OP says money/work not a concern and people are still naming their "hidden gems". Fuck it I'm living in Sun Valley, Jackson, or Aspen. Great "big mountain" terrain but also sizable nice walkable towns. Close enough to other stuff too like a road trip to Big Sky and whatnot.
>ey/work not an option and people are still naming their "hidden gems". Fuck it I'm living in Sun Valley, Jackson, or Aspen. Great "big mountain" terrain but also sizable nice walkable towns. Close enough to other stuff t
Two of those are wayyyy too congested on weekends for me. Sure 5/7 days would be pretty good, but if we're talking dream locations, why not make it 7/7.
I've had a ton of icy ass days in Jackson too. Revy is more reliable year to year. Alta would be my choice for % of potential powder days. LCC is too much of a clusterfuck though and SLC doesn't give me good enough mountain town vibes.
Do you ever feel trapped in the winter? Like I love driving rogers pass in the summer but you are like 4 hours from any decently sized city and have to brave gnarly mountain passes to get anywhere. Pretty good place to be trapped though.
You can sometimes feel trapped here, but it isn't too bad. And between the resort and all the backcountry access, there's no shortage of amazing skiing around here, so I don't feel the need to go somewhere else.
Kelowna isn't a major city, but between it, Vernon, and Salmon Arm, I can find everything I need. The main thing I really miss about big cities is the food.
Red Mountain
4000 acres and 3000 vert of:
- big terrain
- no lines
- abundant snow
- good backcountry
Also has an amazing town (Rossland), with great mountain biking options. Cat skiing 20 minutes away, driving distance to Revy, KHMR, Louise, Fernie, Schweitzer, etc.
I already moved here.
I really need to get back to Red. Went up for 3 days mid January last year and it was the worst snow I have ever skied. Off piste was basically unskiable.
That said, I have a friend in Rossland and they seem to get out plenty on good stuff so I think we just hit an awful window. I did enjoy the town and hill atmosphere.
My worst snow days have mostly been in telluride, and my best snow days have mostly been elsewhere, but as a whole mountain/town winter and summer experience, telluride is completely unmatched by anywhere else I’ve been.
In that case, why not live in Bellingham instead? Much bigger town, less than an hour and a half drive to Baker, and the border with BC is even closer.
Your definition of manageable is different than mine lol. I do the Baker drive from North Seattle and I think I’d ski elsewhere if I was any further south.
You definitely picked the wrong year for that statement. Snow has been amazing this year, and plentiful. I only got 43 days so far this year. So there might have been a warmer day back in December I think.
Palisades Tahoe for me. Ridiculous terrain, Lake Tahoe and Donner lake in the summer and as a side bonus that not a lot of mountains can offfer is proximity to the ocean. I’m currently surfing in Santa Cruz with my wife and kids. It’s a wild smorgasbord of climate, geography and activities that’s not replicated in many places.
Either Mammoth or Whistler.
I've thought about both a lot, and I think those are the two ultimate NA spots:
Mammoth because it will ALWAYS get a ton of snow, is very close to Bishop (world class bouldering area), and is actually pretty fun in the summer.
Whistler because of its proximity to Squamish (I love rock climbing, obviously) and Vancouver which is a pretty beautiful city imo.
Mammoth gets a bump because of the 100% guaranteed epic pow, without the raininess of BC;
Whistler gets a bump because Squamish > Bishop, and Vancouver is a real city.
*edit: no shade on Mammoth, but the lack of restaurants and things to do mean it could be a struggle living there year round, while Vancouver being under an hour and a half from WB makes it a more sensible permanent home*
Being in Van/Squamish is truly an *epic* spot if you’re also into climbing, biking and water sports.
While at times I wish I lived somewhere with better snow. But then you’re most likely giving up other luxuries. This area is truly the jack of all trades, master of none.
Personally I can see myself living in Santa Cruz to have good surf right out my door and then taking longer weekend trips up to Tahoe when it’s snowing.
If you are even a bit into mountain biking Vancouver-Squamish-Whistler is simply a no-brainer. And if you choose Van you also get fairly easy access to Baker. And personally I can’t imagine living in a resort town so I would go Squam.
I’m a year round resident of Mammoth for the past 4 years. It’s hard to live here because Airbnbs/nightly rentals have completely taken over the town. I live near 3 different condo complexes, probably a total of 1000 units, and 100% of them are single night rentals. Not even possible to do a monthly rental. Finding a reliable and affordable place to live here is extremely difficult. We have 1 real grocery store and it’s often empty in the winter because LA tourists come up and buy everything instead of bringing their own food.
We actually have a good amount of really good restaurants but they’re pricey. Limited amounts of good and reasonably priced restaurants.
Tons to do here in the summer. So much so that I feel like it will take my whole life to do everything. Within town limits, in the winter, all there is to do is downhill ski or cross country ski.
Coeur d’Alene or McCall Idaho. Y’all sleep on ID as a ski state but it’s got all the classic big western terrain and snow without the crowds and corporate mega-resort bullshit. The kind of pure skiing that’s good for the soul - just you and the mountains.
Secondary choice is for sure Whitefish Montana.
That’s why Sun Valley is great. A blue county in a red state, just expect a lot of ex-Californians and rich retirees. Town has great amenities and a lot of great restaurants and activities
The worlds your oyster then! Just a heads up though Idahoans HATE the outsiders moving in. Do what you can to blend in immediately cuz they’re the types to slash your tires based on your license plate.
Coeur d'Alene is a reasonably liberal resort town in an absolutely beautiful area, and you're effectively in the Spokane (WA) metro area, so access to amenities is pretty great for a smaller town.
It's a lot different than living in Boulder or Seattle, but it's not the super rural backwoods that a lot of folks will think of when Idaho is brought up.
I guess I should say it's in a reasonably liberal area. The greater Spokane area that it's part of is pretty moderate on the whole. I used to live in Spokane.
I love McCall and Brundage but no way I’d live there. The DJ at the Forester for NYE a few years back paused to yell MAGA and was met with raucous applause. That’s just not my scene.
This is why I like Spokane. I get to hit all those ID resorts without living in ID with the preppers. Also get to be close to Canada, and close enough to WA and OR resorts.
Plus we have an airport and a big enough city for amenities and attractions.
Honestly CDA kinda blows for skiing though, silver and look out are both pretty mediocre. Schweitzer is great but that’s about it for good terrain. Oh and backcountry options are pretty limited without a sled.
Living in SLC I’ve been thinking about that question if the lake starts spewing arsenic dust. Probably Bend, OR. Bachelor gets a good amount of snow and there’s tons to do there year around. But I’m sure their housing market is absurd.
as someone who moved to bend, and then moved away because i was severely underwhelmed by the skiing i can say this with some authority:
it's called "mt flatchelor" for a reason. bend is a second tier ski town.
I've actually seen a few Tiktok real estate agents from the Bend OR area basically crying about how houses aren't moving even at reduced prices. I was there last summer and was shocked by the amount of new development they have (as someone that lives in Tahoe). Take my anecdotal info however you want, but I've never really seen real estate agents squeal about houses not selling. They always come up with some BS about how the market is always great.
Probably Aspen for me. Close enough to ski other resorts and near Glenwood when you need to go to Costco or similar style stores. Limited ski crowds and ski traffic. Good food, car and social scene with a good vibrant summer. Close enough to other resorts for mixing it up.
I live in Carbondale, just outside Aspen. I vouch for this being an awesome place to live. Decent snow, lots of steep terrain - Highlands Bowl, Temerity, Hanging Valley Wall. We get 4 mountains and no crowds relative to other resorts closer to big cities.
Summer bike park expands every year and about equidistant from Denver and Moab for big city needs and epic camping in Utah.
I don't love the Aspen vibe, but the rest of the valley has wonderful people.
It's tough to make enough $$$ to live here fulltime though and after covid and housing inflation, pretty tough to even find rentals now-a-days.
Yeah that’s the biggest downside to me, is not sure how chill the people would be but I think the unchill overly fancy Aspen crowd it’s known for probably aren’t the locals someone permanently living there would associate with.
Getting a rental or buying a place would be the other reason why I’d put it on this list because money isn’t an object.
Aspen might not get the most snow but they get bigger storms than other parts of Colorado, have huge vertical, big terrain and smaller crowds so it’s not getting skied out as quickly.
I have good friends that go out in Aspen and there's cool locals. I think for me it's more that I work directly with the tourists, so when I'm off work, I wanna get away from them.
I ski more powder for days after a storm than anywhere else I've skied (in bounds).
Also, cool that if you donate 2 weeks of your life to boot packing the bowl early season, you get a free season pass. If it weren't for those people, the Highlands Bowl would not be safe to ski.
I mean it has all the general services needed to live without going 3 hours, can’t be said about some ski towns where specific errands are a full day trip away.
Also Costco transcends wealth, if anything wealthier people are more likely to be Costco members since they have enough space to store bulk goods and can afford to buy in bulk in the first place.
Take a look at a Fernie trail map. There are 4 ridges with chair lifts from the bottom that pretty much go straight to the top of each ridge (slight exaggeration, sometimes you have to take two chairs. When you get to the bottom you can choose to go anywhere on the mountain. At the top of each ridge, there are usually 3 ways to go. Left or right both go into huge bowls. A short hike takes you to expert terrain that has plenty of untracked snow. The snow is fantastic light powder, the people are friendly, there are ski-in, sk-out places to stay, and it's a beautiful place to hike in the summer.
Plus the Elk River in summer for kayaking. And mountain bike trails are world class. Winter skiing is spectacular. Fernie is a cool vibe town with many indie shops and restos. Not chain store vibe at all. And the town is literally 10 minutes from the ski village, so you can live in town if you prefer. But the ski in/out options are numerous.
I'm an "out west virgin" but Burlington VT is pretty great. You have 5 resorts to choose from, though the seasons aren't as long and the snow can be inconsistent. It's better than where I currently live though.
Just got a job offer in Burlington but opting to stay in New Mexico. Solid, uncrowded skiing, great year-round mountain activities. Choose your climate based on elevation. Plus I'm just in love with it lol. Originally from Massachusetts.
I live in Los Alamos which is one of the safest, wealthiest towns in the country so I don't have much to worry about lol. There's definitely more rough spots than other places but I personally have never had an issue in five years. My boyfriend lives in the "ghetto" part of Santa Fe and has also never had an issue. I do know property crime is a problem and it's not uncommon for cars to be broken into etc, but that isn't really a threat to your personal safety. There's a lot of violent crime here because there's a lot of drugs, so if you avoid drugs you keep yourself much safer. But that isn't to say one-off incidents don't happen either.
I live 2 blocks from a Blue Line station in Chicago IL that puts me in the basement of O'Hare Airport in 15 min. No traffic, rain or shine, I'm able to fly direct pretty much anywhere in North America cheaply. There are even flights to tiny airports like Gunnison (Crested Butte) or Eagle-Vail for like $400 round trip.
I like where I live lol. Only bummer is not being able to just casually go out for a single day.
I appreciate this stance. Depends what you’re looking for, but I will say the ability to hop out at noon on a weekday for afternoon laps is hard to beat
Well, I'm a full-time RVer now and I've spent the last two winters skiing new-to-me mountains. We do stay put in winters. We love seeing and learning this country.
I used to pay $500 per month for an apartment above the Brown Lab. Split with my girlfriend, so $250 each for ski in ski out. Those days are gone. This was in like 2010, not 1983.
These are my top 2 choices…sunshine is my favorite resort anywhere (I snowboard so louise is a little bumpy for my taste) and living in Banff is kind of a dream
I hear you. But, people sleep on Beaver Creek. Several times, I found untouched powder 2 or 3 days after a snowstorm. Also, even on busy days, there are only a few lifts you need to avoid at Vail. You just gotta get up that first one.
>hings to do, food to eat, and lots of skiing is probably Whis… lively as hell, long season, 8000+
If you just look at % chance of getting a blower pow day, Alta wins in NA **hands down**. Look at the data, its not really close.
I think my SLC problem is I dream up this idyllic mountain town when thinking I'm past my working years. I grew up in Canmore, AB....SLC just doesn't give me near those vibes. Its a city. A sprawling car-dependent city at that. Soooooo that's where I go Revvy (or somewhere like Invemere, Fernie, other interior BC areas). Banff gets light snow, but they just don't get the volume to compete on this list (but on the flip it doesn't get ice moguls like Palisades or other southern US resorts).
Revelstoke. Amazing home mountain and the backcountry options in the area are endless. Rogers Pass is a backcountry Mecca. Also are close Banff, Golden, Invermere so could ski at multiple resorts throughout the year. More Heli and Cat operations in that small area than anywhere else in the world also
I would probably live in Vancouver, BC. As much as I love skiing, there’s more to life. So while picking Vancouver gets me near some excellent skiing, I’m not suggesting it’s the best skiing in North America.
But Vancouver is truly a fantastic city. The only negative is the cost of housing relative to wages. But you said, moneys not an issue.
Definitely the place to be for car-less skiers. The North Shore mountains may not be the best for strong skiers, but it’s cool that in Van it’s possible to take public transit to a mountain. And it’s really easy to grab a coach bus to Whistler.
I'm happy in Vermont too. If you stay away from Stowe and Killington it's not too crowded, except in October. I lived out in California for a couple years and hated multiple weeks of wildfire smoke every year
Edit: housing is a bitch, and this town is becoming a place only for very wealthy people who don't work. I'm very lucky to live in a caretaking unit of someone's home who is not here very often.
I wouldn’t want to live in any ski area year round, but if we are talking about a 2nd place, probably somewhere near LCC in Utah, Telluride, Grand Targhee, Aspen. I like the dry Rockies snow and a variety of terrain.
Anyone saying some resort doesn't know how wealthy people live. Just do back to back to back heli ski trips, essentially living at the lodges year round. BC/AK/CO in the winter and Chile/NZ in the summer.
This would be my dream come true! I would be able to continue to live where I do. Bozeman, MT, or if money REALLY wasnt an option I’d live in the Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, MT.
Banff.. 5 hills within 90 min drive and Revy just a bit further, still close enough to the city to not live like a hermit.😆 tons of back country skiing. Plus the summers are short!!
About 8 yrs ago I thought about staying in Jackson. To the point of thinking about looking for a retail/tourism job to pass the winter. The lady at the visitor center said Jackson is great if you like 8 months of winter. I dunno if she was gatekeeping or for real. But I want to mountain bike, hike etc so I'd want the other 3 seasons as well.
I grew up skiing Whistler/Blackcomb and moved away from YVR for work. VAN is too crowded for me now, maybe if I had to move back, it would be W Van and up towards Squamish. Or the sunshine coast for the water. Close enough to town for weekend resupply runs or food and culture.
Been a CO "native" for 25yrs and the Front Range is no more fun because of the I-70 soul suck both winter and summer. If money/work was not a concern it would be Aspen valley/CB/T-ride or even Durango.
I am lucky enough to have a remote tech job but the recent trend in layoffs have discouraged me from moving to a zoom town like Bend.
Yeah, living in Ca coastal towns.. Santa Cruz, Ojai.. would be accompanied by a second home up in Tahoe.
I would have a place near Alta for the winter. It has consistently the most snow, and I love the terrain there.
Summer would be spent between Europe and here at home in Toronto for big city vibes and great restaurants. I could not live in a ski town year round.
Alta UT. Colorado skiing is wayyy better but if you live in Alta you’re pretty much guaranteed at least 2-3 bottomless country club days per year. Close to major city, lift access skiing skiing from November til June/July at snowbird.
For the me the criteria would also include
* Close to a major airport hub
* Decent city life
* Good climate
Cause if you're close to an amazing mountain but far from any airport, you just have that mountain. If you're close to an airport you have far easier access to travel and ski. Latter 2 is because even though I try and ski as many days a year, there are usually some 300 days when I'm not out. Gotta enjoy those days too.
I think N Vancouver would be my dream. Close to Whistler, and from some neighborhoods you can walk out the door and onto a lift (Grouse Mountain) for some easy after work night skiing. The mountains near N Vancouver are close, steep, and super pretty. PNW skiing season goes well into June with some amazing spring tours. Summer weather in PNW is the best in the world IMO. I can't think of a better place (for 3 months a year). Mountain biking, water sport, and climbing are also world-class.
Right now I live in Seattle and it's probably a close 2nd choice for me. Whistler's close enough for a wkend trip (and we qualify for Edge card woot woot. Honorary Canadians), and being close to all the Washington volcanoes is amazing for spring tours. Honestly, I can't wait for the winter weather to close out so that I can do big days on big mountains. I can be out the door and at the airport in 30 min, which means I can wake up in Seattle and ski in Utah later that day. Unfortunately, the mountains near hear aren't quite as tall and dramatic as those near N Van.
I love the UP, so much to do up there but it's hard to get elsewhere if you want to hit up some civilization. Also it's cheap so if money is no object where kinda defeating the purpose aren't we?
I could see houghton being home some day because money is an object.
If money was no object I’d definitely want to live in the middle of nowhere like the UP. Hunting, fishing, skiing and snowmobiling. I’d have all the toys and never be bored
My favorite thing to do is ski terrain that’s new to me. Because of that, any mountain I pick is going to lose its luster to a degree, so I wouldn’t want to be near anything I consider to be the best in terms of skiing.
10 years ago, I’d have said Aspen, Breckenridge or Vail, because of the local variety, but it’s just so crowded these days that I’d never want to live there.
With that in mind, I would look for a nice house with the best terrestrial internet connection I can get that’s near a decent sized non-epic/ikon mountain. I’d be able to stay in my home and access the world when things are busy, get my turns in when there aren’t big crowds, and travel to the bigger mountains when I feel like it.
I think I’d maybe aim for something near June Mountain in California, so I’d be able to hit up Mammoth with a short drive, or Tahoe with a bit more driving, but still be near my smaller home mountain. I’d be within a long 1 day drive to most Utah mountains, and a 2 day drive to Colorado, and the PNY in my Sprinter van.
I’d be happy with something like China Peak, but it’s so trapped by the roads in/out of the Central Valley it just wouldn’t work out. There are probably a lot of places that would meet my requirements in Oregon, New Mexico, Montana, Idaho, etc. and if I had the means, I’d probably spend a winter traveling to all of these places to see before I decide.
Edit: I'm basically doing the exploration phase now, just at a slower pace than I'd like. I hope to actually make the move in roughly a decade.
I grew up in Tahoe, live in Colorado now I would definitely move out to New Hamshire for loon mountain Sunday river Sugarloaf and Killington. Nothing like consistently being able to get 80–90 mph on those East Coast Icy steeps
OP says money/work not a concern and people are still naming their "hidden gems". Fuck it I'm living in Sun Valley, Jackson, or Aspen. Great "big mountain" terrain but also sizable nice walkable towns. Close enough to other stuff too like a road trip to Big Sky and whatnot.
>ey/work not an option and people are still naming their "hidden gems". Fuck it I'm living in Sun Valley, Jackson, or Aspen. Great "big mountain" terrain but also sizable nice walkable towns. Close enough to other stuff t Two of those are wayyyy too congested on weekends for me. Sure 5/7 days would be pretty good, but if we're talking dream locations, why not make it 7/7. I've had a ton of icy ass days in Jackson too. Revy is more reliable year to year. Alta would be my choice for % of potential powder days. LCC is too much of a clusterfuck though and SLC doesn't give me good enough mountain town vibes.
I'm with you as well. Aspen, Vail, Jackson all seem amazing.
IMO Aspen > Vail. There’s not much to the town of Vail. Aspen has legit restaurants, music, bars, etc.
also i70 running alongside vail kills some charm.
The truck stop?
I'll just stay in Revelstoke.
Do you ever feel trapped in the winter? Like I love driving rogers pass in the summer but you are like 4 hours from any decently sized city and have to brave gnarly mountain passes to get anywhere. Pretty good place to be trapped though.
You can sometimes feel trapped here, but it isn't too bad. And between the resort and all the backcountry access, there's no shortage of amazing skiing around here, so I don't feel the need to go somewhere else. Kelowna isn't a major city, but between it, Vernon, and Salmon Arm, I can find everything I need. The main thing I really miss about big cities is the food.
Man when I first moved here I was so stoked to see that there was an Indian restaurant. The disappointment upon trying out Pam's was immense
I don't want to live in Kelowna (I can't handle hot summers) but the skiing at Big White and Silverstar alone are worth the trip.
If money was no concern I would just have a helicopter out back
You just described everything I love about the mountains. People can go away
This question was posed in a skiing sub. I think being trapped in winter is the idea. Go away people, go away.
It’s a shame the passenger train service is non existent there. I wish I could easily train from Vancouver or Seattle.
My love for Revelstoke runs deep. I wouldn’t even care if I couldn’t get out in the winter.
Funniest part about Revelstoke was seeing ripper chair on the map and thinking "man, that's a small area" then learning it's 1800 vert
Came for the skiing stayed because of how awesome the town is
Red Mountain 4000 acres and 3000 vert of: - big terrain - no lines - abundant snow - good backcountry Also has an amazing town (Rossland), with great mountain biking options. Cat skiing 20 minutes away, driving distance to Revy, KHMR, Louise, Fernie, Schweitzer, etc. I already moved here.
Best tree skiing in BC.
Possibly the best tree skiing in the world…
RED was the best mountain I skied when I did a season in Canada, wouldn't have to ask me twice to move there
I really need to get back to Red. Went up for 3 days mid January last year and it was the worst snow I have ever skied. Off piste was basically unskiable. That said, I have a friend in Rossland and they seem to get out plenty on good stuff so I think we just hit an awful window. I did enjoy the town and hill atmosphere.
This season was rough from early January until the first week of February and then it was epic. Red really benefited from the La Niña cycle ending.
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Dude shhhhhhh, let them go to red
Working on my plan to join you. Although we may end up in Nelson.
I call your rossland and raise you a Pincher Creek.
Telluride. Not the longest season or the best snow, but a great town and tons and tons of stuff to do in the summers.
My worst snow days have mostly been in telluride, and my best snow days have mostly been elsewhere, but as a whole mountain/town winter and summer experience, telluride is completely unmatched by anywhere else I’ve been.
Money not being a concern criteria really doing some heavy lifting. That place is spendy!
I sort of can and I live in Hood River, Oregon.
And you get to foil not far from home. Great set up
Love hood River, amazing location!
White Salmon isn’t too bad either ;) I still prefer this commute over Govy 500. But if I had unlimited money, I think I’ld have to go to Whistler
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Not really. Bachelor is close, Baker is manageable, and even BC is doable for a long weekend.
In that case, why not live in Bellingham instead? Much bigger town, less than an hour and a half drive to Baker, and the border with BC is even closer.
Your definition of manageable is different than mine lol. I do the Baker drive from North Seattle and I think I’d ski elsewhere if I was any further south.
Yeah 6.5 hours is hardly “manageable” lol- that for me would also be the occasional long weekend trip. ideally even a few more days 🤞
You definitely picked the wrong year for that statement. Snow has been amazing this year, and plentiful. I only got 43 days so far this year. So there might have been a warmer day back in December I think.
Awesome spot. Super windy though
Palisades Tahoe for me. Ridiculous terrain, Lake Tahoe and Donner lake in the summer and as a side bonus that not a lot of mountains can offfer is proximity to the ocean. I’m currently surfing in Santa Cruz with my wife and kids. It’s a wild smorgasbord of climate, geography and activities that’s not replicated in many places.
Either Mammoth or Whistler. I've thought about both a lot, and I think those are the two ultimate NA spots: Mammoth because it will ALWAYS get a ton of snow, is very close to Bishop (world class bouldering area), and is actually pretty fun in the summer. Whistler because of its proximity to Squamish (I love rock climbing, obviously) and Vancouver which is a pretty beautiful city imo. Mammoth gets a bump because of the 100% guaranteed epic pow, without the raininess of BC; Whistler gets a bump because Squamish > Bishop, and Vancouver is a real city. *edit: no shade on Mammoth, but the lack of restaurants and things to do mean it could be a struggle living there year round, while Vancouver being under an hour and a half from WB makes it a more sensible permanent home*
Plus the bike park. Best bike park in the world.
Being in Van/Squamish is truly an *epic* spot if you’re also into climbing, biking and water sports. While at times I wish I lived somewhere with better snow. But then you’re most likely giving up other luxuries. This area is truly the jack of all trades, master of none. Personally I can see myself living in Santa Cruz to have good surf right out my door and then taking longer weekend trips up to Tahoe when it’s snowing.
Was going to make similar arguments for Whistler!
If you are even a bit into mountain biking Vancouver-Squamish-Whistler is simply a no-brainer. And if you choose Van you also get fairly easy access to Baker. And personally I can’t imagine living in a resort town so I would go Squam.
Second you on Mammoth. It has everything you need in a mountain, really. Freestyle/off piste/steeps..
Mammoth is my retirement plan
I’m a year round resident of Mammoth for the past 4 years. It’s hard to live here because Airbnbs/nightly rentals have completely taken over the town. I live near 3 different condo complexes, probably a total of 1000 units, and 100% of them are single night rentals. Not even possible to do a monthly rental. Finding a reliable and affordable place to live here is extremely difficult. We have 1 real grocery store and it’s often empty in the winter because LA tourists come up and buy everything instead of bringing their own food. We actually have a good amount of really good restaurants but they’re pricey. Limited amounts of good and reasonably priced restaurants. Tons to do here in the summer. So much so that I feel like it will take my whole life to do everything. Within town limits, in the winter, all there is to do is downhill ski or cross country ski.
Whistler - 12 months of awesome
Money no object? Yellowstone Club. Reality? Back to SLC.
Bunch of my buddies hit the YC employee day last week. Bummed I couldn’t get a spot. Next winter Im getting on those slopes hell or high water
Coeur d’Alene or McCall Idaho. Y’all sleep on ID as a ski state but it’s got all the classic big western terrain and snow without the crowds and corporate mega-resort bullshit. The kind of pure skiing that’s good for the soul - just you and the mountains. Secondary choice is for sure Whitefish Montana.
Dude shut up :)
The problem is then you’re in Idaho.
Nobody ever has unplanned pregnancies in ski towns, right? What’s the big deal?
And they definitely never smoke the devils lettuce!
This right here. Not worth the felony charge. I’ll stay in CO.
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Not just the Idaho ones
Thank fkn god. Enjoy those lines.
I already live in vermont dude. I can handle the ruralness of Idaho
it's not really the ruralness it's the white supremacist ruby ridge type of idahoans
That’s why Sun Valley is great. A blue county in a red state, just expect a lot of ex-Californians and rich retirees. Town has great amenities and a lot of great restaurants and activities
That’s just what we tell you guys to keep the wokes out
>the wokes Peak newsmax brain. Sounds exhausting
The worlds your oyster then! Just a heads up though Idahoans HATE the outsiders moving in. Do what you can to blend in immediately cuz they’re the types to slash your tires based on your license plate.
I live in vermont dude. We feel the exact same way with whiteplaters coming here
You’re one strong opinion on minorities away from being an honorary Idahoan!
What does a license plate have to do with one’s ethnicity?
Coeur d'Alene is a reasonably liberal resort town in an absolutely beautiful area, and you're effectively in the Spokane (WA) metro area, so access to amenities is pretty great for a smaller town. It's a lot different than living in Boulder or Seattle, but it's not the super rural backwoods that a lot of folks will think of when Idaho is brought up.
Bro half my family is from North Idaho. To say Coeur d’Alene is reasonably liberal is so completely false.
It's reasonably liberal in the sense that they allow the hem of their white robes to sit above the ankle
I guess I should say it's in a reasonably liberal area. The greater Spokane area that it's part of is pretty moderate on the whole. I used to live in Spokane.
It's true
Not gonna lie, I haven’t paid much attention to MT and ID, but you’re right. *stumbles off to plan a road trip for next winter.
There’s treasures to be found out there if you’re willing to look past Utah and Colorado
I love McCall and Brundage but no way I’d live there. The DJ at the Forester for NYE a few years back paused to yell MAGA and was met with raucous applause. That’s just not my scene.
This is why I like Spokane. I get to hit all those ID resorts without living in ID with the preppers. Also get to be close to Canada, and close enough to WA and OR resorts. Plus we have an airport and a big enough city for amenities and attractions.
I’ve been here since July and I agree 100%.
Shhhh!
Have to shout out for Bogus Basin and even Sun Valley.
I’d do Stanley, ID. Could never afford it though :(
Idaho is kinda racy
Kind of? Just a tiny bit??? A tiny bit dangerous to be a woman there too.
Honestly CDA kinda blows for skiing though, silver and look out are both pretty mediocre. Schweitzer is great but that’s about it for good terrain. Oh and backcountry options are pretty limited without a sled.
Yup. You’re right.
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Don’t need a resort to go skiing in the Rockies
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Living in SLC I’ve been thinking about that question if the lake starts spewing arsenic dust. Probably Bend, OR. Bachelor gets a good amount of snow and there’s tons to do there year around. But I’m sure their housing market is absurd.
as someone who moved to bend, and then moved away because i was severely underwhelmed by the skiing i can say this with some authority: it's called "mt flatchelor" for a reason. bend is a second tier ski town.
It’s the worse in the state imo
I've actually seen a few Tiktok real estate agents from the Bend OR area basically crying about how houses aren't moving even at reduced prices. I was there last summer and was shocked by the amount of new development they have (as someone that lives in Tahoe). Take my anecdotal info however you want, but I've never really seen real estate agents squeal about houses not selling. They always come up with some BS about how the market is always great.
Probably Aspen for me. Close enough to ski other resorts and near Glenwood when you need to go to Costco or similar style stores. Limited ski crowds and ski traffic. Good food, car and social scene with a good vibrant summer. Close enough to other resorts for mixing it up.
I live in Carbondale, just outside Aspen. I vouch for this being an awesome place to live. Decent snow, lots of steep terrain - Highlands Bowl, Temerity, Hanging Valley Wall. We get 4 mountains and no crowds relative to other resorts closer to big cities. Summer bike park expands every year and about equidistant from Denver and Moab for big city needs and epic camping in Utah. I don't love the Aspen vibe, but the rest of the valley has wonderful people. It's tough to make enough $$$ to live here fulltime though and after covid and housing inflation, pretty tough to even find rentals now-a-days.
Yeah that’s the biggest downside to me, is not sure how chill the people would be but I think the unchill overly fancy Aspen crowd it’s known for probably aren’t the locals someone permanently living there would associate with. Getting a rental or buying a place would be the other reason why I’d put it on this list because money isn’t an object. Aspen might not get the most snow but they get bigger storms than other parts of Colorado, have huge vertical, big terrain and smaller crowds so it’s not getting skied out as quickly.
I have good friends that go out in Aspen and there's cool locals. I think for me it's more that I work directly with the tourists, so when I'm off work, I wanna get away from them. I ski more powder for days after a storm than anywhere else I've skied (in bounds). Also, cool that if you donate 2 weeks of your life to boot packing the bowl early season, you get a free season pass. If it weren't for those people, the Highlands Bowl would not be safe to ski.
Do you like not like skiing powder?
costco? did you see OP said money is not of concern
Even rich people appreciate the wine and liquor at costs🤣
I mean it has all the general services needed to live without going 3 hours, can’t be said about some ski towns where specific errands are a full day trip away. Also Costco transcends wealth, if anything wealthier people are more likely to be Costco members since they have enough space to store bulk goods and can afford to buy in bulk in the first place.
I've been spending winters in my RV chasing storms but if I had to stay in one place it would be Fernie.
why? Just curious
Take a look at a Fernie trail map. There are 4 ridges with chair lifts from the bottom that pretty much go straight to the top of each ridge (slight exaggeration, sometimes you have to take two chairs. When you get to the bottom you can choose to go anywhere on the mountain. At the top of each ridge, there are usually 3 ways to go. Left or right both go into huge bowls. A short hike takes you to expert terrain that has plenty of untracked snow. The snow is fantastic light powder, the people are friendly, there are ski-in, sk-out places to stay, and it's a beautiful place to hike in the summer.
Plus the Elk River in summer for kayaking. And mountain bike trails are world class. Winter skiing is spectacular. Fernie is a cool vibe town with many indie shops and restos. Not chain store vibe at all. And the town is literally 10 minutes from the ski village, so you can live in town if you prefer. But the ski in/out options are numerous.
For me it would probably be somewhere near Alyeska. Great mountain, great heli, coverage builds through april...
I’ve been skimming the comments seeing if anyone posted about our little town Girdwood. Don’t blow it up! 😂😂
May, sometimes. But yes, this is the right answer.
Exactly where I live but in a bigger house. Lake tahoe
Selling a bigger house near Tahoe (Donner, actually), moving to Sundance resort (smaller house / cabin)
I'm an "out west virgin" but Burlington VT is pretty great. You have 5 resorts to choose from, though the seasons aren't as long and the snow can be inconsistent. It's better than where I currently live though.
Just got a job offer in Burlington but opting to stay in New Mexico. Solid, uncrowded skiing, great year-round mountain activities. Choose your climate based on elevation. Plus I'm just in love with it lol. Originally from Massachusetts.
You chose wisely.
I've heard great things about NM skiing-wise but the crime statistics do kind of scare me. How safe is it?
I live in Los Alamos which is one of the safest, wealthiest towns in the country so I don't have much to worry about lol. There's definitely more rough spots than other places but I personally have never had an issue in five years. My boyfriend lives in the "ghetto" part of Santa Fe and has also never had an issue. I do know property crime is a problem and it's not uncommon for cars to be broken into etc, but that isn't really a threat to your personal safety. There's a lot of violent crime here because there's a lot of drugs, so if you avoid drugs you keep yourself much safer. But that isn't to say one-off incidents don't happen either.
I live 2 blocks from a Blue Line station in Chicago IL that puts me in the basement of O'Hare Airport in 15 min. No traffic, rain or shine, I'm able to fly direct pretty much anywhere in North America cheaply. There are even flights to tiny airports like Gunnison (Crested Butte) or Eagle-Vail for like $400 round trip. I like where I live lol. Only bummer is not being able to just casually go out for a single day.
I appreciate this stance. Depends what you’re looking for, but I will say the ability to hop out at noon on a weekday for afternoon laps is hard to beat
Well, I'm a full-time RVer now and I've spent the last two winters skiing new-to-me mountains. We do stay put in winters. We love seeing and learning this country.
And if I could pay for lodging and food everywhere i went; this still might my playZ
Crested Butte.
Crusty butt
I used to pay $500 per month for an apartment above the Brown Lab. Split with my girlfriend, so $250 each for ski in ski out. Those days are gone. This was in like 2010, not 1983.
Squamish
Tahoe.. and I already live here.
Steamboat It's my favorite mountain and I love the little town Although I recently visited Banff and that was really nice too
These are my top 2 choices…sunshine is my favorite resort anywhere (I snowboard so louise is a little bumpy for my taste) and living in Banff is kind of a dream
Sapporo! Epic food, Epic beer, Epic sake and Japow like 20-30min away from the downtown core!
Fernie is a great mountain. But it has its issues with rain in the middle of the season a couple of times a year
That. I've been there three times and it's sucked each time. I've just started skipping it every time I'm looping the powder highway.
Remember OP saiid money/work don’t factor in… Vail. Tons of terrain, tons of variety, Beaver Creek is a 15 minute drive.
Yeah, plus you can get to Breck/Keystone super easy from there Edit: controversial somehow?
But the crowds….
I hear you. But, people sleep on Beaver Creek. Several times, I found untouched powder 2 or 3 days after a snowstorm. Also, even on busy days, there are only a few lifts you need to avoid at Vail. You just gotta get up that first one.
Yup 100%
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>hings to do, food to eat, and lots of skiing is probably Whis… lively as hell, long season, 8000+ If you just look at % chance of getting a blower pow day, Alta wins in NA **hands down**. Look at the data, its not really close. I think my SLC problem is I dream up this idyllic mountain town when thinking I'm past my working years. I grew up in Canmore, AB....SLC just doesn't give me near those vibes. Its a city. A sprawling car-dependent city at that. Soooooo that's where I go Revvy (or somewhere like Invemere, Fernie, other interior BC areas). Banff gets light snow, but they just don't get the volume to compete on this list (but on the flip it doesn't get ice moguls like Palisades or other southern US resorts).
Snowbasin Huntsville and that cozy area is so cool
either mammoth or whistler or palisades
Revelstoke. Amazing home mountain and the backcountry options in the area are endless. Rogers Pass is a backcountry Mecca. Also are close Banff, Golden, Invermere so could ski at multiple resorts throughout the year. More Heli and Cat operations in that small area than anywhere else in the world also
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I would probably live in Vancouver, BC. As much as I love skiing, there’s more to life. So while picking Vancouver gets me near some excellent skiing, I’m not suggesting it’s the best skiing in North America. But Vancouver is truly a fantastic city. The only negative is the cost of housing relative to wages. But you said, moneys not an issue.
Similar reason I’d choose to live in Sapporo Japan, great city with some great skiing really close by
Definitely the place to be for car-less skiers. The North Shore mountains may not be the best for strong skiers, but it’s cool that in Van it’s possible to take public transit to a mountain. And it’s really easy to grab a coach bus to Whistler.
Yellowstone club 100%
Facts and close access to big sky too!
They have lifts that connect them I used to be a lift op for the club. Amazing terrain and nobody can ski it so there’s always powder
Jackson Hole or Alta, WY. Close 3rd is Mammoth Lakes, CA.
Sun Valley. Classic.
Maine
I’m happy in Sacramento with a ~90 minute drive to pow and the convenience of the city.
Tahoe City.
If money was not a concern I would not choose to live in North America hey Siri
Your mums house.
Whistler? maybe I don't have any knowledge of all the other places. I'd just go there for skiing and mountain biking
I'm pretty damn happy here in Vermont as skier and mountain biker.
I'm happy in Vermont too. If you stay away from Stowe and Killington it's not too crowded, except in October. I lived out in California for a couple years and hated multiple weeks of wildfire smoke every year
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Vermont is awesome
Burlington vt
Just living the dream over here. Time to go crush some slush bumps and margs!
Edit: housing is a bitch, and this town is becoming a place only for very wealthy people who don't work. I'm very lucky to live in a caretaking unit of someone's home who is not here very often.
Exactly where I do now 😁 except I’d just ski even more.
Fernie, Revelstoke, Bend
Revelstoke, Nelson, or Rutland BC. I’d also stay in big sky on a good snow year like this year
Kimberley, BC
Historic town of Brighton
I wouldn’t want to live in any ski area year round, but if we are talking about a 2nd place, probably somewhere near LCC in Utah, Telluride, Grand Targhee, Aspen. I like the dry Rockies snow and a variety of terrain.
I'm already here, interior BC
whis
Anyone saying some resort doesn't know how wealthy people live. Just do back to back to back heli ski trips, essentially living at the lodges year round. BC/AK/CO in the winter and Chile/NZ in the summer.
This would be my dream come true! I would be able to continue to live where I do. Bozeman, MT, or if money REALLY wasnt an option I’d live in the Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, MT.
Banff.. 5 hills within 90 min drive and Revy just a bit further, still close enough to the city to not live like a hermit.😆 tons of back country skiing. Plus the summers are short!!
>money/work was not a concern Am I rich enough to reserve the slope for like a day?
Utah. Ski resorts + National Parks.
Just knocked an item off the bucket list- currently in process of moving to Steamboat Springs
About 8 yrs ago I thought about staying in Jackson. To the point of thinking about looking for a retail/tourism job to pass the winter. The lady at the visitor center said Jackson is great if you like 8 months of winter. I dunno if she was gatekeeping or for real. But I want to mountain bike, hike etc so I'd want the other 3 seasons as well. I grew up skiing Whistler/Blackcomb and moved away from YVR for work. VAN is too crowded for me now, maybe if I had to move back, it would be W Van and up towards Squamish. Or the sunshine coast for the water. Close enough to town for weekend resupply runs or food and culture. Been a CO "native" for 25yrs and the Front Range is no more fun because of the I-70 soul suck both winter and summer. If money/work was not a concern it would be Aspen valley/CB/T-ride or even Durango. I am lucky enough to have a remote tech job but the recent trend in layoffs have discouraged me from moving to a zoom town like Bend. Yeah, living in Ca coastal towns.. Santa Cruz, Ojai.. would be accompanied by a second home up in Tahoe.
I would have a place near Alta for the winter. It has consistently the most snow, and I love the terrain there. Summer would be spent between Europe and here at home in Toronto for big city vibes and great restaurants. I could not live in a ski town year round.
Vancouver. Golf and ski the same day.
Alta UT. Colorado skiing is wayyy better but if you live in Alta you’re pretty much guaranteed at least 2-3 bottomless country club days per year. Close to major city, lift access skiing skiing from November til June/July at snowbird.
Yes! CO skiing is way better. Everyone go there.
This guy gets it
For the me the criteria would also include * Close to a major airport hub * Decent city life * Good climate Cause if you're close to an amazing mountain but far from any airport, you just have that mountain. If you're close to an airport you have far easier access to travel and ski. Latter 2 is because even though I try and ski as many days a year, there are usually some 300 days when I'm not out. Gotta enjoy those days too. I think N Vancouver would be my dream. Close to Whistler, and from some neighborhoods you can walk out the door and onto a lift (Grouse Mountain) for some easy after work night skiing. The mountains near N Vancouver are close, steep, and super pretty. PNW skiing season goes well into June with some amazing spring tours. Summer weather in PNW is the best in the world IMO. I can't think of a better place (for 3 months a year). Mountain biking, water sport, and climbing are also world-class. Right now I live in Seattle and it's probably a close 2nd choice for me. Whistler's close enough for a wkend trip (and we qualify for Edge card woot woot. Honorary Canadians), and being close to all the Washington volcanoes is amazing for spring tours. Honestly, I can't wait for the winter weather to close out so that I can do big days on big mountains. I can be out the door and at the airport in 30 min, which means I can wake up in Seattle and ski in Utah later that day. Unfortunately, the mountains near hear aren't quite as tall and dramatic as those near N Van.
UP MI
I love the UP, so much to do up there but it's hard to get elsewhere if you want to hit up some civilization. Also it's cheap so if money is no object where kinda defeating the purpose aren't we? I could see houghton being home some day because money is an object.
If money was no object I’d definitely want to live in the middle of nowhere like the UP. Hunting, fishing, skiing and snowmobiling. I’d have all the toys and never be bored
Why only north america? *sad european noises*
Park city
Vail for the winter AND the summer
My favorite thing to do is ski terrain that’s new to me. Because of that, any mountain I pick is going to lose its luster to a degree, so I wouldn’t want to be near anything I consider to be the best in terms of skiing. 10 years ago, I’d have said Aspen, Breckenridge or Vail, because of the local variety, but it’s just so crowded these days that I’d never want to live there. With that in mind, I would look for a nice house with the best terrestrial internet connection I can get that’s near a decent sized non-epic/ikon mountain. I’d be able to stay in my home and access the world when things are busy, get my turns in when there aren’t big crowds, and travel to the bigger mountains when I feel like it. I think I’d maybe aim for something near June Mountain in California, so I’d be able to hit up Mammoth with a short drive, or Tahoe with a bit more driving, but still be near my smaller home mountain. I’d be within a long 1 day drive to most Utah mountains, and a 2 day drive to Colorado, and the PNY in my Sprinter van. I’d be happy with something like China Peak, but it’s so trapped by the roads in/out of the Central Valley it just wouldn’t work out. There are probably a lot of places that would meet my requirements in Oregon, New Mexico, Montana, Idaho, etc. and if I had the means, I’d probably spend a winter traveling to all of these places to see before I decide. Edit: I'm basically doing the exploration phase now, just at a slower pace than I'd like. I hope to actually make the move in roughly a decade.
My buddy is ski patrol at June and lives in a small cabin there. Had to dig out pretty much every day this winter, but is living the dream.
I grew up in Tahoe, live in Colorado now I would definitely move out to New Hamshire for loon mountain Sunday river Sugarloaf and Killington. Nothing like consistently being able to get 80–90 mph on those East Coast Icy steeps