Moving to Jackson: Yay or nay?

[DBdude]

Everyone knows about OGDEN bro!

and killington

slow pitch...

ogden is not bad duty. I haven't spent a lot of time in Utah and only drove through Ogden, but there is work and skiing. If you have a partner and can get by not being a Mormon, it seems like a great place

i think seattle is a great ski town, but i left fifteen years ago and housing costs were already getting crazy. we sold our house in a day.

[DBdude]

These towns are dead and gone. Paradise lost. Catch them after the next recession if VR doesn't own them.

those towns are recession proof - the uber rich are untouchable

[DBdude]

Eagle is clicky?

eagle was trendy twenty years ago

[Kailua_Boys]

I swear that you could replace the word Jackson with towns in Hawaii and it would read exactly the same.

I'm my experience, surf or ski towns with the goods (i.e. World class waves or mountains) have many locals and long time residents who sacrificed to make a life there. Sure real estate is pricey but there's ways to make it work. The lifelong surfers or ski bums who will go without many creature comforts to raise their families in these places exist. The idea that everyone living in these places is wealthy is hilarious. Many of my friends are on the diy program and work multiple jobs to make ends meet due to the huge cost of living in my town.

You either want to make the sacrifices required to live in these places or you live with the rest of the world and visit once a year. Easy choice for some but not so much for others.



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[raisingarizona13]

Day drinking core2?

The thing about those trendy mountains such as Snowbird, Jackson, or Squaw Valley is that they are for a reason and a good one too. They are some of the best playgrounds in the world to hone your skills at and become the best skier you can be. I'm not really after that anymore but if you are it's hard to claim that you can do that skiing at the AZ Snowbowl every season.

[CascadeLuke]

OP- where pays the best?

Maybe I think too much about the future but perhaps come back to Seattle and get that high paying paper. Get right on your student loans and buy a powder & poon getaway near town. Alpy, Skykomish, Lake Kachess, near Baker, Levy or Wenatchee. Hell you could be like all the other Docs in Suncadia. Plus use said powder pad for vacation rental income when not in use..

Where would be best for advancing your career? Seattle appears to be a medical hub of sorts, no? With all the disposable income - you can go on ski trips anywhere - be a big shot and bang 🤙🏼

[Djongo Unchained]

For almost 3 decades I've lived in JH. Always for the skiing, never for the town.

Paradise lost? - not for me.

[The SnowShow]

I was actually underwhelmed by the town of Jackson when I first visited. It’s ok but not as cool as I thought it would be.

The skiing is obviously out of this world. And access to the Tetons is fucking awesome.

[raisingarizona13]

I was actually underwhelmed by the town of Jackson when I first visited. It’s ok but not as cool as I thought it would be.

The skiing is obviously out of this world. And access to the Tetons is fucking awesome.

It is sort of Frontier Town Disneyland meets elite LA socialite who happens to have a rugged cowboy fantasy. No matter though, it won't change the mountains.

[rideit]

I'm here for the mountain biking.
And the schools.

[DropCliffsNotBombs]

ANY nice place to live is going to be expensive. This is one of the laws of the universe.

[Skidog]

ANY nice place to live is going to be expensive. This is one of the laws of the universe.

But really JH isn't a "nice" place to live. Sure it's beautiful, but the job market ain't all that great unless you like the hospitality biz. It's artificially overpriced due to out of state money. If you're into all that.

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[Groomer Gambler]

The idea that everyone living in these places is wealthy is hilarious. Many of my friends are on the diy program and work multiple jobs to make ends meet due to the huge cost of living in my town.


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These are also some of the most annoying people you'll ever meet too. They typically get all defensive over this wealth point and proceed to argue how diverse and cool all the underclass people are working this lifestyle, when really it's probably the least diverse demographic in America (upper middle class to trust fund, white). Then they judge everyone else for not living their "alternative, connected to nature, simple, non material" lifestyle. Like sorry, patagonia bro, I really don't want to work 3 different waiter jobs at age 30 to afford my bunk bed in an 8 person apartment, and I really don't appreciate how judgey you are for the rest of us not doing this. #vanlife #couldgetajobatdaddyslawfirmonceigrowuponeday

Occasionally fun to visit these places but no way in hell would I want to live there. Don't get me wrong, Jackson is probably one of the prettiest places I've ever been to (I went late summer/early fall and without crowds it seemed pretty damn amazing!) but nahh wouldn't ever want to live there.

[skiing-in-jackson]

After 26 years in town, I've seen the throngs come and go, and will continue to do so.

Truth is, Jackson is an unfriendly town.

Friends are hard to make. People come and go. There is too much competition. I've had numerous people tell me they were tired of competing all the time. Competing for jobs, women, housing & who has the best 100K Sprinter Van. There are lots of elitists who don't have to (and will never have to) hold a job or produce anything but bratty kids and a split marriage. There's lots of angry people. It's easy to see. Everybody is too cool here. That looks great to a visitor, but it gets old fast.

Life is shallow. When I travel out of the Valley, it is like a trip into the Matrix or the Stepford Wives. Teton County has one of the highest suicide rates in the country. Happiness here is a thin veneer. Most Wilson Moms are either one alimony check or one Range Rover repair from being penniless for the month. Just watch some finger tapping trustfunder run a walking tourist off a crosswalk. Wealth doesn't make you happy and I can attest I've seen just the opposite.

I know piles of guys who thought they struck the jackpot when they were "chosen" to become a house husband. Hey, being a house husband is great if your wife is a doctor or something, but if you're a house husband to a wife who doesn't work, does yoga ten times a week and hangs out with her same kind while the children are at the "Academy"- Wilson Elementary- and doing after school activities until 8PM kinda sucks. Buddy let me tell you being in a power play with an over privileged, over wealthed Wilson Mom is like hell on earth.

To the OP: This town is full of women who have divorced their way to wealth, all while practicing Yoga, getting facial peels every other week and driving white European cars. Nothing is better than seeing a Wilson Mom who is 40 y/o get (yet another) peel and have it go bad. The parking lot of the Whole Grocer looks like an advertisement for badplasticsugery.com. Fucking comical.

Wyoming has a long history of strong and powerful women. It's a key part of our Valley and state's psyche. I've had guys tell me they were tired of constantly competing against the women. As a father of daughters, I can see how the strong women in this town have positively affected my daughters. Most guys don't see it that way.

Competing in recreation all the time is a real downer for most residents. You'll never be the best atanything. And someone is ready to look down at you for any reason.

There are too many trust funds. Lots of people don't have to work. Border Collie Syndrome. That's when you leave a Border Collie alone for a period of time and he gets bored and tears up the house or the interior of your Audi. This town is full of people who have Border Collie Syndrome. People attack and complain just about everything. Just like a Border Collie with too much time on his hands.

OP: Sure come to Jackson, but forewarned is forearmed.

There are some great rants in this thread. I had to add one.

[schwerty]

I'm here for the mountain biking.
And the schools.

No mention of tacos or huevos? Geez, your sliding downhill if those don’t make the top of your list of things you live here for. We should have some soon so it rekindles the fire for your JH spirit, Rideit.

[Meadow Skipper]

There are some great rants in this thread. I had to add one.

Yours and neckdeep's were truly great.

[Norseman]

There are some great rants in this thread. I had to add one.

Dude, great. Exactly what the thread needed, imo.

[rideit]

That's an amazing rant, SIJ!

[The SnowShow]

Then they judge everyone else for not living their "alternative, connected to nature, simple, non material" lifestyle. Like sorry, patagonia bro, I really don't want to work 3 different waiter jobs at age 30 to afford my bunk bed in an 8 person apartment, and I really don't appreciate how judgey you are for the rest of us not doing this. #vanlife #couldgetajobatdaddyslawfirmonceigrowuponeday.

This. No way would I work waiter jobs just to ski pow. Maybe at 23 but when you meet a 40 year old ski town all star acting like they’re killing it because they’re all about da #vanlife and #eatskisleeprepeat life, they get the gas face.

[panchosdad]

That's an amazing rant, SIJ!

Amazingly pathetic.

[Kailua_Boys]

These rants sound like every single expensive place to live on the planet. Trust fund types and middle age plastics are everywhere. I would never let that determine where I live.

Go live in coastal California and you'll see the exact same thing.

[JRainey]

Interesting to hear everyone's thoughts, and it's turned into an interesting analysis of small town/ski town living.

I grew up in Jackson, so I've seen it from a few angles.

It's an amazing place. The skiing is hard to beat. The scenery and wilderness of western Wyoming is truly unique. Jackson as a town, as others have mentioned, punches well above it's weight class for dining, drinking and entertainment (non sport related).

There are a lot of different 'scenes' in Jackson, and you're hearing about only a few here. The ski scene is probably the most competitive, macho and exclusionary of all of them. Submitting yourself for evalution to this crew can be rough if you value their opinion, but it's entirely optional. You can ski anywhere you want and you don't have to ask anyone for permission. Are you early tram crew, early Glory crew, south side of pass crew, park crew (nordic crew ) ? There are heirarchies in all these crews and people high in one aren't generally high in another, not since The Great One. Don't submit to a heirarchy.

There are a lot of people who don't even ski in Jackson. There's a diverse group of people who only lightly dabble in outdoor activities. Even in the early 30s crew you will find plenty of people like this. Not to say you can't find rad brahs to be friends with, but there are plenty of options outside of that. If you're a doctor, you're gonna be able to mingle with this scene pretty well.

Regarding ladies, Jackson basically functions like a small university town, there's always people cylcing through. There are lot's of cute, well educated, well adjusted women that come to Jackson these days. I can't say for certain, but I think many have trouble finding a reliable guy. "Peter Pan" get's thrown around a lot, which I won't argue whether that's good or bad, a lot of that is stereotype too. I will say if you aren't that, then you've got a leg up for a stable relationship.

Importing a lady is a great idea if you take care. If you do it, you have to make sure their social and activity needs aren't being neglected. You can't expect them to plug right into your scene. If you are a rad skier and in the rad skier clan, your SO will most likely be excluded from most converstations during the winter. It's not that they are trying to exclude them, it's just that rad skiers can't help but talk about rad skiing, and non-rad skiers just don't care that much. Be a team and you'll succeed.

Drinking too much can also be an appealing activity, it's a 7 day a week drinking town. I won't tell you how to handle that, just noting that it's easy to get drawn into as social activity.

In summary, Jackson a great place with a diverse group of people living there. There's 10,000 people and anyone who commented here only knows 200 (including me). All the realities talked about in mountain towns can be true, but many issues can be avoided. These are things that help you succeed anywhere, including mountain towns:
1. Worry about yourself and don't compare your success to others, especially rad brahs and wealthy people.
2. Don't be an acholohic
3. Treat your longterm SO as your most valuable relationship


Me? I got the fuck out of dodge

I now live in a small town in the Alps with my wife and two young daughters (6mo and 2year). I was basically chasing what my dad found in Jackson in the 80s. His search allowed for me to grow up in a great place, and I want to pass that onto my kids. My wife's German so we could make it happen. She was imported into Jackson for a period, but didn't like it too much. I think if we were there now, with a family, it would be different. The reality is that it's much cheaper living in Alps, even with a tram a 10 minute walk from home.

Moral of the story: Don't be afraid, if you get the opportunity, you will find a very cool place. If you don't like it, you can move.

[Meadow Skipper]

...<snip> a lot of really interesting and valid first-hand advice and strong defense about living in JH...

And then:

Me? I got the fuck out of dodge

lol

BTW, I still have a pair of Igneous skis with Superloop bindings somewhere in the garage. .

[Huskier]

After 26 years in town, I've seen the throngs come and go, and will continue to do so.

Truth is, Jackson is an unfriendly town.

Friends are hard to make. People come and go. There is too much competition. I've had numerous people tell me they were tired of competing all the time. Competing for jobs, women, housing & who has the best 100K Sprinter Van. There are lots of elitists who don't have to (and will never have to) hold a job or produce anything but bratty kids and a split marriage. There's lots of angry people. It's easy to see. Everybody is too cool here. That looks great to a visitor, but it gets old fast.

Life is shallow. When I travel out of the Valley, it is like a trip into the Matrix or the Stepford Wives. Teton County has one of the highest suicide rates in the country

This, and the essay before it, were what I was looking for. Super interesting. Also reassuring the "gut feeling barometer" callibrates out.

[AK47bp]

what’s the gas face?

https://youtu.be/QYp28tEAVvs


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