college towns?

[svilar]

I'm about to ditch my cubicle and head back to school to become a teacher. I could use some suggestions on college towns that are within proximity to some decent climbing. In this case quality of recreational opportunities outweighs the school's academic reputation. Thanks.

D

[stonewall]

Save yourself time and money--move to Peru--Climb--then find yourself an academic program that fits your interests.

just a thought

Stoney

[To_The_Top]

What about Bellingham?

They have a good program at WWU, and you wouldn't have to pay the out of state tuition fee.

[jhamaker]

Yo, any town in WA.

UPS, Tacoma - expensive school, lots of inner city jobs.

WWU, Bellingham - cheap, you'll fal in love w/ B-ham, and not get wk there.

Seattle - big city.

WWU, Cle Elum - bad rep for teacher school

WSU, Nowhererseville, do you like to watch the wheat grow?

Volonteer a few hundred hours w/ your prefered age group, thenGo for a 12-16mo Master Prg.

[Lambone]

I enjoyed Montana State, Bozeman

-Fat powder-Sweet Ice-decent rock climbing-great mountains-grizzly bears

However, for those reasons I am still in school!

[mountainguy01]

Go to WWU and you could even get a degree in Recreation! My vote would be Western, there is always something to do in terms of recreation and their teaching program is awesome. And you will meet some "interesting" people up here too.

[pope]

In the currrent ed. market, you'll get a teaching job with just about any training. They're not going to give a rip where you went to school. CWU in Ellensburg actually graduates many ed. majors, and academic majors who then get a credential, and among ed. programs, they have as good a reputation as any. Close to Leavenworth, plenty of sun, cheap rent and low expectations...you should get plenty of climbing done. Ditto on WWU, minus the cheap rent. WWU is closer to Squamish and the North Cascades, but you'll spend many a rainy weekend studying worthless ed. theories, dreaming about dry rock.

At the UW, they take themselves seriously in the ed. department, and you'll be put through every imaginable hoop. You'll still graduate with a head full of crap, the applicability of which is vanishingly small. The UW has a superb climbing/simulation facility, and plenty of other distractions.

Conclusion: don't borrow a lot of money, whatever you do. You're not going to pay it back very fast.

[plexus]

Don't get me started about WWU (worthless Washington University).....

On the bright side, the bear is excellent at Boundary Bay

[dberdinka]

UC, Boulder. It won't get any better.

[Bronco]

'nother vote for MSU in Bozeman. There is way too much recreation around there for serious scholars.

Some highlights Lambone skipped:

Jobs don't pay much Average High temp in January -80 Locals don't like folks from the PNW ( yupies)Real Estate is too expensive lot's of alcoholic hunters in the back country up 'til x-mas and snowmobilers after that.

You also better be expecting to adjust to "Montana Time". ie, if you are meeting a local to do some craggin at 8 am you are expected to chill out until at least 9:30. And don't be surprised if they befriended a hitch hiker in cowboy boots who's now going climbing with you.

[Jason_Martin]

UNLV in Vegas...

If all you're doing is going to school with no "survival job" you can climb just about every day at beautiful Red Rocks.

Jason

[willstrickland]

Here we go (not in any order):

1.UTC (Tenn-Chattanooga): More climbable rock in a 30 min radius than almost anywhere. Cost of living is low, awesome whitewater, great winter rock climbing (although no alpine and very little ice), close enough to high country climbing to beat the summer heat, great whitewater, biking, and insane caving.

2. SUU (Southern Utah-St George). Ok, Zion 30min, Red Rocks 2hr, Snow Canyon 15min, Canyonlands/Moab /Fishers/CastleValley/Indian Creek 3hr, Little Cottonwood/American Fork/Big Cottonwood 3hr, Joe's Valley 2hr, Ibex 1.5 hr,Virgin River Gorge 40min,Best powder in the world 3hr, closest skiing 40 min. World class crack,big wall, sport, mountain biking, skiing, only drawback is the Mormon factor

3.UC Boulder. Overpriced, full of posers and uberathletes, plenty of rock and alpine. No wonder they're all trust-funders you couldn't afford it otherwise.

4. UNC-Asheville. Possibly the coolest town on the east coast. Insane whitewater(think steep-creek), biking, and tons of climbing in the hillcountry. Pretty cheap to live there, very hippie-friendly, beautiful women.

5. Ft. Lewis College (Durango). This is the one... 14ers, tons of powder, close to the desert (easy weekend trips to Canyonlands/Moab), ICE ICE ICE! Telluride and Ouray right up the road, US Mt Bike team trains there. Black Canyon, Crested Butte, friendly town.

6. Fresno State. Yos is close, that's the only thing going for it.

[David_Parker]

Will, I always thought Durango would be a cool town to live in for all those reasons you mentioned, but how hot is it in the summer? How come you don't live there?

University of Snowbird (Utah) has a lot of variable climbing including ice as well! Dave

[mikeadam]

I agree with dberdinka. CU Boulder or CSU in Fort Collins, Colorado. They don't get much better.

[willstrickland]

Uhh, that's a good question Dave. Mainly because I was already on the west-coast and had friends in Portland (my friends who attended Ft Lewis were long graduated and gone), knew I needed to be in a big city to score a high-paying engineering gig. I also love Portland as a city, clean, low crime, great beer, good transit, resources, etc. Now one of my best partners is actually living there, but apparently just scored a patroller job at Squaw so he's splitting.

Summer is pretty comfortable, Durango is around 5500-6000ft and the section of the San Juans right there has some of the highest average elev of any area in the lower 48. Ohh, did I mention the hot springs? The hot girls? Ski-area on the outskirts of town? (Formerly Purgatory, now Durango Mt resort or some such unimaginative crap) Don't know about the job market there though.

[Government_Watch_Dog]

Forget Boulder Colorado ("Rado"). Though the climbing and snow are good, living there is tough. Not only is it expensive, the town seems to be filled with rich DORKS and it's too much of "a scene." It's always been my theory that that side of the Rockies serves as and excellent filter for conservative mid-westerners and east coasties that like have fallen in love with mountains, but seem to be unable to drop their driven conservative ways. Maybe I've run into too many idiot Coloradians in the mountains. As we say, "Rado" stops the "east infection."

Montana was summed up nicely. A mixed bag, but cool place, good climbers.

CA is still the place. The home of cool rich people that take lots of neat drugs, just stay away from So-Cal (unless your super rich or on vacation to J-tree or Tahquitz.) Berkeley (and much of the bay area) is excellent, plus there is a good outdoor scene going on. And hey, Yosemite is right there. WA rocks! But don't forget the unsung classic. Alaska! There is so much good mountain climbing there, it will make you SICK. Plus, Alaskan climbers are pretty damn good and darn friendly. Though the state has this weird fascination with conservative politicians like Frank "the tank" Murkowski, the climbing scene is really great. Plus you get the AK State dividend, the tuition is affordable and there is ice climbing for 6 months of the year.

[mikeadam]

Boulder bashing is cool-we did it because we grew up there and knew the scene was lame, but the person wanted to know about climbing, skiing and access. UC Boulder has it in spades over any Wash university venue. Let's stay objective eh?

If you really want the scene go to Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat Springs. Slacker city and everyone is there to ski and climb.

[chucK]

quote:

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Originally posted by Government Watch Dog:

Berkeley (and much of the bay area)is excellent, plus there is a good outdoor scene going on.And hey,Yosemite is right there.

---

Yeah, "right there", just a four hour drive.

Sorta like driving to Squamish from Seattle.

[Matt]

Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff is a good school in a great town with fine climbing and cool temperatures.

University of Vermont in Burlington is very cool.

SUNY (State University of New York) in New Paltz has great climbing and a very friendly town.

[Government_Watch_Dog]

"Sorta like driving to Squamish from Seattle," but no one will ask you where you're going, who you're going to see, or pilfer through your gear.A four-hour drive to the Valley, it's worth it.

But from Anchorage ("the Rage!") it's only 20 minutes to the ice and even less to a ski hill.

I forgot about Flag. Great town, good coffee, but it seems to mostly be a rafting scene.

If the Owens Valley had a University, it would be heaven.

[willstrickland]

quote:

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Originally posted by Matt:

Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff is a good school in a great town with fine climbing and cool temperatures.

I've got friends in school there who would disagree about the school, and the town. Strange super early bar closing times, apparently a bunch of "poser" EXTREME folks at the U (their words not mine)

University of Vermont in Burlington is very cool.

More like very cold. A fun town for sure (and ranked as the best place in America for Lesbians...maybe fufill some of those fantsies while you're there) but the climbing is nothing to speak of...maybe with the exception of Cathedral and Cannon

SUNY (State University of New York) in New Paltz has great climbing and a very friendly town.

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The gunks are fun, but you'll think the crowds at Smith are tiny compared to a busy day in the Gunks.

Just my $3.41

[Lambone]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bronco:

'nother vote for MSU in Bozeman. There is way too much recreation around there for serious scholars.

Some highlights Lambone skipped:

Jobs don't pay much Average High temp in January -80 Locals don't like folks from the PNW (yupies)Real Estate is too expensive lot's of alcoholic hunters in the back country up 'til x-mas and snowmobilers after that.

You also better be expecting to adjust to "Montana Time". ie, if you are meeting a local to do some craggin at 8 am you are expected to chill out until at least 9:30. And don't be surprised if they befriended a hitch hiker in cowboy boots who's now going climbing with you.

---

Ahhh, your bringin me back to the old days....

Some minor adjustments to your evaluation-

-Locals don't like anyone from anywhere, especialy the east, even if they themselves were born in New York!

-seeing Jack Tackle pull up to the Hyalite parking lot in his bright orange body suit w/a herum of chicks is definately a highlight!

-there are no jobs, and every employee is expendable

-the scene is changing, gor-tex wearin patagoochi lovers from the suburbs now outnumber the Rednecks and Dreadies

[svilar]

Anybody familiar with Missoula? I know there are less cowboys, but not sure about proximity to climbing. At least it's closer to the Cascades.

Dave

[Lambone]

quote:

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Originally posted by svilar:

Anybody familiar with Missoula? I know there are less cowboys, but not sure about proximity to climbing. At least it's closer to the Cascades.

Dave

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Dave,

You'll forget about the Cascades once you live in Montana! (ok mabye not forget, but there is so much to do there, why drive)

There is good rock climbing at Kooteni(sp?) Canyon, and semi Big Wall stuff in Blodgett Canyon. Glacier is right there, lots of Ice has been discovered up there in the last 5-10 years.The local hill is Discovery Basin. I hear its good terrain for a small area. Old lifts and all that... Plus lots of Awsome Backcountry skiing in the Bitteroots. It's closer to the good boating in Idaho if you are into that sort of thing.

Missula is more of a city then Bozeman, and definately has a more diverse crowd of folks. More live music!! But no Hyalite, or Bridger Bowl...

[Peter_Puget]

The answer depends on exactly what kind of outdoor recreation you’re looking for. And what exactly the definition of “College Town” is. In general having lived in the south and having inlaws that force me to New England, I would never consider moving east for the recreation or living in general. Montana is a cool place as is Arizona but California is the place you want to be if ice isn’t tops on your list. So many schools. Lots of them good too! Oceans ,deserts, mountains, skiing, rock climbing - it has everything. Eg Cal Stat Univ @ Sac or UC Davis – Both are near skiing, year round rock climbing, spring skiing on Shasta or just fun hiking in the Sierra. Think of UC Riverside, Chico State, UC Santa Cruz, Humboldt is near lots of rivers if you’re into white water. Not to mention the tons of private schools. Darn it almost makes me wish I was going back to school!