9News Interview - The New Winter Stout Alpine Yurt
When winter's winds are whipping and the snow is getting deeper and deeper-that's the worst time for a shelter to collapse. To help avoid such a disaster, a Colorado company has created a new type of yurt that, unlike other tents, can withstand uneven weight-like those caused by drifting snow. "It's made to withstand large and uneven snow loads, so it's great for ski areas," said Dan Kigar, the founder of the Colorado Yurt Company.
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Colorado Yurt Company Named a Colorado Company to Watch
The Colorado Yurt Company, maker of eco-friendly yurts, tipis and canvas bungalows, was recently recognized as one of 50 Colorado Companies to Watch. The durable and unique structures manufactured and sold by the company in Montrose, Colorado offer individuals, camps, RV parks, ski resorts and other businesses a building option that is sustainable, affordable and quick to set up. The 50 Colorado Companies to Watch, chosen from 250 nominees, will be honored on June 25, 2009 at the Denver Center for Performing Arts Seawell Ballroom. The companies were also featured in the June 2009 issue of Colorado Biz Magazine.
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Living Off-Grid - Sustainability and Style in an Upstate New York Yurt
Everett Boutilett and Louis Johnson always had the intention of building a small, energy efficient dwelling. Although their original plans were to build an earth sheltered home, a close friend convinced them that a yurt might be the way to go. After doing a little research, they discovered that a yurt uses fewer resources, is more affordable and has the advantage of allowing them to do most of the work themselves. Since they lease the land they live on, the fact that the yurt can be moved in the future was also important.
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Photos on Flickr
RESOURCES FOR LIVING OFF-GRID IN A YURT
Provided by Everett Boutilett and Louis Johnson
for alternative energy installations
for fridge and freezer
for hand washer
for composting toilet
for grey water plans
for hand water pump
for hand pump and grey water plumbing supplies
The Colorado Yurt Company Supplies 25 Yurts for '6 Billion Others' Exhibit
The Colorado Yurt Company supplies 25 yurts to build a global yurt village for Yann Arthus-Bertrand's "6 Billion Others" exhibit at the Grand Palais in France. Each yurt serves as a theater where one of life's fundamental questions is considered and answered with video interviews of 6,000 people representing 65 countries.
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YouTube Video - 25 yurts set up in 3 and a half minutes
Interview with Todd Smith, Owner of Yurtcation
Todd Smith, a 30 year old Special Events Coordinator at REI in Southern California, has a 24' yurt about 45 minutes south of Moab, Utah. When he's not using the yurt for his own pleasure he turns a little profit by renting it out to other adventure seekers. With slickrock mountain biking, rock climbing, backcountry skiing and ancient ruin exploration nearby, it's not hard to see why this would be a popular destination. Located less than an hour and a half from outdoor playgrounds like Canyonlands, Mexican Hat, Valley of the Gods and Telluride Ski Resort, the yurt makes a great base camp for outdoor enthusiasts.
Outfitted with a 30 watt solar panel, a kitchen, a shower and a composting toilet the yurt provides a unique retreat after a hard day of play. You can plug in the ipod, fire up the two burner stove and create a gourmet meal with all the pots, pans and utensils provided. Then turn on the lights and pull out the maps to plan your next day's adventure!
WHAT DO YOU DO AT REI?
I oversee the outreach, events and community relations programs in the Southern California region. More specifically, I help negotiate and coordinate special events, create community service project plans in our local communities, manage hands-on programs that teach youth about environmental responsibility and caring for the outdoors, and much more.
WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR FREE TIME?
I enjoy all outdoor activities, but my main passion is rock climbing. That’s why I chose to build the yurt 25 minutes from the best climbing on the planet. I’ve recently been getting into backcountry skiing, and enjoy mountain biking to break up the routine a bit. I’ve been surfing for a long time as well, but unfortunately there are no waves, or ocean for that matter, near the yurt. When I’m not playing outside, I sit on the board of two non-profits, one of which takes at-risk youth out climbing, surfing, mountain biking and snowboarding. My most recent hobby has been photography and freelance writing.
WHAT MADE YOU START THINKING OF DOING THE YURT THING?
I was tired of camping in the freezing cold near my favorite climbing spot (Indian Creek). I found myself one day holed up in a cheap motel waiting out a snow storm, and decided right then that I was going to find some land nearby, and build a outdoor enthusiast’s haven on it. The obvious choice of structure for me was a yurt. I had been obsessed with yurts after staying in a yurt hostel in Yellowstone, during a 3 month road trip across the country.
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE CONCEPT OF RENTING YOUR YURT IN ADDITION TO USING IT FOR YOUR OWN PERSONAL USE?
I was hesitant at first, since there is a lot of extra work that goes into making a yurt rentable, but what I found out is that my friends and friends of friends were asking me to stay there, and wanted to pay for their stay. So they were a good test market for me. I figured that anyone who willingly chooses to stay in a yurt in the middle of southeast Utah, as part of their vacation, more than likely has similar values and interests as myself. So, this common bond gives me more confidence in renting it out to the public.
HAVE YOU HAD MANY PEOPLE RENT THE YURT YET?
I’ve had a handful of people rent it so far, and a lot of friends and family stay there. It’s starting to book up already for the best months in the Spring. We literally just built the yurt this past February (less than a year ago), and have been chipping away at the amenities during each visit. We finally finished the “luxury” outhouse, which has a shower and compost toilet. I think we spent as much time building that 8X5 foot outhouse as we did on the entire yurt.
HOW DO YOU GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT YOUR RENTAL YURT?
The yurtcation blog is really my main form of communication. Someone can find out everything they want to and more on that site, and soon will be able to read other renters’ comments and stories about their stay. I also have posters that I put up in the local climbing gyms. At first I wanted to keep the offer just to people I know, or direct recommendations, but I feel now that the yurt is ready for the general public. It’s still a bit rustic, but that’s part of the experience, and you can’t beat the price. In the future I’d like to be able to create a platform for other yurt owners to do the same through the yurtcation blog, creating a close family of yurt owners that have the desire to rent to the public or trade stays with each other.
HAVE YOU SPENT MUCH TIME AT THE YURT?
We took 6 trips this past year. That’s 12 hours of driving each way, or a combined total of 144 wonderfully exciting hours on the road. I have a two year goal to move closer to the yurt, in order to reduce my carbon footprint a bit and spend more time working on the yurt. Each trip we tried to at least get a couple days of climbing, skiing or mountain biking in, so it’s not all work, all the time. Now that the big projects are complete, we’re able to relax a bit more and start enjoying the yurt lifestyle, and explore surrounding areas.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT HAVING THE YURT FOR PERSONAL USE?
I keep thinking about that cheesy quote from Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come.” Since building the yurt, I have had my entire family visit, my girlfriend’s parents and grandparents, and on my last trip, we had about 12 people (which is way too many) in the yurt at one point, from 4 different states. The yurt really creates a sense of closeness and sharing that people are instinctively drawn to. Maybe because our daily lives have gotten so far away from that lifestyle, I’m not sure. But, it brings friends and family together in a simple, meaningful way, and that’s what I enjoy most about owning the yurt.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE YURT STORY?
My favorite story is how I tricked 3 of my good friends to go out in the middle of winter at 7500 feet to build the yurt deck, and put up the yurt. I told them that we’d be climbing in t-shirts, and have the deck built in two days. Somehow they bought it, and when they arrived to my property buried in 3 feet of snow, they just about left me there by myself. Everyone in town quickly referred to us as the idiots from San Diego that were trying to build a yurt in February. BUT, to everyone’s surprise, including ourselves, we actually did it in 6 days flat, and as I originally promised, we got to climb on our very last day there.
DO YOU LIKE THE YURT SIZE AND OPTIONS YOU CHOSE?
I love the size of the yurt. The 30 footer would be nice, but for what we’re using it for, 24 feet is perfect and easier to warm. It’s also large enough to build a small loft, which is my next major undertaking. On my last visit we installed a small ceiling fan to the fan mount, which helps circulate the warm air. I was nervous that the fan would block the view through the dome, but it actually looks great, and it takes very little of the precious energy generated from the solar battery bank. We’re very glad we chose the full wall and ceiling insulation as well. At 7500, it gets extremely cold during the middle of winter, but with an insulated deck and yurt, we’ve been able to make it comfortable. Right now I only have a small propane heater, which is fine for the spring and fall, but we’ll need to upgrade to a pellet stove at some point, just to get more radiant heat in the yurt. They’re fairly expensive, but I’m certain it will make the yurt even more cozy during the winter months.
ARE THERE MORE YURTS IN YOUR FUTURE?
Absolutely. I’m already planning for my next location. It’s important for me to have yurts that are close to multiple recreational opportunities, so anyone with a passion for the outdoors will have plenty of options when they stay there. Some of my friends are considering buying yurts as well, where they can be a part of Yurtcation, and most likely, get back at me for tricking them into building my yurt in 3 feet of snow. I’m hoping they choose to build one in a more tropical location!
If this sounds like your kind of getaway, check out more details, pricing and contact information at www.yurtcation.com . Todd also has some great platform and yurt building photos posted on his Yurt Time! online slideshow. |
