Have you moved to be closer to a ski mountain?

[musicmatters]

Looking for some feedback from people who have made a significant moved/relocation to be closer to a ski mountain.

I’ve been skiing for 35 years and currently 42 years old. Usually ski 7-10 days a year, but last year I did 25 days. I’ve really been bit by the skiing bug in the past 2 years and I pretty much obsess about it now. Always reading up (and buying) new gear, resorts, checking Pugski everyday, using a countdown app to track how many days to my next next ski day, etc Im really starting to recognize that a day skiing are the days that I am happiest, and as I get older wanting to find ways to get on the mountain as often as I can.

I live in Atlanta, so it’s a plane ride away to anywhere that’s decent. I’ve started to think about moving out west to be in a ski town. I’ve mentioned it to the wife a few times, and while it’s not totally out of the question, she’s not jumping at it as she does not enjoy skiing like I do.

What are some people’s experience with this that have done it successfully? If your single, I’m sure it’s easier, but with a spouse and 2 kids it takes more consideration. Did anyone have to “convince” their significant other?

Anybody do it and regret it?

 

[Bill Miles]

Well, when I retired I moved from Kansas to Idaho, where I live 13 miles from Sun Valley.
OTOH, I lived in Kansas for 27 years and didn't move then.

 

[VickieH]

Paging @TheHitman ...

 

[scott43]

I contemplate the same thing..but it's harder here I think. US has more job mobility. And yeah, we both have good careers so it's not like one of us is going to be happy cleaning condos for a living..

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

We waited until retirement and are in the process. If your spouse is not excited by the idea, maybe you could look at cities that are closing to skiing as opposed to ski towns. That would allow for more variety. Salt Lake City has a great arts culture including a world class ballet and is close to some of the best skiing in the country.

 

[musicmatters]

Yea, the “when I retire” thing seems like something we will definitely do. I just want to do it sooner.

I feel like that girl from Willy Wonka, “I want it and I want it NOW!!!”

 

[raisingarizona]

You’re never going to ski the way you’d really like to by skiing 25 days a season out of the south east and you sure ain’t gonna ski the way you’d like to 20+ years from now.

“But the ticket, take the ride.” -Hunter S. Thompson

 

[Tricia]

I moved from Northern Michigan to Reno which is 30 minutes from world class skiing in Tahoe. That is a place that your wife could enjoy, culturally, scenically and mountain life. 3 hrs from San Francisco, 3-4 hrs from wine country, and (did I mention) 30 minutes from world class skiing

 

[eok]

We retired a bit early & relocated to central Oregon several years ago. 40min from Mt Bachelor. Other ski areas - Hoodoo & MHM/Timberline are not too far away.

Wish we'd done it a lot sooner.

 

[Sibhusky]

We did. We'd always said we didn't want to remain in New Jersey when we retired and started talking about it more when we were in our late forties. We both agreed we wanted a small town (after all we were escaping the metros of Philly and New York). And I said I wanted a small town that wasn't Hicksville where everyone was related to everyone else and they hated newcomers and all thought the same. Which meant a resort that had plenty of contact with the wider world. And that also meant better restaurants and a wider acceptance of change.

So we started paying more attention to places when we took trips, skiing (or for my husband, dogsledding). We quickly eliminated Baffin Island (lol!) and New England (because we had plenty of experience with the bone chilling cold of New England winters and we planned to get old where we landed).

Anyway, to shorten the story, we ended up here. And we ended up here early. Initially we'd just bought the land because it's land that runs out, you can always get a builder. Plus we had two mortgages already, our ski condo and our normal condo, and could not take on a third mortgage, whereas we could write a check for the land (at the time). So, we bought the land, but were still going to wait until we retired. At this point, I was 49, my husband was 48, our daughter was 13.

But it was a growing desire to simplify our lives, and the World Trade Center massacre (most of the dead lived in New Jersey and the papers ran obituaries on the front pages for months). We each worked full time and then some, we had a daughter competing in two sports, and three dogs. We spent lots of time in snarled New Jersey traffic, juggling all this. And we were getting older and frankly I wanted to enjoy life before I was old and decrepit.

Every time we came here (to see what the skiing was like now that we owned property -- we hadn't skied here, just visited during the off season when we bought) or to go to Glacier or whatever, it was so serene and then we'd return to Newark airport and just hated coming home more and more.

And I realized if we moved after our daughter was in college or even later, that this would never feel like home to her and she wouldn't have the experienced of growing up in all this beauty. And so we moved between her sophomore and junior year of high school. And I quit working entirely (after working full time during her entire childhood). My husband was able to work at his job from here. Yes, our income was HALVED instantly. And that certainly had a significant impact on our financial future, but we'd lived beneath our means for years and saved for years. We rolled both condos into this house and had a pretty low mortgage as a result. And property taxes and utilities were lower and commuting expenses were eliminated.

Fortunately, it was an adventure that all three of us wanted to do. There have been definitely some rough things along the way, but we'd all do it again.

 

[musicmatters]

@Sibhusky thanks for sharing that. That’s the kind of thing I needed to hear. Yes, it’s difficult and challenging, and of corse there is the financial side.

My wife says a lot about waiting till the kids are in college, but I like your perspective on them being able to have experienced that as “home”.

We did. We'd always said we didn't want to remain in New Jersey when we retired and started talking about it more when we were in our late forties. We both agreed we wanted a small town (after all we were escaping the metros of Philly and New York). And I said I wanted a small town that wasn't Hicksville where everyone was related to everyone else and they hated newcomers and all thought the same. Which meant a resort that had plenty of contact with the wider world. And that also meant better restaurants and a wider acceptance of change.

So we started paying more attention to places when we took trips, skiing (or for my husband, dogsledding). We quickly eliminated Baffin Island (lol!) and New England (because we had plenty of experience with the bone chilling cold of New England winters and we planned to get old where we landed).

Anyway, to shorten the story, we ended up here. And we ended up here early. Initially we'd just bought the land because it's land that runs out, you can always get a builder. Plus we had two mortgages already, our ski condo and our normal condo, and could not take on a third mortgage, whereas we could write a check for the land (at the time). So, we bought the land, but were still going to wait until we retired. At this point, I was 49, my husband was 48, our daughter was 13.

But it was a growing desire to simplify our lives, and the World Trade Center massacre (most of the dead lived in New Jersey and the papers ran obituaries on the front pages for months). We each worked full time and then some, we had a daughter competing in two sports, and three dogs. We spent lots of time in snarled New Jersey traffic, juggling all this. And we were getting older and frankly I wanted to enjoy life before I was old and decrepit.

Every time we came here (to see what the skiing was like now that we owned property -- we hadn't skied here, just visited during the off season when we bought) or to go to Glacier or whatever, it was so serene and then we'd return to Newark airport and just hated coming home more and more.

And I realized if we moved after our daughter was in college or even later, that this would never feel like home to her and she wouldn't have the experienced of growing up in all this beauty. And so we moved between her sophomore and junior year of high school. And I quit working entirely (after working full time during her entire childhood). My husband was able to work at his job from here. Yes, our income was HALVED instantly. And that certainly had a significant impact on our financial future, but we'd lived beneath our means for years and saved for years. We rolled both condos into this house and had a pretty low mortgage as a result. And property taxes and utilities were lower and commuting expenses were eliminated.

Fortunately, it was an adventure that all three of us wanted to do. There have been definitely some rough things along the way, but we'd all do it again.

 

[Sibhusky]

And now we're both retired, fortunately on Medicare (the years before that started and my husband had finally quit work were really rough). The daughter is now 32 and lives in Missoula, but she comes back home regularly and her boyfriend is trying to figure out how to move up here (he's originally from Minnesota via South Dakota and Colorado). So, she still feels like this is home, even after time away at college and grad school and elsewhere.

 

[Sibhusky]

My wife says a lot about waiting till the kids are in college, but I like your perspective on them being able to have experienced that as “home”

Well, my husband's parents pulled the moving stunt during his freshman year of college and he knew no one when he came home for summer break, etc. It was like he'd been kicked out of the nest entirely. All his friends from growing up were no longer there for him and he never saw their new home as his home. So we were cognizant of this.

By the way, my husband skied when we did the move, but was really never into it like I was and stopped skiing once we were here. But he loves winter, so it's fine.

 

[firebanex]

I haven't left the town I grew up in because I love it here and I have 3 local ski areas within 20 minutes of me. When the wife and I were house shopping a couple years ago, one of the things we looked for in a house was it's location, primarily on a hill side that would be conducive to skiing thru the woods, perhaps after thinning out the underbrush. I'm still working on the thinning out of things, but it should be skiable this winter.

 

[crgildart]

"If you don't do it this year, you'll be a year older by the time you do.." -Warren Miller

Full disclosure. I've never intentionally moved to be closer to a aki mountain. I might after retiring though.

 

[Kneale Brownson]

Moving west from my home state of Michigan was a dream from shortly after I graduated college and returned to skiing, which I'd been doing since age five. Finally made it 47 years later after the last of the family obligations were gone. Should have let go and come west way earlier.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

My plan originally was to move back out west where I spent 20 years of my life. Then I fell in love with Vermont so................. my goals have shifted to moving up there full time. We have a small condo there now so that's our foothold and one day we'll make it a full time gig. Until then we are weekend warriors. I am lucky that my SO shares my passion and love of winter so for us it's just timing. We're waiting til his job ends which can be anytime in the next 5 years.

I had a very bad could have been fatal but I walked away with just a scratch car accident 10 years ago that completely changed my perspective on life so I say do it sooner than later, you won't regret it.

 

[Philpug]

See Post #8.

 

[Bad Bob]

It is easier to find a good home than a good wife.

Will speak a little blasphemy here.
The kids will adapt wherever you two choose to live. If your wife is not happy with the idea, woe onto you. Make skiing fit into your life as opposed to making your life fit into skiing. If your wife can lead you into the idea of moving West or North, you will all win; but if you wear her out through persuasion the results are not assured.

I used this approach and we now live less than 45 minutes from a couple of pretty good hills where I run season passes. We all make our own heaven or hell in the end. 25 days a season is respectable, and a red convertible might cost you far less in the end.

 

[Tricia]

My wife says a lot about waiting till the kids are in college, but I like your perspective on them being able to have experienced that as “home”.

UNR is a great college