New Home Ski Area

[Dave Petersen]

With our son heading off to a music conservatory or college this fall I am just daydreaming of where someday we would like to move. In high school and college I wanted to move to Vail. Ever since then I/we have wanted to move to Breckenridge (where we do have a timeshare).

Any more with all of the I-70 traffic and crowds I have been thinking smaller, more remote and less expensive places.

Just a few I have been pondering:

Salida - Ski Monarch
Glenwood Springs - Sunlight
Leadville - Ski Cooper
Laramie or Ft. Collins - Snowy Range
Boise - Bogus Basin
Duluth - Ski Lutsen

I could be very satisfied with a small ski area since I spend 40 plus days a year now just skiing the Midwest not counting trips to the Rockies.

Ideally we would stay somewhat in the middle of the country to be within a days drive of family in the Midwest.

Thoughts? I have been checking the web for cost of living.

Monarch

Ski Cooper

Sunlight

Snowy Range

Bogus Basin

Lutsen

@TimD59

 

[Core2]

I love Salida and Monarch. That whole area is just so unf*cked with. The ski area has a great small town vibe and is ran by a group of investors that "get it." You'd have a hard time selling me on living anywhere else in CO. Gunnison is another option. It puts you within striking distance of both Monarch and Crested Butte.

 

[Michael Kane]

Last year, a buddy and I went on a ski road trip (from the Midwest) and hit both Ski Cooper and Sunlight. I totally enjoyed the vibe and skiing at both places. Another place I would maybe suggest would be Powderhorn and the Grand Junction area. We really enjoyed that as well. My buddy went so far as to buy a Ski Cooper pass this past year and was going to head back out this past year for a prolonged trip. If they offer the same pass this year, it is a good deal as it had a little of tie-ins with other areas. My daughter and I are also looking at doing the same trip in 2018. It was nice to get away from any crowds, cheap lift tickets and was a bag of chips.

 

[Ken_R]

With our son heading off to a music conservatory or college this fall I am just daydreaming of where someday we would like to move. In high school and college I wanted to move to Vail. Ever since then I/we have wanted to move to Breckenridge (where we do have a timeshare).

Any more with all of the I-70 traffic and crowds I have been thinking smaller, more remote and less expensive places.

Just a few I have been pondering:

Salida - Ski Monarch
Glenwood Springs - Sunlight
Leadville - Ski Cooper
Laramie or Ft. Collins - Snowy Range
Boise - Bogus Basin
Duluth - Ski Lutsen

I could be very satisfied with a small ski area since I spend 40 plus days a year now just skiing the Midwest not counting trips to the Rockies.

Ideally we would stay somewhat in the middle of the country to be within a days drive of family in the Midwest.

Thoughts? I have been checking the web for cost of living.

View attachment 22334
Monarch

View attachment 22335
Ski Cooper

View attachment 22336
Sunlight

Salida seems like the best option by far of the ones you mentioned. It is an outdoor playground and within reasonable driving distance of most of the main ski areas in Colorado. Wolf Creek is just 2 hours away.

 

[Dwight]

Go where all the other Midwest people quietly go to, https://bridgerbowl.com/. Of course now homes/condos are a little more, but in 2008 they were a steal.

 

[Dwight]

Last year, a buddy and I went on a ski road trip (from the Midwest) and hit both Ski Cooper and Sunlight. I totally enjoyed the vibe and skiing at both places. Another place I would maybe suggest would be Powderhorn and the Grand Junction area. We really enjoyed that as well. My buddy went so far as to buy a Ski Cooper pass this past year and was going to head back out this past year for a prolonged trip. If they offer the same pass this year, it is a good deal as it had a little of tie-ins with other areas. My daughter and I are also looking at doing the same trip in 2018. It was nice to get away from any crowds, cheap lift tickets and was a bag of chips.

I just found out that our local hill in Wisconsin gets 3 free days at Cooper with the season pass. Hopefully next year will be the year to go.

 

[Dave Petersen]

 

[Philpug]

View attachment 22351

The sun looks awful bright in the UP.

While it is still cheap, we loooove. Reno. You have Mt. Rose as a small area to ski out of. But, we are validating our own decision.

 

[Bad Bob]

If you are talking about Boise think about Ogden. Snowbasin would make a very nice local hill.

Another that gets no love ever is Pocatello ID, Pebble Creek is a very cool ski area that gets very little love, and often looked at as a mini-Jackson Hole. You could do worse.

As Northwesterners we choose to head back to Spokane; which wouldn't be too much more driving than Boise to the Midwest. I have a season pass for 49* North and getting one for Mt. Spokane (if I don't find myself on the wrong side of Wyoming again next winter for work) total cost about $400. Coeur d'Alene is just down the road if you want somewhere a little smaller, and lots of small towns around here.

 

[SBrown]

I'd look hard at Glenwood. Not only do you have Sunlight right there, you're an hour from the four Aspen areas, an hour from Beaver Creek, and a little more than an hour to Vail and Copper (and that's the uncrowded part of I-70).

Leadville is not quite as livable, and it's well over 10k ft, which can be problematic. (That said, I think it's good investment material right now.) Salida is super cool, but not as accessible as Glenwood. PM me if you have any more specific questions.

 

[pais alto]

The one day drive to the Midwest is kind of important here. There are a lot of nice little areas scattered around the west, but they should be evaluated for the drive to the Midwest destination. I guess it depends a lot on what part of the Midwest.

 

[Dave Petersen]

The one day drive to the Midwest is kind of important here. There are a lot of nice little areas scattered around the west, but they should be evaluated for the drive to the Midwest destination. I guess it depends a lot on what part of the Midwest.

Omaha

 

[Dave Petersen]

The sun looks awful bright in the UP.

I think Trump was testing a M.O.A.B. over Boyne.

 

[Dave Petersen]

If you are talking about Boise think about Ogden. Snowbasin would make a very nice local hill.

Another that gets no love ever is Pocatello ID, Pebble Creek is a very cool ski area that gets very little love, and often looked at as a mini-Jackson Hole. You could do worse.

As Northwesterners we choose to head back to Spokane; which wouldn't be too much more driving than Boise to the Midwest. I have a season pass for 49* North and getting one for Mt. Spokane (if I don't find myself on the wrong side of Wyoming again next winter for work) total cost about $400. Coeur d'Alene is just down the road if you want somewhere a little smaller, and lots of small towns around here.

I've even thought about Lookout Mountain in Idaho. Just a couple weeks ago they had an ad for a Social Media Director -- a job which I probably would enjoy.

Lookout Pass

 

[nay]

Key question - long term access to medical care. I would move to Eagle County to retire if I could.

It is very difficult to live in the mountains close to higher end critical care not to mention world class orthopedic services. Further not to mention a generally progressive rather than rural gun toting culture. And still two hours from a world class International airport.

I'll second Glenwood Springs/Carbondale or even Grand Junction, but my soul is off in the Utah desert so I am pulled that way. Georgetown to stay close to Denver and ski Loveland? Yes, before Leadville long term. Denver rocks for cultural facilities in the west. Loveland rocks generally and is closest to Denver and forever least crowded. You'll stand in line at Cooper before Loveland.

Still. Funky vibe at 70? I'd rather have access to cultural facilities and skiing. None of us live forever.

 

[Dave Petersen]

I'd look hard at Glenwood. Not only do you have Sunlight right there, you're an hour from the four Aspen areas, an hour from Beaver Creek, and a little more than an hour to Vail and Copper (and that's the uncrowded part of I-70).

Leadville is not quite as livable, and it's well over 10k ft, which can be problematic. (That said, I think it's good investment material right now.) Salida is super cool, but not as accessible as Glenwood. PM me if you have any more specific questions.

Yeah, I have driven through Leadville a few times and it seems to have a lot of old mining equipment laying around, junk cars, etc. But the downtown area seems kind of funky cool.

 

[nay]

Yeah, I have driven through Leadville a few times and it seems to have a lot of old mining equipment laying around, junk cars, etc. But the downtown area seems kind of funky cool.

Leadville's vibe is the extreme endurance events in the summer. Awesome summer vibe and the out your door mining history is really cool.

And you could pick up a historical 2 bedroom basic renovation project for under $120K. But those are long relatively isolated winters @ 10K and the surrounding mountains like Massive don't grant easy access.

I really dig Leadville, and I know several people who have their second homes there, but if I lived in Leadville I'd want a second home in Cherry Creek.

 

[pais alto]

So if by one day drive to Omaha, you mean 10 hours or less, that narrows things pretty much to Colorado/Wyoming. Stretch it to 12 hours and you could add New Mexico.

Farther even... Have you heard of Red Lodge MT?

 

[Dave Petersen]

So if by one day drive to Omaha, you mean 10 hours or less, that narrows things pretty much to Colorado/Wyoming. Stretch it to 12 hours and you could add New Mexico.

Farther even... Have you heard of Red Lodge MT?

Yeah, I have been to Red Lodge in the summer -- cool little town.

I have some friends living in Santa Fe and that looks great. My wife spent her summers in New Mexico while in college and grad school. She led hikes at the Philmont Scout Ranch. She spent time at Taos, Red River and Angel Fire.

 

[Tricia]

I think Trump was testing a M.O.A.B. over Boyne.

More like Iron Mountain.