A few years ago, soon after leaving my desk job at ESPN and going freelance, I was struggling to get things done at home, so a few friends and I decided to open a shared office. Coworking, as it's called now. The space—the Tahoe Mill—is a quirky collection of people from all types of industries, who rent a desk by the month five minutes from two world-class ski areas, Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows.

They are techies working remote from Bay Area start-ups, freelance photographers and graphic designers, an architect, a lawyer, a women's ski company, a wine start-up, a Danish guy who runs a team of friendly hackers, and a duo who chauffeurs tourists to local breweries. They're here to work, but they also want to get outside—people are constantly coming and going, toting skis, mountain bikes, and muddy running shoes. Mostly, it seems like they're proving they can work and play and do both well.

In this story, which I wrote for Powder.com, I look at the rise of coworking in mountain towns and the risks that poses on our ability to separate work from play.