yes, many companies have tried to disrupt housing with modular, prefab, or factory‑built systems… but the industry keeps chewing them up. 

On paper, modular construction would resolves everything from factory efficiency, lower labor costs, faster building time with higher quality-control, less waste and much more predictable pricing. But the reality isn’t that simple. Many several high‑profile modular companies have gone bankrupt, including Katerra, Veev, and Modulous. 

Many of these companies have been failing due to cost pressures and logistical challenges. The biggest obstacles include logistics that are brutally expensive with shipping that demands cranes, escorts, special trucks, and careful routing. 

This often wipes out the cost savings. In addition, construction is incredibly local, with each region, even in the “United” States being different with its codes, zoning, inspecting methods, sysmic and other weather specific requirements that make scaling nationally extremely difficult. From a manufacturing standpoint, a modular factory is only profitable if it runs at near‑full capacity and the cyclical nature of housing that make it difficult for accommodated a continued production. 

Finally, developers resist change as traditional home builders have entrenched relationships with subcontractors, unions, local suppliers and as any new system is always perceived as a threat to the entire ecosystem. I would also add that banks and appraisers often treat modular homes as “manufactured” or “mobile,” which hurts resale value and loan terms. 

In the next blog, we’ll explore if there’s still hope for more efficient ways of creating housing...

Taking my Nordicas out for a spin…

As I let you know in August, I finally got myself a pair of rear-entry Nordica boots, in order to ease my multiple entries and exit into ski boots, but, until now, I was hesitant to take them on snow in order to test them. 

I had bought them a bit tight and, at first, had difficulties getting in and out of them, a task I rehearsed daily for a good week to ten days this summer. Finally, this past Friday, I felt ready to take my act on the snow, and not only did I dare do it, but I took this untested footwear over my favorite and more challenging area in all of Park City, the “Ninety-90” hill! 

Getting into the boot was okay, but not that easy as I had to wiggle my heel securely in place by forcing it out and seating it securely over a sort of "sill" that hugged it in place. 

I also didn’t fine tune the upper closure as I should have. 

I felt some gaping space all afternoon between the top of the tongue and the spoiler, but the weather was so cold that I didn’t muster the courage to fine tune the adjustments. 

This is something I’ll progressively adjust over time as I familiarize myself with the new boots. I also misaligned the tongue on my right boot which created a pressure point as I was skiing. The forefoot buckles should have been set tighter too, but again, live and learn! 

Skiability of these new boots was pretty good and didn’t impede my skiing in less than perfect snow conditions with big bumps and deep snow getting denser. Heel hold was remarkable for a rear-entry! This said, I’m hopeful that I’ll make these boots work for me. One thing for sure is that even with that day, low temperature (24 degrees) getting out of the boot proved to be a lot more easier! 

Where were the sprinklers? (Part Two)

Right after learning about the Crans-Montana fire and figuring that there were no automatic sprinklers, I wondered if there would have been less victims if the night club had this kind of equipment in its ceilings? Based on fire science and decades of statistical data from organizations like the American National Fire Protection Association and the European Fire Safety Alliance, the answer is almost certainly yes. 

While no safety system is 100% foolproof, fire protection engineers generally agree that automatic sprinklers are the single most effective tool for preventing mass-casualty events in high-occupancy venues like nightclubs. Just like what happened at Le Constellation, the most lethal moment in a fire is the flashover, a point where the heat in a room becomes so intense that every combustible surface ignites simultaneously.

In that fire, the non-fire-retardant foam acted as a "solid fuel," allowing the fire to race across the ceiling. If there had been automatic sprinklers, they would have been activated at a specific temperature (usually around 155°F). 

By spraying water directly on the source early, they would have kept the room temperature below the flashover threshold, effectively "pinning" the fire to its origin point and this would have bought time, a critical element in a crowded nightclub with 300 people and limited exits, in which the difference between life and death is measured in seconds. 

In addition, sprinklers wash out the large carbon particles in smoke, which would have helped maintain visibility. Le Constellation fire’s survivors reported that the room went "pitch black" within 90 seconds due to the thick foam smoke. Finally, sprinklers would have also cooled the hot gases and smoke. In many fires, victims die from thermal lung damage (inhaling air that is several hundred degrees) before the flames ever reach them. 

Sprinklers would have kept that air survivable for much longer. The data on the effectiveness of sprinklers in public assembly spaces is overwhelming as they bring the death rate by approximately 80% to 90% lower in buildings with automatic sprinklers compared to those without. As an extra bonus, in over 95% of fires in sprinklered buildings, the fire is either completely extinguished or held in check by the operation of just one or two sprinkler heads. 

The Crans-Montana fire bears a haunting resemblance to the 2003 Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island, near Boston. In that fire, pyrotechnics ignited foam, and 100 people died in five minutes. A computer simulation from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, later proved that if sprinklers had been present, everyone would have likely survived, as the fire would have been suppressed within 30 seconds of ignition. 

Now, you be the judge.

Where were the sprinklers? (Part One)

In the aftermath of the Swiss night-club’s deadly fire, I’ve been wondering why there weren’t mandatory fire sprinklers in such a public places at the Crans-Montana resort like they exist in Park City, Utah, where I live? The question of fire safety at the Le Constellation bar and nightclub has become a point of national debate in Switzerland following the tragic fire on January 1, 2026. 

The absence of sprinklers in that venue—and many similar public spaces across Europe—is the result of a specific regulatory philosophy and a "gap" in existing fire codes that is only now being urgently re-evaluated. In the United States and Canada, fire safety relies heavily on active suppression (sprinklers that put out the fire). In contrast, Swiss and many European fire codes traditionally prioritize passive protection. 

This includes using fire-resistant walls and doors to keep a fire contained in one room for 30–60 minutes. The exit routes are focusing on their number, width, and visibility so people can leave before the fire spreads. Also, the regulation the flammability of building materials is an extra consideration. Under current Swiss standards, sprinklers are generally only mandatory for high-risk categories like high-rise buildings, hospitals, and massive industrial sites. 

Smaller public venues like Le Constellation often met legal requirements by simply having enough fire extinguishers and marked exits. In many Swiss cantons, a venue must reach a very high capacity (often over 1,000–2,000 people) before automatic suppression becomes a legal requirement. Le Constellation could accommodate approximately 300 people. Because it fell below this high threshold, the law allowed it to operate with manual safety measures (extinguishers) rather than a multi-million-franc sprinkler system. 

The Canton of Valais (where Crans-Montana is located) has historically been noted by fire safety experts for having pretty lax interpretations of these rules compared to stricter cantons like Zurich or Bern. Then, there’s the "Grandfathering" of older buildings in Alpine resorts with their older, traditional wooden structures or stone basements. It’s clear that installing a modern sprinkler system in an old building requires some expensive infrastructure judged too high for small business owners. 

That certainly applies to old mining towns turned into ski resorts like Park City, Aspen or Telluride, but there’s no exception there, fire sprinklers have to be installed regardless of their cost. More recently, in 2014, we built a new home in Park City that required the installation of fire sprinklers. Our town was an early adopter of residential fire safety standards. A 2002 local ordinance began requiring sprinklers in all new residential construction, including single family homes. 

Tomorrow we’ll explore if automatic sprinklers would have saved lives at the Constellation…

Keeping a new year’s resolution...

Someone who read my last blog told me “New year's resolutions are fine, but keeping them is much harder than choosing onr. How can I keep it?” I know, many of the resolutions I made over the years have never come through the first time around, so while choosing a resolution feels exciting and full of possibility, keeping it is another story when our best plans get tested by the real world.

The good news is that there are simple, practical strategies that can help us stick with our annual goals. We should begin by not setting traps for ourselves with strict, all‑or‑nothing resolutions, like “I’ll never eat sugar again!” that tend to fall apart the moment life gets messy around us. It would appear that exploratory goals like “I’ll start moving more this month” give us directions without punishing us for missing a day. 

If we can structure the resolution through a system and not just willpower, like tracking it, regular reminders, weekly check‑in with a friend or a calendar that gently reminds us. Psychologists also recommend attaching a new habit to an existing one, for example, stretching after brushing our teeth or journaling right after our morning coffee. 

This uses our brain’s existing wiring to make the new habit stick. Unlike what I tend to do, framing resolutions like a stern command (“I must…”) create resistance, but goals that feel meaningful, playful, or connected to our values are far more sustainable. For instance, I see in my new year’s resolution a challenge that I am ready to overcome and that simple thought often gives me enough energy to see it through. 

Finally, setbacks threaten the best of us, so if and when they happen, let’s treat them as data, not failure. People who succeed long‑term don’t avoid slip‑ups; they just don’t let them derail the whole goal. A missed day is just a missed day, not a verdict. 

Good luck!

The injured ski

This past weekend Park City opened up Thaynes, my favorite place to ski in all of Park City, if it were not for its antiquated and slow double chairlift! This prompted me to go and enjoy two fabulous short late afternoon skiing sessions. 

I was pleased with the conditions and my skiing at age 78. I always considered Thaynes the best place to ski in Park City during the early season and always said: “There’s absolutely no rock on that demanding hill!” 

This was true until, on Sunday, during my last descent when I hit what Trump would have called a “Nasty and Low IQ rock” that cut and dug a deep groove and left a long and thick shaving on my right ski.

As soon as I left to rejoin the base of the resort on groomed runs, I felt the ski had become uncontrollable. As that dangling shaving was wrapping itself along the steel edge, the right ski ceased to respond on the icy man-made snow.

It got better on the last half-mile that had turned to slush, and when I took off my skis next to my car, I was able to assess the damage. This gave me something to work on the following Monday!

Another “New Year Resolution”? (Part Two)

So based on the two first methods we discussed previously (80/20 and Wheel of Life), we could spot our 2025 "annoyances". Sometimes the best resolution isn't adding a new habit, but removing a recurring frustration. 

If that approach doesn’t do it for you, there’s that good old filter for "Identity" over "Outcomes". What I mean by that is instead of choosing a goal based on what you want to get, choose a resolution based on who you want to be. For instance, instead of saying "I want to write a book," choose "I am the type of person who writes every morning." 

 Once a method is picked, there are also some rules to follow, for instance “The rule of one” which addresses the fact that most people fail because they try to change five things at once. Instead, we must select just one habit that, if changed, makes everything else easier (e.g., waking up earlier often improves fitness, productivity, and mood simultaneously).

There’s also the "Two-Minute Rule" that requires that whatever we choose, we must ensure that starting it up won’t take less than two minutes. Deciding is also the act of cutting off other options. To make a resolution "real," we need to define the where, when, and how. 

Something called the "If/Then" formula, using the framework: "If [Situation], then I will [Action]." For example: "If it is 5:00 PM on a Tuesday, then I will drive straight to the gym before going home." 

Another good trick is to make sure our environment cooperates and helps us gain the desired habit. A good illustration is that if we want to eat less sugar, we must decide now to remove it from the house. For some of us, it might also help to get some accountability. Some people thrive on "Social Stakes" (telling friends), while others prefer "Quiet Progress" to avoid the premature hit of dopamine from just talking about the goal. 

Now that you know everything, I give you one week to come up with a sound new year resolution. Let’s do it?

Another “New Year Resolution”? (Part One)

This is a fair and timely question that returns every year, how can we best research, select and decide on a new year resolution? This choice is often a balance between high-reaching ambition and the reality of daily life. 

This period of the year is still an appropriate time to reflect and set a trajectory for 2026. In practice, our resolutions often fail because they are outcomes based (i.e. "I want to lose 10 pounds") rather than systematic (i.e. "I’ll walk for 20 minutes after dinner"). From what I’ve researched, here is a more structured way to research, choose, and commit to a change that is more likely to actually stick. 

Before looking forward, we should look back. Researching our own behavior teaches us much more than looking at "top 10 resolutions" lists online, but how do we go about it? I know myself pretty well and can spot what needs to be improved in me, so my single, new year resolution is now waiting to be executed. 

That’s not always the case for everyone else. Some say we should begin by going through our 2025 calendar and photos, and from there, try to identify the 20% of activities or people that caused 80% of our peak happiness, and the 20% that caused 80% of your stress. Another way to go about is to check out the "Wheel of Life". 

For those not familiar with the method, it’s a popular self-assessment coaching tool, shaped like a circle divided into segments (like a pie), used to visually evaluate your satisfaction across key life areas (e.g., career, health, relationships, finance) by scoring each on a scale, often 1-10, to reveal imbalances and guide goal setting for greater balance and fulfillment. 

Among other things, it should show where the "flat tires" are in your life. All this might sound complicated so we’ll stop here for today. Tomorrow, we’ll discover more “trick” that might help us make these resolutions easier to set in motion...

A “curated” year in review…

There’s this acquaintance of mine that keeps on sending me, year after year, an impressive account of his year past, that is a mixture of photos and text displaying all the stuff he and his direct family achieved over the 12 month period, including big events, exotic or expensive trips, sport participation and the like, showing an almost regal lifestyle that's in my view can only trigger more envy, jealousy than admiration. 

It’s easy to see the whole social psychology ecosystem behind those glossy, hyper‑curated year‑end updates, that work less like true sharing, but much more like pure boasting. 

They’re crafted narratives designed to communicate a mixture of status (“Look how good we’re doing”), competence (“We’re cool, organized, successful”), being part of a certain class (“We travel everywhere, we do this and that, we live that way”) and control (“Our life is well organized and impressive”). 

The display isn’t inherently malicious, but it is curated. And curation always has an audience in mind. Like for most people, my reaction to perfection isn’t warmth, but skepticism and distance. I have a harder time relating to the sender’s story, his excessive self‑promotion activates my comparison instincts and makes anyone feel “less than”, with unspoken competition creeping in, even if no one admits it. 

We tend to connect through shared struggle, but not flawless triumphs. All this says in fact a lot about the sender, like insecurity dressed up as achievement as folks that feel deeply secure rarely need to produce a glossy annual report of their life. After scanning the whole document, I rolled my eyes and sent him this response: 

“Thanks for sharing your year with us! What an impressive 12 months… I'm sure reading all this makes a lot of folks envious, if not downright jealous! Our message, below, had some great moments too that we didn't list, but also some challenges that taught us a lot.  We’ve been trying to focus more on the honest parts of life — the messy, funny, unexpected stuff — because that’s what makes us feel close to everyone.  Have a great new year!”

A future for the multi-resorts model? (Part Two)

If warm winters like this one happen to become the norm, passholders might hesitate to renew, especially casual skiers who only get a few days in. At the same time, requests for refund or credit are likely to grow, adding pressure on companies to soften rigid policies. As a result, senior pricing, local pricing, and more flexible products could become bargaining chips. 

Divestment is also quite plausible: Vail, Alterra, Powdr, and Boyne may shed low‑elevation or chronically unreliable mountains. This is already happening in Europe, where abandoned lifts are becoming a common sight everywhere. In the longer term, if the model does survive, it will have to mutate significantly. We should expect fewer small and, or low-elevation resorts, in the mega-pass networks. Instead, the investments will continue only in those high-altitude, snow-secure destinations. 

Making more snow will still remain difficult to accomplish in a phase of diminishing returns and water freezing temperature stubbornly remains set at 32 degrees! 

Perhaps more productive solutions to improve cloud-seeding could help by leveraging AI, but I might be getting ahead of myself! 

Will poor snow years force concessions like senior and super-senior passes? Possibly, there is room to see leverage here. If and when renewals drop, companies will have to respond. 

Historically, ski corporations only change pricing structures when they face public backlash, and anticipate a measurable revenue loss. A bad winter added to climate anxiety could create exactly that pressure on them. I’m not saying that skiing is dying tomorrow, but it will be consolidating as well as stratifying, and will take a different face. Skiing may continue at high elevations, in colder climates and will shrink and shrivel everywhere else. 

To survive, the mega-pass resort model will concentrate around fewer, more reliable snowy locations. It will be in some ways like the airline industry with fewer players, fewer routes but higher stakes. In addition, ski towns will have to creatively offer more non-ski revenue (mountain coasters, summer tourism, winter biking, ice driving schools and other events). Dynamic pricing may also have to replace the “all-you-can-ski” model. 

Unless climate warming really takes the “hockey stick” route, the multi-resort model won’t go immediately away, but will be headed toward a contraction phase. The big companies will protect their strongest assets and quietly offload the weak ones. And yes, a slimmer renewal cycle could finally force them to rethink rigid policies and offer more flexible or senior-friendly pricing. 

If anything, the next 5–10 years could be the most transformative period the ski industry has seen since the invention of snowmaking and of high speed chairlifts. I remain far less optimistic than the whole industry that remains in full denial as it seems trapped by its huge investments and its lack of appropriate action!

Have multi-resorts passes a future? (Part One)

In my opinion, multi-resort passes like Epic and Ikon are likely to get pummeled if our weather keeps on misbehaving as snow failed to deliver on time this season and in sufficient volume. If the missing element was just precipitation, I wouldn’t worry so much, but the growing warmth that’s in line with global warming is a much more concerning sign that doesn’t bode well for winter snow activities as we know them. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if companies like Alterra, Boyne, Powdr’ and Vail Resorts begin divesting some of their resorts at winter’s end. The net result of a poor snow year might create a reluctance to renew passes next year and also be the straw that breaks the camel’s back of these mega-resort networks that might have to mollify some of their rules, like creating a senior priced pass among other concessions. 

There’s no question that the ski industry is wrestling with exactly the same anxieties I’ve just described. The data backs up my intuition with warming winters, erratic snowfall, and rising rain‑on‑snow events. All are already reshaping the economics of ski resorts, especially those below mid‑mountain elevations. 

Whether we want to admit it or not, climate change is already destabilizing the traditional ski model worldwide. Fresh reporting shows that in Switzerland, for instance, ski resorts have boosted numbers through multi‑resort passes too, but there’s a widespread acknowledgment that melting glaciers and snowless winters threaten the long‑term viability of the model. 

All over Europe, resorts below 1,200 meters may need 100% artificial snow by 2050 just to remain skiable and a major European study warns that a quarter of ski resorts could face snow scarcity every other year with just 2°C of warming. So far the Epic, Ikon, and other multi‑resort entities may survive thanks to their geographic diversification: If Tahoe is dry, maybe Utah, Colorado or even New England is better. This spreads the risk. 

Their massive cash flow intake from pre-season sales get them revenue before snow falls. The system remains robust as brand loyalty and fear of missing out will continue to force skiers to buy early “just in case”, so just one bad season won’t break them. If this might prove to be true in the short term, my concerns would become very real in the mid term and that’s what we’ll explore tomorrow...

Atmospheric river’s downside (Part Three)

Just to remind my readers, I wanted to know how atmospheric rivers were affecting our winter snowpack in the mountains of Park City as well as our flood risk at high altitudes. Atmospheric rivers behave like a high-pressure fire-hose of moisture. 

While they bring heavy rain to the coast, their impact changes dramatically once they hit the "vertical wall" of a mountain range, with a complete list of risks and benefits. First, in coastal areas, the primary threat is volume of water and its intensity. Because coastal temperatures are usually well above freezing, 100% of the atmospheric river’s moisture falls as rain. 

There’s the risk of flash flooding as the ground quickly becomes saturated, leading to immediate urban flooding and mudslides. This situation doesn’t last too long and often ends shortly after the "river" passes, as the water drains quickly into the ocean. 

The mountains present a different set of circumstances that specialists call "Orographic Lifting". As the atmospheric river hits the mountains, the air is forced upward. This is called orographic lifting. As the air rises, it cools rapidly, causing it to "wring out" even more moisture than it did at the coast. This means that mountainous regions often receive double or triple the precipitation seen at sea level.

There’s also a "Double-Edged Sword" effect for snow-pack at high altitudes where the atmospheric river becomes a game of temperature. These storms are typically warm, which creates two very different scenarios. First there is the good news also known as the "Big Gulp". 

If the storm is cold enough, it can drop 5–10 feet of snow in a single weekend. Some of these "drought-buster" events have been known to provide the bulk of the Western US water supply for a full year! Then there is the bad news, which seems to be happening more and more as we advance into climate change. It’s known as the “Rain-on-Snow”event. 

This is a big flood risk for mountain communities. Because ARs are warm, the "snow line" (the elevation where rain turns to snow) can climb much higher than usual, to 9,000 feet compared to Park City’s 7,100 feet. The Result is that warm rain falls on top of an existing deep snow-pack. The rain doesn't just run off; it melts the snow beneath it, releasing weeks' worth of stored water in just a few hours. 

This creates catastrophic "riverine" flooding downstream. This is what happened a lot until now and why I’ve been skiing so little this season!