Rocky Mountain Suicide Belt

[AdironRider]

Bullshit. When you get old the powder is the easiest thing to ski (just like it is for every decent skier), and if you've managed to retire you can pick your days. Age is no reason to give it up. Bumps and trees OTOH . . .

Who said anything about quitting? I just won't live in the mountains most likely in old age and pick my days via plane, train or automobile.

[iceman]

There's a lot to be said for urban living when you're old, if you have money. Big if though.

[Nobody Famous]

A very eye opening topic.

I'm hoping to move and live the dream and all that in retirement. Even after reading this thread, the article and it's comments I don't see any greater downside to that strategy.

[skaredshtles]

<snip>
I'm hoping to move and live the dream and all that in retirement.

Don't wait until retirement. Unless, of course, you're going to retire at 35.

[~mikey b]

bumping this thread to bring this discussion back

[Percy Rideout]

Lots of people come out to Aspen on the end of their rope disguised as a good time.

[Skidog]

Lots of people come out to Aspen on the end of their rope disguised as a good time.

RIP Dexter Rutecki. #aspenextreme

Sent from my Pixel 4a (5G) using TGR Forums mobile app

[hikesalot]

Fuck. Just fuck. Friend committed suicide. 50s. Family. Goddamnit.

Who needs help? Please reach out. You have value. We all do.

[mcski]

Had a good friend pull the trigger last fall. He would have turned 44 today. 4 kids still in school. One of the smartest, funniest, charismatic, and humble people I’ve ever met. Spent most of the pandemic on a group project suicide watch and thought he was currently in good head space. Ya never know when it comes to Bipolar. Just Fuck indeed

[AdironRider]

Sorry to hear about your friend. Hope his family is able to gain some sense of normalcy.

On a completely different note, FastFred I am happy to report I made the jump to NH in 2021, landing in the Upper Valley (Dartmouth area). For every pow turn I've given up I've gained a run with no lift lines, no tourists, and a much more well rounded lifestyle. 10 out of 10, would recommend.

[fastfred]

On a completely different note, FastFred I am happy to report I made the jump to NH in 2021, landing in the Upper Valley (Dartmouth area). For every pow turn I've given up I've gained a run with no lift lines, no tourists, and a much more well rounded lifestyle. 10 out of 10, would recommend.

Great to hear. It's amazing up there and if I can swing three weeks off this summer I'll be up that way. Hitting the 27 year mark this May, honestly not sure I can function living anywhere else. Of course I went on one of my tirades about how this place sucks massively while hot tubbing Sunday night. All met with a few boo hoos from my audience.

The odd thing about all this is once you get away from the alcohol drug ski town party scene the number of people who off themselves in your circle seems to go down. Still want to reach out to brain dead fuck face who drove his car off a cliff a couple years ago. But between the alcohol and the brain damage it's hard to have a legit conversation. He claims it was an accident but part of me thinks he did it on purpose.

[ötzi]

The Lebanon metropolitan area.

I went on a trip to Whistler about 15 years ago with a friend, we had a blast, he seemed great. Two weeks later he killed himself. I had no clue that was coming. None. If you need help, ask for help. Tell someone. Don't suffer alone.

[Foggy_Goggles]

Just as people suffer alone, people succeed alone. I feel this may be more prevalent in ski town as perhaps people tend to be a bit more recluse.

Tell your friends and family how much your truely care about them. Pick up the phone more. Lead my example. Its OK to be alone. Its not OK to be lonely. [/try to do better at taking my own advice].

[byates1]

The Lebanon metropolitan area.

I went on a trip to Whistler about 15 years ago with a friend, we had a blast, he seemed great. Two weeks later he killed himself. I had no clue that was coming. None. If you need help, ask for help. Tell someone. Don't suffer alone.

wow. damn. sorry to hear.

[ötzi]

It was 5 of us who went on that trip so there wasn't a lot of quiet time, maybe if him and me had been sitting around talking it would have been different but I'll never know. Turns out he had a lot of bad shit going on that I didn't know about. Not as bad as all that the way I'd look at it but I'm not him.

[SB]

Sorry to hear about your friend. Hope his family is able to gain some sense of normalcy.

On a completely different note, FastFred I am happy to report I made the jump to NH in 2021, landing in the Upper Valley (Dartmouth area). For every pow turn I've given up I've gained a run with no lift lines, no tourists, and a much more well rounded lifestyle. 10 out of 10, would recommend.

Quality over quantity.

[lowsparkco]

I don’t find it surprising. Both bipolar and borderline personality disorder are characterized by increased risk taking. Ski towns are characterized by trading tomorrow for today, rampant drug and alcohol abuse, and other high risk behavior. For everyone who figures it out and finds a niche there are six others that resign themselves to a peasant class to put a smile on their face outdoors. Over time those smiles lose their authenticity for many of those working menial jobs and burning the candle at both ends.

[Boosh]

one of my best friends from HS took his own life almost 3 years ago to the date today. one of the funniest, most outgoing people you'd ever meet, and an absolute blast to be around. I hadn't talked to him much prior to the incident so I had no idea he was hurting. He posted a pic of himself in the hospital so I reached out to see what was up and let him know I was thinking about him, he replied "nothin major, it'll all be better soon" so I said something like "alright, cool hope all is well otherwise", and then I got the devastating news a week later.

I think about my friend often, and still haven't found the answers to "why", the line "it'll all be better soon" really haunts me sometimes. on paper he had it all, 6-figure salary, raced dirt track cars on the weekends, flew all around the country for business trips.. but I guess it goes to show you really never know what people are going thru.

reading this thread has been enlightening and thought provoking as I am very interested in making a jump from an east coast city out west with the goal of easier access to bigger mountains and better skiing. However, the idea that skiing isn't everything, and that it's more of an escape is something I’ve definitely grappled with over the years.

When I tore my ACL in 2019, I was really fortunate to have access to solid medical care in the city, and was lucky to have a great group of friends close by to aid with my recovery. I think I learned thru that experience that having a core crew around you is vital during tough times, and I truly wonder what would have been the case if I was out on my own and that happened. I think the idea mentioned here about finding balance is a good lesson - I wanted to move before my knee injury, but being single at the time and having minimal connections out west actually worried me even then, so I took it all as a sign to stick around for a bit longer and try to develop a better plan.

I'm a pretty happy guy most of the time and lead a good life, but I work in a cube and hate the city commute, I'm pretty fed up with my job and I think some change might do me good. The difference now is that I have an amazing gf who is encouraging me to chase my dreams and apply to a few open positions that fit into my career path as an engineer. we skied 40 days together this year and I'm lucky to have her in my life, she wants out of the city too so I think all of that is giving me the boost I need.

I certainly don't think that mountain town life is going to be easy by any stretch; but I think personally I'd be more disappointed in myself if I don't at least try to give it a shot. I do know that perspective shapes a lot of things though, and I know my friend's advice would be to go for it.

[detrusor]

Easier said than done to ask for help….coming from someone who has.

[ötzi]

It's gotta be one of he hardest things you've ever done, but I'm glad you did it.

[Dantheman]

one of the funniest, most outgoing people you'd ever meet, and an absolute blast to be around.

Bipolar people are often a hoot when they're in the manic phases.

[MakersTeleMark]

Bipolar people are often a hoot in bed when they're in the manic phases.

FIFY.

[gaijin]

Easier said than done to ask for help….coming from someone who has.

I was having a brutal time of it in Tokyo 4 years ago. Now I call the support line just to thank them for answering. Having that line there and her friendly voice at the other end is what convinced me to stand up and walk out of a work environment with zero plans on how I was going to continue supporting my family.

But toxic is toxic, and we're susceptible to believing it'll always be that way. It won't. It gets better.

Sometimes jumping off a different, proverbial cliff is worth the risk.

Very hard to do without asking for help and that person telling you there is another you out there.

/sorry for the reflection-rant. I guess it needed to come out.