Thai man releases video about living off the grid in America’s snowy mountains

[snoop1130]

Thai man releases video about living off the grid in America’s snowy mountains

USA -- In Colorado, Jon Jandai, a Thai man, is part of a group of advocates for sustainable building and living “off the grid.” They’ve built a house out of earth that protects them from the seven months of snow they get each year.

He published a YouTube video about his life on Monday and it’s already had 6,000 views.

“Earthen building is something that people think only exists in Africa and the Middle East. But it exists everywhere. Earthen building is easy and can be built anywhere,” he says in the subtitled video.

Full Story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/05/26/thai-man-releases-video-about-living-grid-americas-snowy-mountains

-- Coconuts Bangkok 2016-05-26

[anto]

Well done .

[Happy Grumpy]

that protects them from the seven months of snow they get each year.

Move.

[Pib]

He must live high in the mountain foothills to get 7 months of snow per year. I lived in Denver (the mile high city) for a year and there was only about 4 months of snow and it wasn't that deep of snow with periods of zero snow during those 4 months....but drive 30 minutes to an hour into the mountains and the story changed.

Edited May 26, 2016 by Pib

[NickJ]

Meanwhile living off the grid here means your frigging blacklisted.....

[Moonmoon]

i would like to live off the grid too.

[dcnx]

That's Jon from Pun Pun. They live off the grid here too.

Met him recently at the airport and had an interesting conversation about sustainable living and the issues that come with it, one being the need for water and how difficult it can be to obtain it.

[heybruce]

"...winds blow as fast as 200 miles per hour and the home sits at 10,000 feet above sea level."

I know Colorado has many peaks over 10000 feet, but how many flat areas, as depicted in the picture, are that high? I'm also somewhat skeptical about the wind speed claim, though I suppose it's possible there are gusts that reach that velocity at altitude.

One thing conspicuously absent from the article is an explanation of how Jon Jandai is feeding his family, heating the house, and procuring supplies for his craft beer while living "off the grid" on a high altitude barren patch of ground.

Edited May 26, 2016 by heybruce

[heybruce]

i would like to live off the grid too.

If you lived off the grid you wouldn't be able to read stories about living off the grid on the internet.

[JLCrab]

However, once a Thai, always a Thai (nose-picking segment at 2:37)

[MockingJay]

Never seizes to amaze me, how difficult it must be for OPs to add the link to a video mentioned in any article... One has to visit (often) countless other pages before one can see the video mentioned in the headlines - is this done on purpose (and if, why?) or because of laziness???

[Crossy]

Never seizes to amaze me, how difficult it must be for OPs to add the link to a video mentioned in any article... One has to visit (often) countless other pages before one can see the video mentioned in the headlines - is this done on purpose (and if, why?) or because of laziness???

"One" is countless? Video is linked directly on the Coconuts page.

The guy does seem to have rather a lot of beer and other beverages to keep him warm

[saakura]

However, once a Thai, always a Thai (nose-picking segment at 2:37)

Once a Thai basher, always a Thai basher? Takes one with a negative attitude to pick up that small bit and comment on it, has no relevance at all to the topic.

[OccamsRazor]

He must live high in the mountain foothills to get 7 months of snow per year. I lived in Denver (the mile high city) for a year and there was only about 4 months of snow and it wasn't that deep of snow with periods of zero snow during those 4 months....but drive 30 minutes to an hour into the mountains and the story changed.

I spent 3 months in Denver on a job training program from around June-August. We would spend the weekends driving around including to the surrounding states and remember going up the mountains around Denver and thought it was cool seeing the snow in full summer. Even then though it was quite spotty and sparse.

//Edit - just read more of the article "Where the group is living, in the Rocky Mountains, winds blow as fast as 200 miles per hour and the home sits at 10,000 feet above sea level. So, it’s pretty darn cold.

200 mph? Think the credibility of the article just took a nose dive.

Edited May 27, 2016 by OccamsRazor

[mjaumock]

"...winds blow as fast as 200 miles per hour and the home sits at 10,000 feet above sea level."

I know Colorado has many peaks over 10000 feet, but how many flat areas, as depicted in the picture, are that high? I'm also somewhat skeptical about the wind speed claim, though I suppose it's possible there are gusts that reach that velocity at altitude.

One thing conspicuously absent from the article is an explanation of how Jon Jandai is feeding his family, heating the house, and procuring supplies for his craft beer while living "off the grid" on a high altitude barren patch of ground.

I lived in Colorado for many years. I had a house at about 12,150 ft above sea level... in a neighborhood! (Peak 7, Breckenridge)

There are a few places where an open area like that could be near or even above 10,000 feet.

The claim about the wind hitting 200 mph is crap, however. Maybe one blizzard every decade gets above 100 mph, although in a table mesa like that, I'm sure 50-80mph winds are a monthly occurrence.

Also, despite being cold and dry (air) Colorado is quite sunny, and a solar array and a few small windmills could be enough to launch your mini-commune.

[rgraham]

Looks like it is probably up in South Park(not a joke) from the flat landscape and the mountains in the background. If the wind truly blew 200 mph those solar panels and that little wind vane would be here in Denver where I live. People have been building adobe homes here in the southwest for hundreds of years before Columbus landed in the Caribbean. Before you move to Colorado to live on nothing you should check out the real estate costs, water rights costs, etc. Most of all please realize that since the dope law passed here thousands have crowded into the state and there are no jobs available. The area where this house appears to be is quite remote as well and you would have to have a SAT Link for internet, television, or cell phone. Oh and health care is, well you are on your own.

[gandalf12]

However, once a Thai, always a Thai (nose-picking segment at 2:37)

Once a Thai basher, always a Thai basher? Takes one with a negative attitude to pick up that small bit and comment on it, has no relevance at all to the topic.

Agreed but it also shows a non-professional approach when those portions of the video are not edited out.

[JLCrab]

However, once a Thai, always a Thai (nose-picking segment at 2:37)

Once a Thai basher, always a Thai basher? Takes one with a negative attitude to pick up that small bit and comment on it, has no relevance at all to the topic.

Thank you -- I was enjoying the video from somewhere on Colorado's Western Slope when treated to that small bit of Thai nostalgia. Glad that you enjoyed it

[KKr]

Beautiful house, on a great plot of land.
Will call on PunPun to see if they have some ideas how to keep the house cool so we can go (almost) off grid here as well.

[ballpoint]

However, once a Thai, always a Thai (nose-picking segment at 2:37)

Once a Thai basher, always a Thai basher? Takes one with a negative attitude to pick up that small bit and comment on it, has no relevance at all to the topic.

Agreed but it also shows a non-professional approach when those portions of the video are not edited out.

Some people are so picky.

[DLock]

However, once a Thai, always a Thai (nose-picking segment at 2:37)

Once a Thai basher, always a Thai basher? Takes one with a negative attitude to pick up that small bit and comment on it, has no relevance at all to the topic.

Agreed but it also shows a non-professional approach when those portions of the video are not edited out.

Are you real?

They were left in for humor...I particularly liked him on his skis on that small patch os snow...

I thought it was an outstanding video...and house.

Great job.

[marko kok prong]

Snow,ye Gods how i would love to be in the snow,instead of this relentless heat.

[honu]

About the elevation, Leadville is the highest incorporated town in the US, at 10,152 feet, a bit over an hour's drive West of Denver, so that part is reasonable:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadville,_Colorado

Of course 200 mile per hour winds is just an error. It's windy in the mountains but essentially never anywhere near 100 miles per hour, not even during storms.

All the rest is feasible, it just comes down to expense and effort. It's cheaper to use electricity off the grid than it is to buy and generate your own using solar panels but if the extra expense is no problem then why not. Those panels wouldn't generate any power at night so it seems likely they are using a generator and external fuel supply instead of batteries and only turning on a few lights to compensate. Water would be a problem there but that could be solved, and heating would take some doing, nothing like gathering a few sticks from time to time, but it all could work.

Food is another story; they're just not growing much there, and even in the US hunting is restricted, so it's coming from a grocery store. But it's still cool that they have a partially buried home and use solar panels.

[heybruce]

"...winds blow as fast as 200 miles per hour and the home sits at 10,000 feet above sea level."

I know Colorado has many peaks over 10000 feet, but how many flat areas, as depicted in the picture, are that high? I'm also somewhat skeptical about the wind speed claim, though I suppose it's possible there are gusts that reach that velocity at altitude.

One thing conspicuously absent from the article is an explanation of how Jon Jandai is feeding his family, heating the house, and procuring supplies for his craft beer while living "off the grid" on a high altitude barren patch of ground.

I lived in Colorado for many years. I had a house at about 12,150 ft above sea level... in a neighborhood! (Peak 7, Breckenridge)

There are a few places where an open area like that could be near or even above 10,000 feet.

The claim about the wind hitting 200 mph is crap, however. Maybe one blizzard every decade gets above 100 mph, although in a table mesa like that, I'm sure 50-80mph winds are a monthly occurrence.

Also, despite being cold and dry (air) Colorado is quite sunny, and a solar array and a few small windmills could be enough to launch your mini-commune.

Thank you for confirming my suspicion about the 200 mph winds.

If one invested enough money into solar arrays and the cost of transporting and installing them in a remote location they would be sufficient for electricity needs excluding heat. A well insulated home could be heated with a well designed oven or stove, but whatever is burned would also have to be brought in, I don't see any trees in the picture.

The question of money remains: How is he paying for all this? And how is he feeding his family in this remote location. I don't think he's doing it by hunting and farming.

[heybruce]

Looks like it is probably up in South Park(not a joke) from the flat landscape and the mountains in the background. If the wind truly blew 200 mph those solar panels and that little wind vane would be here in Denver where I live. People have been building adobe homes here in the southwest for hundreds of years before Columbus landed in the Caribbean. Before you move to Colorado to live on nothing you should check out the real estate costs, water rights costs, etc. Most of all please realize that since the dope law passed here thousands have crowded into the state and there are no jobs available. The area where this house appears to be is quite remote as well and you would have to have a SAT Link for internet, television, or cell phone. Oh and health care is, well you are on your own.

I like it, luxury "off the grid". Throw in an off the grid restaurant-bar with friendly pretties and I'd happily rough it living off the grid.

[JLCrab]

I used stay with friends on a fourth generation cattle ranch in the North Park basin near Walden, CO. As long as you liked beef steak, there was never a problem for food. The Michigan River ran through the property so there was also trout if you were so inclined.

[dddave]

One of the reasons for building into hillsides, using the earth as part of the structure is the huge insulation advantage as deep ground temperatures tend to stay stable at 50 to 60 degrees f as little as 2 feet down. If more than 3 or 4 people are sharing a space, then well designed but not necessarily expensive heat exchanges can easily keep a tight structure fairly warm..in the 55 to 65 degree range which is certainly livable with proper clothing.

[heybruce]

I used stay with friends on a fourth generation cattle ranch in the North Park basin near Walden, CO. As long as you liked beef steak, there was never a problem for food. The Michigan River ran through the property so there was also trout if you were so inclined.

I suspect that an area that is under snow seven months a year isn't very good for raising cattle. Of course the snow claim may be something of an exaggeration, much like the 200 mph winds.

[Siamwhiteelephant]

However, once a Thai, always a Thai (nose-picking segment at 2:37)

Once a Thai basher, always a Thai basher? Takes one with a negative attitude to pick up that small bit and comment on it, has no relevance at all to the topic.

Agreed but it also shows a non-professional approach when those portions of the video are not edited out.

Often, the positives in all kinds of situations are not mentioned when they should be. Although, in this case, I think 'JLCrab' has a point. I was a little shocked and repulsed when seeing this part of the video. The video was shot in the USA, not in Thailand, and has subtitles in English and appears to target a Western culture audience. If he wants to elicit the most positive response from viewers, he might liked to have reconsidered that audacious nose-picking in public is a huge turn-off in many cultures.

[JLCrab]

I used stay with friends on a fourth generation cattle ranch in the North Park basin near Walden, CO. As long as you liked beef steak, there was never a problem for food. The Michigan River ran through the property so there was also trout if you were so inclined.

I suspect that an area that is under snow seven months a year isn't very good for raising cattle. Of course the snow claim may be something of an exaggeration, much like the 200 mph winds.

Courtesy WikiPedia:

The (North Park Colorado) basin opens out northward into Wyoming, in the direction of flow of the North Platte River. On the east side, it is rimmed by the Medicine Bow Mountains, the Never Summer Mountains and Rabbit Ears Range to the south, and the Park Range to the west. The continental divide rims the Park along the south and west. The primary economic activities in the valley are cattle ranching and timber harvesting, although the latter has declined substantially in recent decades.

In the large plains as in the North Park Basin photo above, they spend the summer cutting and baling hay such as in the photo below for the winter

Edited May 27, 2016 by JLCrab