b'Rockbound Lake,Banff National ParkCHARACTERS OF CANMOREJASON & Mist Ridge, Kananaskis JENNIFERJason Innes and Jennifer (Jen) Willans dreamed of life in Canmore for years before investing WHAT HAPPENSin a property. When friends told us about Spring Creek, it seemed to tick all the boxes, says Jen. They put a deposit on a condo in September 2019, imagining spending the work week in WHEN A WEEKENDCalgary and escaping to hike, ski and cycle in the mountains on weekends. By the time their ESCAPE PLANpossession date arrived on Dec. 16, 2020, their plansand the entire worldhad changed. During that year, Jen took a sabbatical from her veterinarian job to consider her next career TURNS INTO Amove. Then the global pandemic arrived, derailing everyones plans. Next, personal tragedy shook the couples lives when Jen lost her stepfather. Jason and Jen began to take stock. PERMANENTTheyre both in their 40s, a long way from retirement but old enough to know what matters to them. Did they really want to maintain two homes? Did they really want to split their lives MOUNTAIN MOVE between working and living? Our friends said, What are you waiting for? You know you want to do this, Jason says. They began to think seriously about moving to Canmore full time. Could it work? Jason and Jen were used to living in Calgarys inner city, and Spring Creeks central location felt like a smooth transition. They wanted a home with enough space to host out-of-town guests, and the south-facing corner unit they chose in Jack Pine Lodge was even larger than their Calgary condo. They wanted to look out the window and see mountains, and their Canmore home had a wraparound balcony with a view of the Three Sisters. Their hearts were in Canmore, but could their careers survive a move to the mountains? We assumed some things werent possible that actually were possible, Jason says. Jen was optimistic she could find work as a veterinarian in pet-friendly Canmore. Jason, a tech product manager and entrepreneur, had recently become a remote workerhis home office could have a view of the Rockies instead of a Calgary street. Jasons entrepreneurial senses began to tingle, too. He knew tech start-ups were thriving in small mountain towns in Colorado and B.C.why not in Canmore? Soon, working and living in Canmore seemed not just feasible, but a smart move.The couple put their Calgary condo on the market at the end of 2020 and moved to Canmore full time. Now, going to the mountains doesnt have to be a full-day eventtheyre always there. Jen loves being able to pop to the Nordic Centre for a couple of hours, and Jason says its great to wake up and see the mountains. We thought about living here for so long,he says. It feels right.Mist Ridge, KananaskisFEATURED CANMORE BUSINESS08the heart of canmore | 2021'