Moving to Jackson: Yay or nay?

[Huskier]

I may have an opportunity lined up to move to Jackson for work. Pay is enough to live in town, mainly taking the job to play outside.
30-something, long-distance with a lady friend. Used to living in a major NW metro (not Seattle). Anybody make the transition? Is this a dumb idea? Worried about going nuts from not being able to escape the well-healed resort scene and oil money. How legit is the dirtbag scene? Am I going to go nuts as a wet-nosed nobody looking for people to ski and ride bikes with?

[rideit]

It's full.

[wordbird]

I may have an opportunity lined up to move to Jackson for work. Pay is enough to live in town, mainly taking the job to play outside.
30-something, long-distance with a lady friend. Used to living in a major NW metro (not Seattle). Anybody make the transition? Is this a dumb idea? Worried about going nuts from not being able to escape the well-healed resort scene and oil money. How legit is the dirtbag scene? Am I going to go nuts as a wet-nosed nobody looking for people to ski and ride bikes with?

Hey man, you finally pay your dues as a trainee?!

But I would move there, i spent a day there this winter on a Mountain Collective road trip and it's hard to see many downsides. Also lots of fun road trip options 3 or 4 hours away to explore for skiing around fun parts of the west if you like driving.

[Djongo Unchained]

Housing is the big hurdle. After that it's all cake. Easy to get away from the tourists. Real bum scene here, old school or poser, yer choice.

[new yabyum]

Many came to ski, but, the summers are unbelievable. 29F this morning in Driggs.

[thebirdhunter]

Room for Rent:

Room for rent in 6 Bdrm home with 8 other people.
$1800/mo. Plus utilities.

[SUPERIOR]

I just moved out. Great place to be for a couple winters, but housing options are a nightmare. Working part time for the resort was actually a fun experience though, as a season pass is $2K. Diverse and stoked culture of ski bums who work there.

Big ups to BBear for showing me around, along with her hubby Andrew. Truly cool people.

Pros: Jackson will make you a better skier, no doubt about it. Proximity to skiing the pass and park - 15 minutes from your house to world class turns. Togwotee, the elk refuge. The stagecoach bar. Dornans Pizza. Biking.

Cons: just about everything else (except I do love the airport)

Also, everyone in Jackson thinks they’re the hottest shit on the farm, and that gets old real quick.

Lots of New England blue bloods who brag about sailing, etc. give me a fucking break.

Resort is best early and late season midweek. Always skied out within a couple hours otherwise. Bogner one pieces. Private ski instructors for rich idiots. Ski patrol made of old grumpy asses.

However, exploring the resort accessed backcountry is like unlocking a secret level ... you could spend many a winter chasing big mountain lines on No Name and Granite and it will humble anyone. My biggest regret is not spending more time bootpacking my first winter... but we did get 600 inches so inbounds was amazing .


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[Foggy_Goggles]

It is an awesome place, but it is a strange place. I know a lot more people that left than stayed. Granted my opinion is not of someone that has ever lived there but I have spent plenty of time there. All my friends live in Idaho now.

If you are young and want to see what it is all about, I say go for it. If you are looking for a place to settle down, I'd seriously debate is that is viable and that gain is worth the pain.

[AlpineZone]

Hi Huskydoc! May I suggest that instead of the overrated, overhyped and overpriced Tetons, that you "think outside the box" and instead relocate to a ski town in the northeast, home of the gnarliest snowriding in the USA? I would proffer that all things considered,the northeast is the clear choice. The riding is more challenging here due to the variable conditions, the snow is better due to the cold temperatures, more consistant snowfall as well as superior snowmaking (and LOTS of water for the snowmaking systems) as well as a truly more enriching urban and mountain lifestyle. Also, the culture is superior, the history is rich and the "Norman Rockwell" factor is prevalent everywhere you turn.The terrain is truly fabulous, the partying is unmatched anywhere(can you say "hot New Jersey Italian babes?"). If you can shred here, you can shred ANYWHERE. When you score your first Killington powder day in "Anarchy", "The Throne", "Chop Chop" or "Patsy", you will be grinning from ear to ear, I promise you!. You will also find that the clientele(as well as your co-workers) will tend to be more educated and well-rounded, not your typical one-dimensional western ski jocks. Okemo, Stratton, or Killington Vermont would be better than Jackson in every way!
I would also like to take this opportunity to formally invite you (as well as all TGR Maggots, NewSchoolers, Pugskiazoids, jongs and lurkers alike) to come join our fun-loving but responsible bunch of snowriding aficionados at http://forums.alpinezone.com/. I think most all of you will find that our seasoned moderators "keep the bar high" by maintaining a sense of order and decorum, while encouraging quality discussion about our favorite pastime. I can assure you that "newbies"'(jongs) are welcomed with open arms by our entire community(unlike here at TGR), and there is no "hazing period" or rudeness tolerated. We also have superior bandwidth and response times on our 502g superfibre network as well as a state-of-the-art virtual blade server farm with 5000 terabytes of virtual disk space for your photos, blogs etc. It may take a small amount of getting used to, as we do have reasonable standards as far as language and image posting that are strictly enforced. The registration is easy and painless, and the rules will be explained in detail during the process. I will warn you however up front that registering an ALIAS is strictly "VERBOTEN", and something we have zero-tolerance with. If you are tired of the juvenile goings-on at TGR and Newschoolers and yearn for a snowriding forum that matches your maturity level, all I can say is: "Come join the fun"!

[SUPERIOR]

^^^ Ughhh.... the thing about the east coast is that it’s actually full of douchey east coasters


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[Skidog]

^^^ Ughhh.... the thing about the east coast is that it’s actually full of douchey east coasters


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The eastern transplants to the intermountain west ain't helping that. I am/was one of them

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[mtnbiker/boarder]

^^^ Ughhh.... the thing about the east coast is that it’s actually full of douchey east coasters


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not all of us are total douchbags... TWO of the above peeps you mention are east coast transplants and some of the coolest people i have skied with or met
All of the pro and cons are similar at any resort ...hang with the right peeps and he place will be gold.....DAJANGO, BBEAR AND ANDREW ARE GOOD PEOPLE TO START WITH .....

[Name Redacted]

How the fuck is this even a question?

[El Chupacabra]

^^^ Ughhh.... the thing about the east coast is that it’s actually full of douchey east coasters


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Greg shoots, he scores!

[thebirdhunter]

^^^ Ughhh.... the thing about Jackson is that it’s full of douchey east coasters

fify

[SUPERIOR]

Now, being from Minnesota originally, I have all the sympathy for my ice coast dwelling brethren. Many are shred beasts bred in the bowls of new hampshit or Maine.

Many will also discuss their parent’s 3rd and 4th homes, tennis lessons at “the club,” and how great Dartmouth was.... before moving back to Boston to work at daddy’s company when they get sick of being a liftie.


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[HankScorpio]

Hi Huskydoc! May I suggest that instead of the overrated, overhyped and overpriced Tetons, that you "think outside the box" and instead relocate to a ski town in the northeast, home of the gnarliest snowriding in the USA? I would proffer that all things considered,the northeast is the clear choice. The riding is more challenging here due to the variable conditions, the snow is better due to the cold temperatures, more consistant snowfall as well as superior snowmaking (and LOTS of water for the snowmaking systems) as well as a truly more enriching urban and mountain lifestyle. Also, the culture is superior, the history is rich and the "Norman Rockwell" factor is prevalent everywhere you turn.The terrain is truly fabulous, the partying is unmatched anywhere(can you say "hot New Jersey Italian babes?"). If you can shred here, you can shred ANYWHERE. When you score your first Killington powder day in "Anarchy", "The Throne", "Chop Chop" or "Patsy", you will be grinning from ear to ear, I promise you!. You will also find that the clientele(as well as your co-workers) will tend to be more educated and well-rounded, not your typical one-dimensional western ski jocks. Okemo, Stratton, or Killington Vermont would be better than Jackson in every way!
I would also like to take this opportunity to formally invite you (as well as all TGR Maggots, NewSchoolers, Pugskiazoids, jongs and lurkers alike) to come join our fun-loving but responsible bunch of snowriding aficionados at http://forums.alpinezone.com/. I think most all of you will find that our seasoned moderators "keep the bar high" by maintaining a sense of order and decorum, while encouraging quality discussion about our favorite pastime. I can assure you that "newbies"'(jongs) are welcomed with open arms by our entire community(unlike here at TGR), and there is no "hazing period" or rudeness tolerated. We also have superior bandwidth and response times on our 502g superfibre network as well as a state-of-the-art virtual blade server farm with 5000 terabytes of virtual disk space for your photos, blogs etc. It may take a small amount of getting used to, as we do have reasonable standards as far as language and image posting that are strictly enforced. The registration is easy and painless, and the rules will be explained in detail during the process. I will warn you however up front that registering an ALIAS is strictly "VERBOTEN", and something we have zero-tolerance with. If you are tired of the juvenile goings-on at TGR and Newschoolers and yearn for a snowriding forum that matches your maturity level, all I can say is: "Come join the fun"!

What...... what? You've never skied Jackson, have you?

[AdironRider]

Getting a job in Jackson is about as easy as breathing.

Do not underestimate what everyone is saying about housing. You will look long and hard for a place. You will get kicked out of said place when the owner decides to sell in 6-12 months. This process will repeat until you get fed up with it and buy a place in Victor or Alpine.

[raisingarizona13]

,
Many will also discuss their parent’s 3rd and 4th homes, tennis lessons at “the club,” and how great Dartmouth was.... before moving back to Boston to work at daddy’s company when they get sick of being a liftie.
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And they will say things like that without a clue to how obnoxious it is. People in ski towns in general live in a different reality than a lot of us and to be struggling to get by and have that in your face a lot gets really freaking old.

That being said there are plenty of people there that work as hard as they play hard and have it figured out. That's admirable and cool as f.

It sounds like you should do it. It's not like a prison sentence and you can always go back home.

The imported gf thing sounds interesting. I did that my season in Telluride, my gal would come up from Flagstaff every other weekend or so to visit. It was a good combo of sort of living two different lives.

[thefortrees]

If AZ Greg is trying to convince you otherwise, then I think you are on the right track. Pull the trigger mayn.

[Tye 1on]

There's so many awesome areas around JH to explore too, the Winds, Lander area, Teton Valley, Yellowstone, Beartooths, etc etc. You could spend every other weekend exploring for a year and not hit the same place twice...If you'd be at the hospital and can score a place in E. Jackson you'll be biking everywhere easily. If the crowds at JHMR get to ya jump over and ski Targhee and find fresh turns after lunch...

[GoldMember]

If you're an orthopod, you should have plenty of business to keep you on the right side of housing, at least.

[SUPERIOR]

Tye is correct here. I also believe the hospital does some sort of employee housing, which would be a lifesaver. If you got cash, you can rent a condo or 2 bed apt for $2K -$2500K per month.... I personally would live in Wilson, the “West Bank” or Victor. Jackson is crowded and the amount of traffic is stupid. Summer tourists will dart in front of your car on the reg.... lived in a basement apartment off an alley in East Jackson with 2 others and still paid $700 per month for a 10x12 room


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[Djongo Unchained]

Mostly yes, a little no.

Nobody pays the rate birdhunter talks about. He's just BSing you. I've noticed he shittalks this place a bit. Aug.-nov. is best time to score a pad. Knowing people here helps a lot. People pull it off, you can too.

The season pass doesn't cost 2k either. Just bought my full pass for 1400. Worth every fucking penny too. More snow than most places, more consistently. Less than 400" season elicits groaning and bitching around here. And never, ever work for the Man to get a pass. That's for transient wannabe's

Tons to do here. More than your free time may allow. And easy as can be to get away from the hordes.

Sick: Hiking, DH Biking, Skiing, Climbing, Fishing, Paragliding, Rafting/Kayaking...Buds.

Pukey: Tourist hordes, Hard to find good housing, higher prices for most things.

Average: Tons of cool people to play with. Laid back work attitudes; Lots of gear etc. at cheap prices via garage sales, ski swap, buddies...the local players get along or go solo. Lots of that here too.

Bitching about EC'ers gets you nothing here. Almost everyone is a transplant and many natives/locals are equally as useless.

Having a solid job to walk into here almost makes the rest of this town's issues moot. Assuming it's a liveable wage. Money talks here but being very cool helps a ton...

[rideit]

XC mountain biking is pretty epic here as well.