By Jo Mixon
Just who really is responsible for marketing Angel Fire? Thank-you, I’m glad you asked! Recently I have heard many different people in many places say, “It’s not MY job to market Angel Fire.” My normal response is, “Really?” In all honesty and with all of my heart, I say, “But you do market Angel Fire, good or bad, every time you say or write anything about it.” Whether you live here or not. If you own a business or work at any job in Angel Fire, ski, golf or bike in Angel Fire, attend school in Angel Fire, or own property in Angel Fire, You ARE the marketer!
I’ve heard many negative comments this year due to the snow, or lack thereof. I’ve read articles that make us sound uninviting and unintelligent on various subjects. And yet, I can’t quite comprehend this mind set.
The way I see it, we live in a paradise! Every morning I am blessed to wake up with the beauty of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains out my window. I don’t choke on smog, I breath fresh clean mountain air. I don’t leave my house an hour early to fight traffic on the way to work. With the exception of an occasional herd of elk crossing the road, my commute down the mountain is non-stressful and breathtaking, every season of the year. Our crime rate is a smidgen compared to cities.
I can ski or snowshoe or walk or hike or bike or fish our lakes and streams alone, without fear of being accosted, as can everyone else who shares this mountain. I couldn’t do that in the city. And the people I have met in Angel Fire and the Moreno Valley – actually the entire Enchanted Circle – are the friendliest, most caring, helpful people I have ever had the privilege to know! On a normal day or in an emergency situation, they quickly, without hesitation, become family.
Driving home from an event last Tuesday on icy roads resulting from a surprise thunder snowstorm, my car slid sideways out of control. So many people came to my rescue it makes me emotional!
I cannot think of any reason not to positively promote this area, but I find I am occasionally just as guilty of being negative without thinking as I have heard others be. When my son came to ski in January, I learned a valuable lesson. I too was worried about the strange snow year we had been dealt and told him on the way back from the airport that the snow wasn’t as good as it had been last year. His response to me was, “Don’t worry Mom, it’s better than the snow in San Francisco and in my opinion there is never a bad day on the mountain.” We should all take that to heart.
We depend on tourism to pay our bills. We depend on tourism to make it possible for us to continue to live in this little piece of heaven on earth. So my idea is that we are all marketers for Angel Fire. Look around you. Take a deep breath, and really consider all the positive aspects to living and playing in Angel Fire. See if you can do that without a smile crossing your face!
The Angel Fire Resort Motto – “My Job is Better Than Your Vacation” – is true! Our main problem? When you live in such an awesome place, where do you go on vacation?
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