In your opinion what are the pros and cons of living and skiing at these places. I am not just talking skiing, but also night life, housing options, living expenses, transportation, parking, stores (grocery/ski/hardware...) and anything else.
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In your opinion what are the pros and cons of living and skiing at these places. I am not just talking skiing, but also night life, housing options, living expenses, transportation, parking, stores (grocery/ski/hardware...) and anything else.
why are you limiting your options to those two?
It seems that a lot of Breck is a brobrah fashion show, like who can wear the most items of clothing while spending a fortune and still looking like dbags. As far as the skiing goes, it doesn't really compare to Vail. Breck has some good skiing via lake chutes, chair 6, and E chair, as well as some hike to stuff, but it gets skied out very fast (or windblown), with the exception of lake chutes and hike to stuff. The park is always one of the best however. Everyone thinks vail is flat (which it is) but it is so big that you can always find something fun, especially if you like side country stuff. Besides, maching down Ghengis or Red Square on a powder day never really gets old. Both have plenty of stores and are comparable in terms of rent. There's a decent nightlife in both towns. Good buses in both towns but you can't get from Vail to Breck or vise versa via bus. Vail has an interstae running through the middle of it whereas Breck does not.
Vail sucks. Clean and simple. Yeah, why are you asking dumb questions? No bullshit here. Vail truly sucks DICK, you JONG.
Because I have been asked to work at both of them. And thank you pancake i was expecting to hear some of that shit with this thread. But for someone that has only skied these places a couple of times, it would be nice to have an insiders opinion before i decide where to live for the winter. i know with breck you have keystone right there as well with a basin up the road and bc with vail. I have not skied any of those three yet. so i figure that plays into the decision as well.
edit: is there a free bus that runs from frisco to breck?
Totally different vibe between the two. Breck is in Scummit and is very Bro/Brah. Much better nightlife scene in Breck. I prefer the skiing in Eagle County...but I ive here so I'm bias.
Breck has more of a "ski town" atmosphere. Vail is strictly a resort, all of the nightlife is in Vail Village. All of the locals live in the outskirts, usually with a sweet view of I-70 (East Vail, West Vail, Eagle Vail, Avon etc.) Both towns have good public transportation. Vail does offer more skiing options but it is flat as shit and you'll spend a ton of time on the cat tracks getting to and from the back side. Summit county has A-Basin which is kick ass...good place to go ski on your day off if you're working at Breck. Beaver Creek is fun also, good tree skiing and good side country. More accessible than Vail.
I guess it depends on what type of "scene" you are into. I never spent much time at Breck or Keystone but spent 3 years in Vail / the Beav. The moral of the story is this...If I had to do it again I'd go to Utah.
I'd think you could find cheaper lodging in Breckenridge than Vail, but not by much. It seems like the Breck scene is more brobrah, while Vail has a lot more yuppies.
One very important question to ask yourself is how much time you want to spend in lift lines? at busy times, on powder days there can be lift lines at Vail, but there are high speed lifts everywhere and lots of ways to avoid crowds. Maybe Keystone has gotten better, but it seemed like a nightmare to me to get back to the frontside, slow gondola's and depressing lift lines at Ruby. I love A-Basin, but it has slow lifts and LOTS of people, long sucky lift lines there since it's so close to Denver and affordable.
I hate to admit, thought it still makes me laugh. I was talking on the phone to a client and they asked me if I was standing out on the street. No, I'm just in my office 100 feet away from I-70. I'm not complaining though, transplanting from Chicago, it's all just white noise to me. Upside of living on I-70, it's super easy to get around. Denver, Glenwood, Aspen, easy drives on a well maintained interstate.
One thing to remember, as Vail has aged, the "local" nightlife has mostly moved downvalley to Edwards. Beaver is great, but not so easy to access and far more trampled than it used to be. With more of the "local" population moving downvalley (close to Beaver Creek) and Vail parking prices rising, Beaver Creek is getting busier :frown:
i know one plus to breck is having the brewery right there... i love their beer. although i am sure they serve it in vail.
edit: although i am probably only going to be making enough to afford pbr
This simply isn't true. I've regularly experienced much longer lift lines at Vail than at A-Basin (minus the very early season shitshow). The reason being is that only so many people can park at A-Basin and ever since the Montezuma Chair went in, it's taken lots of pressure off of the frontside lifts. Sounds like you must only ski at A-Basin when all the other ski areas are closed.
douche vs. turd sandwich
The convenience factor of I-70 is pretty nice for sure. Trips to Denver are no problem. Edwards definitely became a super busy night spot toward the end of my time there (2005'ish). The Gore Range Brewery is a great spot. I spent a lot of nights crashing on somebody's couch so I wouldn't have to worry about getting back to West Vail.
if you live and work in Vail...you don't need to spend anytime in Edwards to party. You aren't gonna hook up with locals....you're gonna hook up and party with crazy partying vacationers. If you are young and want to party a ton, i'd pick Breck. If you don't care as much about partying and like to ski more reliable snow then I'd pick Vail. And yeah, Vail is flat....yadda yadda yadda....go somewhere else.
if you work in summit, your best bet is to either live in montezuma or summit cove - closest to the basin, and a more chill community in those places. unless you are jib master guy (then breck is it). abasin and montezuma are the best skiing in summit county. vail is spendy and not really a "town" but is better skiing for a few seasons. i would do avon, split time in beaver creek and vail skiing, and enjoy a more chill living scene personally.
it all comes down to your job and what you do.
Frisco, free bus tobreck, closer to more skiing and i70, cheaper rent. Or dilverthorne. Even cheaper and commute to breck. Personally, after many years in summit, I would never live in breck or vail, if you chose vail, I'd live in eagle or Edwards.
killington FTW.
I wouldn't live in Eagle if you paid me....might as well live in Denver.
After 15 years of living in the Summit County area (Dillon, Frisco, Blue River and then Alma for 8 years) and 13 years of working in Breck, I couldn't be happier living in Breckenridge. I can hop on a free shuttle and be at the Gondola or my work in less than 10 minutes or ride my bike. My wife and I are saving hundreds a month on gas and vehicle wear and tear. The neighborhood we live in has lots of families and my daughter goes to school right down the road. Everything is much more convenient and our quality of life has improved. I'm really diggin' living in Breck and have a sweet view taboot!
Not cost of living, mainly just don't like the ambiance of the towns. Breck especially, is just a little too touristy, feels like you are living in Disney world. I've always prefered the other side of the county, just a different attitude. Like I said, just personal preference
Brek is more a cowboy town and is pretty cool. Vail is a commuter town, not even really a town.
Bro brah is not bad, beats a bunch of angry douches.
Aspen is what Breckenridge tries to be, not in a bad way and Brek is just more cowboy/ranch.
It's like Betty vs Veronica.
What's TIger Run all about? This place is kinda nice.
http://rockies.craigslist.org/reo/1990070938.html