The downside to moving west?

[Tricia]

Meanwhile, I wouldn't be living in the mountains if it weren't for those small hills in Michigan where I went from pizza to french fry.
I wouldn't have made my first trip to Colorado if it hadn't been for the first trip I took to Stowe and found out how much fun a mountain could be....
and so on.

 

[Don in Morrison]

Hey, that's not fair! Sometimes it is edgeable.

(If you have any edges, you Western skier, you.)

Edges? I thought those were there just to keep the P-Tex from getting frayed.

 

[David Chaus]

Hey, that's not fair! Sometimes it is edgeable.

(If you have any edges, you Western skier, you.)

Edges??!! Hah!! We don't need no steeenkin' edges!

 

[Muleski]

Comical comments about skiing in the East. It's not that bad. It's a function of location, elevation, snowmaking capacity, grooming and of course Mother Nature. It can be great, and it can suck. The great days are fewer, and the sucky days more frequent. No question. And there is a lot more gray, and less bluebird.

We've hosted a number of pretty hard core Western natives, including guys who run and OWN very large areas, and they have actually enjoyed the skiing. Shocking as that may be. It has also been in March, in decent snow years. Key factors.

Is it like skiing in the West? Absolutely not.
Our kids had great friends who they raced with in college, in the East. Kids who grew up in some of the West's biggest ski towns. They seemed to think that Eastern skiing was pretty decent most of the time. Then again, they may have missed the 24 hours of driving rain followed by wind and a 40 degree drop on temps! Nobody stayed after graduation for the skiing!

Objectively, it's not close to the same in the East. But it's much better than most native Westerners realize....at some places. Big, North, etc.

There will be very few competitors at this year's US Alpine Nationals who will leave Sugarloaf thinking that it sucks. And none from the West planning to move!

Our son spent two PG years with a big Western Club. Incredible free skiing during a great snow year, followed by a record one. He joked that he would never be the same. And he wasn't! We left the East four days after his college graduation.

Downsides to moving West to ski? Huh? Zip, zero, scratch! If it's a ski decision, do it!!!

 

[skibob]

Edges??!! Hah!! We don't need no steeenkin' edges!

Need a "three amigos" visual to go with this

 

[Lorenzzo]

Well there's the west and then there's the west. I've spent most of my life amongst the surf mongering, pot smoking, Mercedes on the freeway idling, money lusting, appearance driven westerners of California but now I'm dodging the bible thumping, lynch mobbing, dust eating, powder jonesing, fire and brimstone westerners of Utah.

I'm considering putting down amongst the bear sh.tting, beard growing, rifle toting, claim staking westerners of Montana or Wyoming. I'd think about Colorado, but I just don't know what effect living amongst the standing in line at the dispensary waiting for it to open in the morning, I-70 idling, Davey Crockett in their minds westerners of Colorado would have. There is an Arcteryx outlet there however.

 

[skibob]

Well there's the west and then there's the west. I've spent most of my life amongst the surf mongering, pot smoking, Mercedes on the freeway idling, money lusting, appearance driven westerners of California but now I'm dodging the bible thumping, lynch mobbing, dust eating, powder jonesing, fire and brimstone westerners of Utah.

I'm considering putting down amongst the bear sh.tting, beard growing, rifle toting, claim staking westerners of Montana or Wyoming. I'd think about Colorado, but I just don't know what effect living amongst the standing in line at the dispensary waiting for it to open in the morning, I-70 idling, Davey Crockett in their minds westerners of Colorado would have. There is an Arcteryx outlet there however.

We've got ourselves a virtual Samuel Clemens here . . .

 

[Monique]

Been thinking about retiring to Bozeman. I imagine (?) that it's cheaper there than Breck ...

 

[ski otter 2]

Been in San Diego since the age of 3. Any further west I'd be swimming. Downside? Too damn crowded... <grumble> <grumble>

Yeah, sometimes you California-crowded folks head off for Hawaii or rebound back towards us.

 

[ski otter 2]

Been thinking about retiring to Bozeman. I imagine (?) that it's cheaper there than Breck ...

Maybe you'll run into Brad Pitt, bigger than life, with bears and pack horses.

My college roommate and climbing partner grew up in Great Falls, Mont., and became a diabetes doctor in Billings, eventually, after med school and residency stints here in Colorado.

I visited up there for a summer in my youth, centered in Helena, and the Boulder River. The fishing was amazing, just like in A River Runs Through It , and I was a good enough fly fisherman to appreciate it.

A Big Sky place, all right.

 

[Brian Likes Pow]

Some of the firmest snow Ive ever experienced in my life was in Tahoe. Its not the norm but it happens. Ive also had some really deep snow skiing back east....those days don't come as often as the west but they do come.

Its all good. Its more about the positive day to day vibes you carry than where you live IMO. Put me on a molehill in North Carolina with marginal snow and I'll most likely be having a blast!

 

[janeskis]

I'm considering putting down amongst the bear sh.tting, beard growing, rifle toting, claim staking westerners of Montana or Wyoming. I'd think about Colorado, but I just don't know what effect living amongst the standing in line at the dispensary waiting for it to open in the morning, I-70 idling, Davey Crockett in their minds westerners of Colorado would have. There is an Arcteryx outlet there however.

There's a lot more to Colorado than the Front Range/Denver area.

 

[cantunamunch]

OK, I'll play: if I wanted flat water recreation and inline skating, where in Colorado would I go?

FWIW Denver has an awesome network of skateable trails.

 

[Tricia]

Comical comments about skiing in the East. It's not that bad. It's a function of location, elevation, snowmaking capacity, grooming and of course Mother Nature. It can be great, and it can suck. The great days are fewer, and the sucky days more frequent. No question. And there is a lot more gray, and less bluebird.

We've hosted a number of pretty hard core Western natives, including guys who run and OWN very large areas, and they have actually enjoyed the skiing. Shocking as that may be. It has also been in March, in decent snow years. Key factors.

Is it like skiing in the West? Absolutely not.
Our kids had great friends who they raced with in college, in the East. Kids who grew up in some of the West's biggest ski towns. They seemed to think that Eastern skiing was pretty decent most of the time. Then again, they may have missed the 24 hours of driving rain followed by wind and a 40 degree drop on temps! Nobody stayed after graduation for the skiing!

Objectively, it's not close to the same in the East. But it's much better than most native Westerners realize....at some places. Big, North, etc.

There will be very few competitors at this year's US Alpine Nationals who will leave Sugarloaf thinking that it sucks. And none from the West planning to move!

Our son spent two PG years with a big Western Club. Incredible free skiing during a great snow year, followed by a record one. He joked that he would never be the same. And he wasn't! We left the East four days after his college graduation.

Downsides to moving West to ski? Huh? Zip, zero, scratch! If it's a ski decision, do it!!!

I recall an ESA at Stowe when Nolo was one of the instructors and she was pretty impressed with the snow at Stowe. In fact, when I arrived at Stowe a day late because I had flight issues from a big storm, she had remarkable grin on her face from the amazing powder day skiing with the crew.

 

[Read Blinn]

I recall an ESA at Stowe when Nolo was one of the instructors and she was pretty impressed with the snow at Stowe. In fact, when I arrived at Stowe a day late because I had flight issues from a big storm, she had remarkable grin on her face from the amazing powder day skiing with the crew.

It can happen. I remember it having happened.

 

[Lorenzzo]

There's a lot more to Colorado than the Front Range/Denver area.

I was describing stereotypes. Feel free to add.

 

[Core2]

The "west" on this forum seems to be CO or Tahoe. I get ridiculed for living where I do but I honestly consider AZ to be one of the best places in the west. I am 2 hrs from skiing, 5 hrs from ocean and very close to some of the most scenic, unspoiled and beautiful places on planet earth. Plus, I don't have to freeze my balls off every winter unless I want to. The west to me is being able to pick your happiness and we get to do it here and we can actually afford it without having to live in a van.

 

[babanff]

I'm pretty sure you didn't move to Nelson. And I'm also pretty sure you're not that fond of poutine.

I've heard Nelson has good food... I'm 5 hrs away in AB, but hopefully I'll get there this winter to taste test for myself. And I enjoy poutine, but I enjoy functioning arteries even more!

 

[Read Blinn]

I might have said one of the downsides is lift ticket prices, but Stowe hit $124 this year: http://www.newenglandskiindustry.com/viewstory.php?storyid=486

On the bright side, it now takes only 18.7 days to pay off the $2313 season pass, down from 21.7 days for a $1996 pass in 2011.

Pass prices are not a downside, you'll note.

 

[Lorenzzo]

I might have said one of the downsides is lift ticket prices, but Stowe hit $124 this year: http://www.newenglandskiindustry.com/viewstory.php?storyid=486

On the bright side, it now takes only 18.7 days to pay off the $2313 season pass, down from 21.7 days for a $1996 pass in 2011.

Pass prices are not a downside, you'll note.

Interesting that Stowe's season pass price is higher than Deer Valley's...at least comparing the early season rate.