sandpoint, mccall, or hailey

[peeforward]

turns out that i can preference any of these places to live for 6 months starting jan 2006 as part of my third year of med school. libby, mt is in the mix too and sounds pretty good to me. i need to rank by preference. from the med perspective they all have pluses and minuses. i'd rather not be in clinic with wealthy tourists all of the time but it's all an education to me.

now, for skiing (bc and resort) and kayaking (creek and play) what are the best options?
any insight greatly appreciated...

[skiski]

I've never been to sandpoint or mccall. I lived in Hailey for a summer ten years ago, so I'm qualified to respond. I thought Hailey was a great town. I've visited since, and it may have gotten a little ritzier, but it's got a cool feel. Skiing on galena summit is pretty good. Of course ,the wood river valley is a haul from any kayaking, whereas Sandpoint or McCall put you in the middle of it.
I wish I was struggling with choosing between those three towns.

[Obstruction]

Spent some time in Sandpoint. I thought the city had a pretty good "real" small town vibe with enough to do to keep you busy (decent restuarants for its size etc.). Beautiful surroundings, Lake Pende O'reille (sp) isn't Tahoe but it is a special place.

Schweitzer can be pretty entertaining on a powder day, even on a holiday the crowds aren't much. Access road to mountain is long and winy but well maintained. Gets PNW weather so last year snow was hard to come by. Never tried the local back country but it sounds like there are good opportunities and the interior of BC ain't far away.

Good luck where ever you end up. I'm sure the locals on the board will be able to feed you more specifc info.

[Conundrum]

I grew up in central Idaho and now live in Boise. Hailey is great for skiing both inbounds and bc-Sawtooths, Boulders and White Clouds all within an hour and a half. About two hours to any paddling worth doing. Sandpoint has good skiing and good spring runoff for creeks plus it's close to all that Canada has to offer. McCall has two smaller good resorts nearby plus backcountry to keep you happy until June. The paddling will be the most consistent in McCall with Riggins and the Salmon an hour one way and the Payettes an hour the other way plus between the two, your paddle season will take up all of the year that you are not skiing.

[altasnob]

You have to deal with the white supremacist in Sandpoint and Bruce Willis and Demi Moore in Hailey. Otherwise, they’re both great. Brundage, the local hill next to McCall, aint nothing to write home about.

[stash]

I lived in Boise for a few years and visited all 3 cities, so I'm sure my advice will not be as valuable as others. But I'll go ahead and give it anyway.

To me, McCall and Sandpoint had very similar small-town vibes. The operative word in that sentence is "small." Both about 1-2 hours away from a city of any size (Spokane for Sandpoint, Boise for McCall), if that matters at all.

I think the skiing from both is pretty comparable. I haven't skied Schweitzer (and is Silver close by also?), but from what I've heard it sounds pretty similar to Brundage but maybe with more snow and a hairier approach. Brundage + McCall area BC should be plenty to keep you occupied for the season. Also, I think Tamarck is open now just south of McCall. I have no knowledge of paddling.

In my opinion, Hailey is an entirely different animal than the other two. You're kind of in a pretty developed strip from Bellevue all the way to Ketchum, which makes it feel like a bigger city than McCall or Sandpoint. The vibe here is completely different; more touristy and probably more bro-brah posturing among the locals. 2 hour or so drive to Boise, 4-5 to SLC, 4-5 to Jackson, WY.

Skiing from the Wood River Valley will probably be the best of the bunch. Once again, I know nothing about paddling.

Bottom line, I don't think there is a "wrong" choice, and it sounds like it's not even semi-permanent anyway, so don't stress about it too much. If it were me, I'd pick Hailey or McCall, just because northern Idaho is so damn weird.

Hope this helps.

[assgasorgrass]

Brundage, the local hill next to McCall, aint nothing to write home about.

Heed his advice, Brundage sucks, the McCall BC sucks, they get no powder and all they have is tree skiing.

McCall is pretty dead in the winter, i.e. not much going on out and about for night life. More locals house party type of stuff. Rental prices have almost doubled in the last two years and the area is really feeling the explosive growth hangover. The BC access either by lift or by snowmobile is pretty expansive. In McCall you will be in whitewater heaven. Depending on paddling skill level, there are some steady IVs and Vs close by.

Ketchum is on the opposite spectrum from McCall in terms of being a little more civilized. Probably least chance of running into a logger, rancher type yes, of the three. Take JPs advice and go for Ketchum, not Hailey if you can afford it. Way closer to the mountain and night life, hello Casino Bar for happy hour, and you don't have to deal with traffic. Lots of BC access to be had as well in the Sawtooths, Galena or just out of SV. Paddling options are available but with further drive times than McCall.

Sandpoint has a cool vibe but gets a lot of pressure from the Spokane valley, 350K plus in population. Schweitzer is a fun mountain but can see the crowds with good conditions. Snow is more PNW style.

Now from a hospital standpoint, the Sun Valley area hospital would probably give you a better experience in the long run. The McCall hospital doesn't have a good rep inside the med community. Don't know about the med facility in Sandpoint.

[jimmy page]

Since you are just going to be in Idaho for about 6 months (which is what everyone says when they move here) why not rent a place in Ketchum. It will be a few bucks more, but it is closer to skiing and in my opinion there is more to do in Ketchum than Hailey, unless you have kids or something.

[The Reverend Floater]

Don't come to the WRV. The b/c sucks ass, there are too many celebrities and it's way too expensive. Seriously. Go to Boise.

[Conundrum]

I don't know if people are joking or serious about the skiing around McCall but maybe they haven't done enough digging to find the goods (yes, a snowmobile helps). The white supremacy problem up North is all but gone. They may have a parade every couple of years in Coeur d Alene but nobody pays attention and they go home. McCall nightlife sucks. The way property is in McCall, you could probably buy and make a good chunk of change when you sell in 6 months if you decide not to stay. Ketchum property is actually stagnant compared to much of Idaho.

[powderhound]

McCall-You can get a tri-mountain pass to Brundage, T-rack and Bogus. T-rack is opening up two more lifts this season. Paddling in the area also kicks ass.

Sandpoint-Schweitzer is a big mountain. Sandpoint is full of hippies. You'll also have access to south eastern BC goodness.

Hailey-Sun Valley is expensive, blows a lot of snow and is heavy on the tourism, but the local scene can be pretty cool.

[ski_faster]

Brundage, the local hill next to McCall, aint nothing to write home about.

[powderhound]

That's what i thought. Holds true to his handle I guess.

[Powdurr]

Don't come to the WRV. The b/c sucks ass, there are too many celebrities and it's way too expensive. Seriously. Go to Boise.

I hope your kidding, if not, youre pretty much an idiot. Theres awesome backcountry all over SV, anything from gentle tree runs to insane 60 degree shit, and the mountains just north get quite a bit more snow than the ski mountain, which isn't great, but fun. Never any lift lines...ever. As for too many celebrities, I don't see a problem with that, unless your a poor hippie with a bad attitude. Rent is not too bad, just get a room mate, especially if your only gonna be there 6 months. Good boating isn't too far away, the Payette is a few hours. Nothing really worthwile right near town, besides a shitty little wave near hailey.

[aspenskibum]

never been to any of the other places you mentioned, but sandpoint is a really cool town. The skiing left a hell of a lot to be desired. Resortwise, schwietzer isn't too bad, but its far from being anything special either. I think you could probably get some fun BC turns in, nothing too gnarcore though. Too bad you weren't ther in the summer, sandpoints awesome in the summer.

[iceman]

I hope your kidding, if not, youre pretty much an idiot.

Of course he's kidding you moron.

Sarcasm, muthafucka, do you speak it?

[nesta]

I think you risk the asbestosis and move to Libby MT. It's not contagious is it? Then you can always head N X NW and always get some great skiing in. From the East down to the West. Good travels no matter what you decide.

[KarlHungus]

I live in Spokane, WA... I'm a student at Gonzaga University and I go to Sandpoint (Schweitzer) pretty much every weekend in the winter. Sandpoint seems like a pretty cool place to live. True "small town feel" but close enough to Spokane and Couer D'Alene that you still have all the city stuff too. Can't really comment on how good the hospital is or how good your education will be or whatever... All I can say is that the area is absolutely gorgeous and the skiing is good (not GREAT... it's GOOD). The lake is huge and is awesome, it's a real outdoorsy town. Oh, and the skinheads are all gone.

You should move to Sandpoint, hit up House or myself and ski with us sometime. And do that "med school" crap too if you get time.

[midget]

I spent 5 seasons skiing in the inland NW. All 3 of those towns are pretty damn cool. Brundage (resort) sucks ass. Don't know first hand of the bc/side country outside of there but I have heard that you need sleds. Paddling on the Payette nearby is good, esp early when it's flowing big. Lots of 4's on the Lower South Fork.

Schweitzer is known to be foggy and wind hammered. All the time...the terrain is decent, and the side country is a lot of fun, nothing on the gnar scale though. When the wind doesn't blow during a storm and you can actually see without getting vertigo (top 1/2 ....aka good part of the mountain), the snow can be very nice though. All that being said, Red Mt. and Fernie aren't so far away and that doesn't suck.

Didn't spend much time at Sun Valley, but the only thing that impressed me there was the large amount of continuous vert there.....although the terrain didn't do much for me. Sawtooth Mts. are nearby and there's some terrain to wow yourself with!

Regardless of which you chose, there are great people in all of those towns. I'm sure you will enjoy your time there...

[wiunnbd]

Brundage, the local hill next to McCall, aint nothing to write home about.

perhaps you haven't hiked to upper HV or skied some of the lines there to know....we'll just let you think that it doesn't offer much. More pow lines for me

[assgasorgrass]

[QUOTE=midget]Brundage (resort) sucks ass.[QUOTE]

Heed this guys advice. Stay away from the McCall area. It is overpriced, hard to get to and never gets snow. Go to Bend.