One of the most interesting takeaways from NSAA National this year was from a session from the guy behind Human Movement (the event company POWDR acquired).

When discussing how they designed what became some of their biggest successes, their response was (my words from imperfect notes, not their word-for-word quote:

“We simply asked ourselves what would be worthy of becoming someone’s Facebook profile picture?”

It’s easier to poke fun at the narcissism in our society, but if we fail to accept this as reality instead of a quirky exception to human behavior, we’re missing the motivating force behind a massive amount of human behavior.

The Spectrum
As we design experiences that are just begging to be shared, I think it’s important to remember that this is a specrum.

On the far side is the Tough Mudder. Massive events with obstacles are fire and water and other things that are intended to make your life extremely uncomfortable for an hour or so.

But on the simpler side is this:

This is a sculpture. But it’s also a fun, rideable feature for cyclists and quite possibly the coolest end point for a hike with small children.

When we hiked it last year, we took lots of pictures. When my wife hiked it again with some friends, they took even more. It turns out, when just about anyone rides or hikes it, they can’t help but snag (and share) a quick photo.

14.50 miles of today at #powdermountain #paperairplanetrail #brimtail with @d_blanch such pretty country!

A post shared by brittblanch (@brittblanch) on Jul 24, 2016 at 4:08pm PDT

Went exploring this afternoon and found the paper airplane trail. Such a fun thing to see in the middle of the trail. #powdermountain #paperairplanetrail #teammillward #photobomber #utahmountainbiking

A post shared by Ladawn Millward (@millwardz) on Sep 4, 2016 at 2:13pm PDT

Found this giant paper airplane on the ride today too. Great new trail network being built at Powder mountain. • • • #powdermountain #utahisrad #singletrack #mtb #utahcollective #getoutside #santacruzbikes #bronson #paperairplanetrail #801

A post shared by G3 (@garlandl3) on Jul 27, 2016 at 8:33pm PDT

Yeti's and Paper airplanes at Powder Mountain…….Yep you'll see this badboy and even ride up on the wing if you and your buddies sign up and race in the El Doce endurance event Aug 19th at Powder Mountain….. Get a buddy ot 2 or 3 and make a team….. or if you think you have what it takes enter in the solo division and let's see what you're made of. Vist The Bike Shoppe @thebikeshoppe and get all the details…… get your gear and have your bike tuned by the best! #yeti #thebikeshoppe #eldoce #singletrack #powdermountain #powmow #pedaltherapy #awayfromthecrowds #hadthetrailstomyself

A post shared by Alan Richards (@bigalcanyonrat) on Jul 16, 2017 at 1:02pm PDT

"If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older." – Tom Stoppard⠀ ⠀ Photo by @wayfarers_squares⠀ ⠀ #SummitPowderMountain #PowderMountain #LaunchIntention #GriffinLoop #PaperAirplane #Sculpture #Art

A post shared by Summit Powder Mountain (@summitpowdermountain) on Jul 11, 2017 at 9:09am PDT

Like pirate ship park, these novel elements of a resort experience are begging to be shared.

It’s an interesting mental exercise to think not about what could sell or what could drive skier visits, but what people would want to share the instant they saw it.

Nail that and you’ve got a product with built-in marketing. Just like Powder Mountain.

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.