Best major city for skiing and work?

[john_i_am]

I am looking to relocate to a city with good skiing close by. I'm a bartender so i work the weekends and play during the week.

Top of the list for me right now is Portland, Oregon. Located within an hour of Mt Hood, I think this would be ideal. I have also been thinking about Denver.

So what I am looking for is... Close proximity skiing, plenty of busy bars to work at, decently priced real estate and overall good place to live.

If you have an opinion on this that would be greatly appreciated.

[Phill]

Vancouver?

[john_i_am]

That would be ideal but I'm looking to relocate pretty much for good. I want to buy a home and establish a permanent residence. I think that might be a hassle in vancouver.

[tylerjames]

salt lake?

[zombinate]

salt lake?

Overall good place to live? This is why I would rule out Anchorage as well.

What about Reno?

[john_i_am]

kind of worried about bartending in salt lake... reno could be an option. is it a good place to live?

[iggyskier]

Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Reno, Salt Lake City, and Denver would all be on my list.

I grew up in Colorado and spent 4 years in Washington before moving down to Portland last year.

Skiing here is not what it is out of the other cities listed, but as far as living goes, I would current take Portland over the rest.

But it is all personal preference though, so best bet would probably be to visit each one. Gives you a good excuse to ski at some new places as well. Pretty sure there is no shortage of bars in any of the cities listed, so you are probably covered on that front.

[john_i_am]

Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Reno, Salt Lake City, and Denver would all be on my list.

I grew up in Colorado and spent 4 years in Washington before moving down to Portland last year.

Skiing here is not what it is out of the other cities listed, but as far as living goes, I would current take Portland over the rest.

But it is all personal preference though, so best bet would probably be to visit each one. Gives you a good excuse to ski at some new places as well. Pretty sure there is no shortage of bars in any of the cities listed, so you are probably covered on that front.

Thank you iggy.. That was the kind of reply I was looking for. I am originally from Seattle so I am used to the northwest. How is the drive from Portland to Mt Hood? Which of the areas on Hood do you prefer? I have only been to meadows.

[TBS]

Consider Boise while you are at it.

As far as Portland goes...real estate is expensive compared to the others on your list (except Seattle). And under an hour to Mount Hood? Only if you live in Gresham and ski at The Bowl.

[iceman]

kill kill kill kill kill kill kill

[Phill]

kill kill kill kill kill kill kill

are you alright?

[adrenalated]

Bartending seems like a job that you can do in a ski town and have much better skiing than in any major city. Jackson, SW Colorado, BC, etc.

[DHogg]

Bartending seems like a job that you can do in a ski town and have much better skiing than in any major city. Jackson, SW Colorado, BC, etc.

Agreed, but only in the winter...

[john_i_am]

yeah i'm not looking for something seasonal... i want to buy a house, so i want something that is consistent. eventually i'm not going to be bartending and i think a bigger city will provide more opportunity for career after skiing and bartending.

[BigBollocks]

Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Seattle, Denver? Those are all AT LEAST 1 hour to the slopes right? Reno and Salt Lake City are the only ones where you are going to be skiing in less then 30 min from your place of residence..... Oh and those first 5 are super expensive house-wise but the latter two are super cheap.

[powdork]

don't rule out south lake tahoe. it's the only ski destination i know of where summer is the busier season. jobs are tough to come by now, but real estate is equally deflated.
i don't think it is city money though.

[iggyskier]

Thank you iggy.. That was the kind of reply I was looking for. I am originally from Seattle so I am used to the northwest. How is the drive from Portland to Mt Hood? Which of the areas on Hood do you prefer? I have only been to meadows.

Timberline is pointless. Skibowl is low, but fun when the snow level is low enough to keep the snow good. Meadows has good shots if you know where to go.

I avoid weekends at all cost, so usually skiing midweek. I usually hit meadows from around 9-2:30, then hop in the car and rip skibowl until upper bowl is all chewed up and then bail, usually around 6PM.

Terrain is definitely the most limited of all the cities listed, but it is fun enough as long as the snow is good.

Edit to add - I definitely hope to travel to ski a bit as well. I expect to spend a number of days skiing out of Seattle and SLC this season.

It usually takes me 1hr - 1hr 10 min from my Apt in NW portland to get to skibowl, 1 hr 20 - 1 hr 30 to meadows. With meadows, depends if I go 26 or 84 to 35 as well. If traffic is good on 26, usually a few minutes shorter than going 84-35.

Roads are usually fine until you are pretty close to Govy, in which case it is nice to have good tires and not have to chain up.

And under an hour to Mount Hood? Only if you live in Gresham and ski at The Bowl.

Agreed, but I have definitely made it from NW to Skibowl right around 60 minutes a number of times. I do drive faster than most people here, though,

Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Seattle, Denver? Those are all AT LEAST 1 hour to the slopes right? Reno and Salt Lake City are the only ones where you are going to be skiing in less then 30 min from your place of residence..... Oh and those first 5 are super expensive house-wise but the latter two are super cheap.

I think the difference lies in whether or not you would be happier living in a larger city with a more urban feel. As awesome as the access in SLC and Reno is, they just are not going to have the city life/options you will get in the other 4. Hell, even Portland is sort of on the line between large town/small city (at least in terms of feel). There is no denying that the access in SLC/Reno is better, though. Definitely jealous of it.

[p@wder]

Europe (Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Zurich, Innsbruck, Munich, Vienna, Milan, Turin)

[Ski to Be]

If you grew up in Seattle then you know how good it is here. I went through the same process & ended up moving here. You can live on the East side & are only 30 minutes from either the city or the mountains. SLC is compelling but Park City might be better if you are a bartender. Ski touring here is second to none when it comes to the length of the season & access. My 2 cents

[john_i_am]

Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Seattle, Denver? Those are all AT LEAST 1 hour to the slopes right? Reno and Salt Lake City are the only ones where you are going to be skiing in less then 30 min from your place of residence..... Oh and those first 5 are super expensive house-wise but the latter two are super cheap.

def going to tahoe this winter... i don't know about living in reno though.. there are a few condos i have been looking at around stateline... really hard to get financing though due to a large number of vacancies.

a friend of mine said that the south shore has taken a big hit in the job market and the north shore is just a little too expensive for me. the roads through carson city and the carson valley make 15 miles a 45 minute trip...

better bartending gig creates more money in the travel fund...

[john_i_am]

If you grew up in Seattle then you know how good it is here. I went through the same process & ended up moving here. You can live on the East side & are only 30 minutes from either the city or the mountains. SLC is compelling but Park City might be better if you are a bartender. Ski touring here is second to none when it comes to the length of the season & access. My 2 cents

yeah i am originally from issaquah.. scored the first touchdown in skyline high schools history (my al bundy moment). seattle is cool, i don't think i want to move back though. skiing conditions are very tempermental in seattle but most of all i would like something new.

i enjoy the west coast way of life which causes me to be aprehensive to moving to denver or slc. idealy i would move to tahoe but i dont think the jobs are there to sustain a comfortable life.

-on the note of real estate costs. portland really isn't much more expensive than denver or slc. 1100-1300 sq ft condos between 130k and 200k are very plentiful. i think denver needs to be on my list of places to go this winter as well.

[Rasputin]

Um, while I don't want to disparage the low angle expanses of Mt. Hood, I find it laughable that someone would consider living 60 miles from a mountain, thinking they were close to skiing.

There are like 30 bars in 12 square blocks of downtown Missoula, which is 30 minutes from Snowbowl, if you hit traffic on the road.

No, wait, it sucks here, move to a big city far from the lifts, big cities rule!

[powdherb]

Europe (Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Zurich, Innsbruck, Munich, Vienna, Milan, Turin)

Agreed.


Reno sucks. Really. I don't consider it a city in any way.

I've lived in Seattle, Tahoe, and SLC. If you're concerned about skiing in any way, live in SLC. There is no shortage of bars there or park city. If you're a bartender it's not like you can't find a job near a real ski area anyway. If you live in portland/seattle, you're going to driving a lot more than skiing.

[liv2ski]

don't rule out south lake tahoe. it's the only ski destination i know of where summer is the busier season. jobs are tough to come by now, but real estate is equally deflated.
i don't think it is city money though.

It is??? I don't know the Tahoe area very well and as my wife is a CA teacher, I was looking for NV communities to live in within a shorter drive to SLT and I came up with Zephyr Cove. Fucking expensive, but looks like a nice place to spend your days.
OP, sorry for the thread jack, but I too would like to know of areas around SLT that would work for my situation.

[powder_prophet]

SLC has, bar none, the best access to skiing. And the skiing is absolutely world-class. Despite the stigma, the city has a fun, young crowd with a good bar scene. There are also plenty of options for more "professional" work.

SLC also has the remarkable opportunity of being in Utah. You'll live within a few hours of beautiful mountains, red rock deserts, legendary rock climbing, endless hiking and mountain biking, amazing rivers, etc.

Denver is alright, but is much more securely in suburbia. You have to go up and out of the plains to get to the good stuff.