Living in Red Lodge Beta

**SUPERIOR** · 05-30-2015, 12:23 PM

Hey all,

I have a job opportunity in Red Lodge, MT - (boss wants to do a phone interview next week).

Has anyone ever lived there?

It's been years since I've been out that way, but what I can remember about the place is pretty awesome.

If you have, what's the housing situation like?

Does everyone commute from Billings or what?

Thanks for your collective help ...

**mntlion** · 05-30-2015, 03:08 PM

might have more luck in this thread?
http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...-Whatev-Thread

**yeahman** · 06-01-2015, 06:10 PM

Been there a bunch, never lived there. A friend of mine lived there and he said the place is packed with 40-something single (divorced) women (from Billings?) who have moved there and are aching to hook up.

Red Lodge Brewery is a fun place to hang out and perhaps look for said women.

Sorry that's all I got.

**biggins** · 06-02-2015, 08:08 AM

About an hour from Red Lodge to Billings. Billings is pretty under-the-radar cool with some great trail riding right in town (the Rims) and a killer beer scene ($99/year beer only liquor licenses!). I, however, would rather live in RL and go to Billings when I got stir-crazy.

2nd RL Brewery- an awesome place with great beer.

Also- Red Rover Bicycles in Billings is a great shop. Brian is the man. Join one of their rides (they're in RL often in summer and winter) and you'll meet some great folks.

**Sirshredalot** · 06-02-2015, 09:26 AM

I think living in Red Lodge would be nice. The touring opportunities are MUCH better for skiing than the lift-served, but the lift-served isn't bad when you get a good snow year. If I lived there, I would want a sled and a reliable ski buddy or two.

The town is just big enough to have the necessary essentials. I don't think housing costs would be near enough to push me to commute an hour or more each way from Billings. There is some amount of retirees or second home owners in that area, but it doesn't seem to be enough to force housing costs through the roof. And the local economy is pretty sleepy.

Good luck with your phone interview.

**Meadow Skipper** · 06-02-2015, 12:04 PM

Originally Posted by yeahman

Been there a bunch, never lived there. A friend of mine lived there and he said the place is packed with 40-something single (divorced) women (from Billings?) who have moved there and are aching to hook up.

Red Lodge Brewery is a fun place to hang out and perhaps look for said women.

A little thread drift here. Back in '88 I had been working continually on fires for months, first in Alaska then in the Yellowstone shitshow. At one point I managed to score a couple of days of R&R in Red Lodge. After a long shower and nice dinner, I headed (of course) to the bar where a band was playing. Much to my amazement and wonderment, I managed to hook up with a married backpacker woman from the Twin Cities who fell for the rugged Alaskan firefighter bullshit. It was like a gift from the gods. I remember her very fondly and gratefully.

So I've always thought really well of Red Lodge, even though I've never been back. But I've been to Billings, and you'd much, much rather live in Red Lodge IMO. For one thing, there's a little ski area, and the very, very cool Beartooths are right there.

**biggins** · 06-02-2015, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by Meadow Skipper

the very, very cool Beartooths are right there.

This cannot be overstated. In 20 minutes you climb 6000' to the Beartooth Plateau, pretty much right from town. One of the most amazing places I've ever spent time and it will be your back yard if you live in Red Lodge.

**yeahman** · 06-02-2015, 05:27 PM

More thread drift...years ago my buddy moved to RL and started working at the Crazy Creek Chair factory. Long story short he ended up hooking up with the wife of the guy who owned the place (who is sadly dead now, RIP). Dramatic small town scandal ensued, as you can imagine.

One night the Crazy Creek guy got wasted downtown and came over to my buddy's house, banged on his door, screaming, etc. My friend gets out of bed, stark naked, and answers the door. Crazy Creek guy stumbles into the kitchen and they start wrestling around until finally my friend (did I mention he was naked) finally got the best of the guy and managed to get him out of the house.

And BTW my buddy is still with that little lady...this was like 20-something years ago.

**2FUNKY** · 06-02-2015, 06:31 PM

Your buddy doesn't know she is banging another dude on the side for the last 20 years though.

**cloud cult** · 06-03-2015, 08:43 AM

Dude, things would have to be pretty dire for you to work in Red Lodge but live in Billings.

**Gepeto** · 06-03-2015, 11:04 AM

Thread centering...

Working on a long term exit strategy from flatland metropolis and RL looks intriguing.
The compass is pretty erratic at this stage; just a place to live out my last 20/30 years and set my head stone.
I've nosed around MT just a little and what stuck out the most was the lack of diversity.
Does this hold true in RL too?

btw: Other options currently on the dart board are taos and fernie. any intel on milf hunting is always interesting.

**BFD** · 06-03-2015, 12:21 PM

I would not move anywhere for a job. made my first trip to the Beartooth Mts. very impressed. Huge terrain maybe lacking snow quanity and quality. Unlimited rock climbing. fairly uncrowded. Cody or Red lodge, Boulder CO. without all the bullshit.

**2FUNKY** · 06-03-2015, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by BFD

I would not move anywhere for a job. made my first trip to the Beartooth Mts. very impressed. Huge terrain maybe lacking snow quanity and quality. Unlimited rock climbing. fairly uncrowded. Cody or Red lodge, Boulder CO. without all the bullshit.

This year was a low snow year. On a normal year that area gets plenty.

**Notchtop** · 06-03-2015, 03:01 PM

Live here currently.
Housing: ebbs and flows. Housing is kind of hard to come by if you rent, but prices are more than reasonable. Houses here cost more than normal to buy, yet rent is fairly low, so not a lot of investor rentals. Good rentals tend to be owned by somebody whose great granddad built the place in 1907.
Snow: fairly epic and unreliable. We were hurting like the rest of the west this season then got 125 inches in the three weeks following Presidents' Day. Feast or famine.
Economy: sluggish. This is a summer tourism town. Period.
Skiing: I like RLM for its variety of below tree line terrain. Lots of woods and moguls and chute like shots. Zero bowls or anything even remotely like a wide trail. No lift lines. Ever.
BC skiing: nothing really easy to access in midwinter. There's long flat canyons leading out of town and approaches tend to be lengthy. When the pass opens that changes dramatically. However some very very good ski mountaineers live around here.
Culture: very small town. Has ups and downs.
Diversity: I assume you mean ethnic diversity. If so, we got a Japanese lady, a black lady, a half black dude, and two Mexicans.
Let me know what else you want to know.
Billings is a shithole.

Edit: we got a Jew too. Forgot. Just picked her up last season.

**Shredhead** · 06-03-2015, 03:27 PM

Only two Mexicans?

How do you get anything done?

**Notchtop** · 06-03-2015, 04:26 PM

You've never seen so many Anglos on roofs in yer life.

**Gepeto** · 06-03-2015, 07:09 PM

Originally Posted by Notchtop

You've never seen so many Anglos on roofs in yer life.

Hey, congratulations on the jew.

If you intend to get real close, bring a bottle brush

**enlosandes** · 06-03-2015, 08:31 PM

It should be mentioned the ski area is currently for sale.

**Notchtop** · 06-03-2015, 08:45 PM

^^^ Also the golf course. You need one?

**cloud cult** · 06-04-2015, 08:48 AM

You forgot the two Indians who run the Lupine Inn.

**yeahman** · 06-04-2015, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by cloud cult

You forgot the two Indians who run the Lupine Inn.

Yeah! That's where I stay. They're nice folks. How they ended up in Red Lodge I have no idea.

**cloud cult** · 06-04-2015, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by yeahman

Yeah! That's where I stay. They're nice folks. How they ended up in Red Lodge I have no idea.

They were super nice, but the place was too dirty for me. Also, the smaller guy burst into our room as we were checking out and started telling me where to put a 'four maybe five dollar tip'. I didn't leave a tip, and then he confronted me in the hallway, saying 'no tip? no tip?' Then when I was in the snow loading the truck he was standing in our room, banging on the window, trying to get my attention.

**yeahman** · 06-04-2015, 01:48 PM

The place is kind of a dump, but pretty cheap and has a pool for the kids, which is their reward for enduring yet another torturous hike lol. But your experience sounds pretty bizarre. I'd stay somewhere else but don't really know where so we always seem to end up at the Lupine.

**tellybele** · 06-04-2015, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by yeahman

The place is kind of a dump, but pretty cheap and has a pool for the kids, which is their reward for enduring yet another torturous hike lol. But your experience sounds pretty bizarre. I'd stay somewhere else but don't really know where so we always seem to end up at the Lupine.

I tried staying there back in 2011 and it was too spendy, we got there at 10 and it was dumping rain. Just said screw it and hit the KOA on the other side of town. If you can't get on fed/state lands, the KOA's I've been to in E.MT are the way to IMO.

Eat B at the Regis. Nice owners and my fav B spot in RedLodge.