An *ideal* climber's town??????

[Richard_Pumpington]

Yo Bell,

If you want to stay in the Pacific Northwest, I feelthat Bend and the immeadiate surrounding areas, isone of the best. You've got a lot of mountains veryclose(7 larger ones and several small ones), because it's on the eastern side of the range, the snow isprobably the best for skiing(lightest)in the entireNW, once you move there you will find(if you explore)plenty of good places for ice and alternative rock(other than Smith Rock) and if you explore aroundSmith(outside of the main circus arena), there isquite a bit of really good climbing(the entire gorgeis awesome Basalt!). No, the snow is not as nice asSLC's, but you don't have to live amongst the oddityand you can always travel there if you want to skithe champagne. Yes, Bellingham & Mt.Baker get a lotof snow,a lot heavier than Central Oregon; Seattle?and live amongst all those Mountaineers?(and heavysnow again); California? Nice place to live,wouldn'twant to live there. There are too many Californiansin the Bend area already. Two words-Deschutes Brewery.Yeah Billy, that's right! Look where I live! (bottomof my post)

[Tom]

So home base needs less rain... I'm assuming you're not worried about where you need to work, so that aside, there are some places up here in Washington State that may fit the bill. Sequim which is on the Straits of Juan de Fuca, at the west entry to Puget Sound averages around 15 inches of rain a year. It's in an Olympic mountain shadow zone. It's on the north coast Olympic peninsula which has great back country and alpine climbing, but the rock is bassalt - which pretty much sucks. But your a couple hours away from Index or Mt Erie via a ferry, and a little over 4 hours from Leavenworth or Squamish in BC.

Then there's Leavenworth, which has great rock in Icicle Canyon, decent downhill skiing at Mission Ridge or Steven Pass, and is on the eastern (drier) edge of the North Cascades. It's hot in the summer, cold in the winter. It would be my pick - that, or one of the numerous towns on the east side like Chelan or Winthrop...

I live in Poulsbo, about 45 minutes away from Sequim. Everything is just a few hours away except for the North Cascades across the pass...

[max]

I think something to consider is that having big walls, glaciers, ski areas and bc areas, rock and ice nearby doesn't mean it'd be a great place for a climber. Case in point: Boulder CO has all of the above (well, we all know what they call glaciers down here are a joke!), but it's still has some fatal flaws. THey're hard to put your finger on, but generally it revolves around the type of people here. And it can be hard to find people to climb with that you don't want to take off belay mid-pitch! So, another way to put it is even for the "hard core I-don't-care-about-anything-besides-climbing-'cause-I-so-hard" type there are thing to consider besides immediate access.

[Erwin]

My advice is to move to the Rockies. I moved from Portland to Steamboat Springs, CO and haven't looked back. I'm with you, the rain gets old, you need sun or snow to really have fun playing. You have it all here, local crags, sport, trad, mountain biking everywhere, and plenty of boarding/skiing on the mountain or plenty of backcountry. plus there's a sweet waterfall to climb real close to town along with a kayak course that basically runs through town.

Did i leave anything out? Its great here, easy to get a job, a community college, and rent isn't bad at all and i live a mile from the gondola.

Plus you don't get the Denver crowds as the other mountains do.

[panther]

The ideal climbing town is the one nobody knows about because as soon as they do it becomes Gaper village. Let me let you in a little secret....MAZAMA.....

However my REALLY REAL vote is for Boulder (Republic of)! Please everyone move to Boulder now. Buh BYE! No no BUH BYE...

[Erwin]

you could always try Chamonix, France. But if you don't free solo 5.14s and handglide down than your considered a gaper by those French.

[hakioawa]

Two words. Canmore Alberta. Lets see. Great ice climbing in town. Glaciers withing 2 hours, limitless multi-pitch climbing, great ski areas within 45 minutes, mountian biking . . . . Its got it all. Oh and cute women! The only downside I can see is that it is in Canada. Which is really only a visa issue. That gets my vote. OR Durango.

[Uncle_Tricky]

It really depends on what size of town you could be could survive and be happy in. If you're looking for a small cities like Salt Lake or Bend or Boulder, you probably won't like my suggestions. But hey, you asked for opinions...

 

I graduated from high school in Estes Park, Colorado, which is a great climbing town and IMO a vastly better place to live than Boulder. There's great bouldering, cragging, multi-pitch granite and alpine climbing right out your back door. It's the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, so in the summer, its a busy tourist town. There's no ski areas there anymore (there used to be a local hill with one poma lift) but there is plenty of nice stuff if you're willing to hike for turns, and there's resorts within an hour or two.

 

When it comes to the Northwest, I'd have to agree with panther: the Methow Valley is my favorite place in Washington. In some ways it reminds me of Estes Park a decade or more ago, only smaller, more isolated, and less developed.

 

There's world class alpine climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, fly fishing, hunting, back country and cross country skiing, and amazing wildlife. There's tall granite spires, crags, bouldering, ice, and mountaineering. There's the Sawtooth/Chelan Wilderness on one side, the Pasayten Wilderness on the other, the North Cascades on the other. Its very close to all kinds of cool rock and snow in the BC interior.

 

There's hundreds of miles of singletrack for mountain biking. There's a funky, friendly community-supported ski hill called Loup Loup 12 miles from Twisp. They just bought a used chair lift from Crystal a couple years ago, and it accesses some fun terrain.

 

There's a few different towns (Mazama, Winthrop, Twisp, Carlton) with different characters, but they are all close to one-another, and share a strong common community identity as Methow valley residents. Maybe 6-7 thousand people total scattered up and down the valley. Feels smaller than that cause people are so dispersed. Its a nice east-side rainshadow climate.

 

Economically, its basically a seasonal tourist\outdoor recreation economy, though ranching, logging, construction and the forest service are equally important. There's no chain stores or franchised fast food restaurants or movie theaters. There were two different breweries, but one burnt down a month ago.

 

It's a unique place populated with an interesting mix of people who'd rather live there than any other place in the world. That's the common bond. People work hard to find creative ways to be able to exist there. But its small and way out there--the nearest stoplight is 100+ miles in one direction and 50+ miles in the other. I like it that way.

 

[ 04-28-2002, 03:55 AM: Message edited by: Uncle Tricky ]

[offwidthclimber]

i agree with the votes for the greater methow valley and bend. two pretty good places to live and play.

i've said it before - north idaho is pretty nice as far as i'm concerned. coeur d'alene is 35,000 people, but still a smallish resort town on a large, beautiful lake. we have bouldering in town, sport climbing about 6 minutes away, quality alpine multipitch trad an hour or so away, and within 1.5 hours there are hundreds of sport/trad routes and dozens of quality crags. the closest ski resort is 30 miles on the freeway and there are 5 ski hills within an hour and a half. on top of it all, there's great mountain biking right out of town, national forest surrounding the town to the east, south and north and quality boating/kayaking in the vicinity. leavenworth is only 3 hours away, climbing in canada and glacier national park is about 3 hours away. the weather is pretty decent. cold and snow is frequent in the winter, but still climbable most the time, and summers are generally mid 80's, dry and sunny.

[crack_addict]

mammoth lakes.

[headmasterjon_dup1]

Jackson Hole, before or away from all the GAP stores and such and over teton pass in Idaho Driggs are my votes for Rocky Mtn. "dry" towns

[headmasterjon_dup1]

[ 01-13-2002: Message edited by: headmasterjon ]

[Maurice]

C'est evident, monsieur la BelleMontagne doit considerer une ville telle que Chamonix.

[bellemontagne]

So here's the deal. Eugene's rainy and dreary winters are getting to me. It's not a bad place at all - especially if you are into the outdoors but don't mind the winter rains. I need a change. So, I am considering relocating to a more climber friendly and less rainy locale. I do not mind cold temps or snow at all. It's just that the damn dreary days are gettin to me.

My problem is that I would want the town to have it all - Multi-pitch climbing, ice climbing, and some pretty good slopes for resort and backcountry boarding all relatively close by. Plus, it would be nice if there were a few cool places to hang out at, and outdoor shops with a good selection of technical gear.

Bend isn't a bad town at all, but man, it can get foggy in the winter! However, I've never been a big fan of Smith's welded Tuff. Who knows? I've spent some time in the Salt Lake area, and it seems like a mecca (except for the conservative momon auroa of the area). SLC is definitely a town I am considering.

So all you CC.com climbers, where are some of your favorite mountain towns. Where do you guys live and what do you like about it? I'm sure many of you ar partial to the Pacific Northwest, but I just dunno if I can handle the maritime climate on the west side of the cascades. So, throw some mountain towns at me and tell me what you like about them.

[genepires]

Even though you mentioned your dislike of mormons, Idaho Falls was a great place to live. Tetons are 2 hours away, city of rocks are 2 hours also, swawtooths about the same. If alpine rock, crag rock, and backcountry/area skiing is your bag then check it out. Cheap land and easy girls too.

Also I have had friends from northern new mexico with lots of good stuff there too. Close to much of the best stuff in colorado as a bonus. Without the hype of Co.

[panther]

I grew up near Estes Park and I'll agree with Uncle Tricky. Having RMNP in your back yard is hard to beat.

Also don't forget about Valdez.

[Paul_Warner]

In no particular order (cuz it depends on what ya can live with, and NO place is perfect.....):

Bend, OregonSpokane/Coeur d'AleneSandpoint, IdahoCanmore, AlbertaDriggs, IdahoMissoula, Montana (Less yuppified than Bozeman)Whitefish, MontanaMcCall, IdahoMazamaSalt Lake City

[bellemontagne]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate it! The advice is great, so keep the beta flowin my way!!!

[icegirl]

Definately the Methow Valley....

(lucky me, family lives <40miles from there)

[pope]

I prefer to live in an area near good climbing and skiing, but I don't want to live in BF Egypt either. I like a town that's got a little of everything, that's big enough that a man can keep himself entertained, yet small enough that the housing is cheap. Since I don't climb every day, I don't mind driving a couple of hours to get to the good granite. For example, I'm three hours from Leavenworth....which is just perfect, since I can be reasonably sure none of the ladies in town are going to know my real name. Heh heh heee.

So, allow me to step out on a limb and suggest Bonney Lake, WA, as a hot little climbing town. Never heard of it? Dork. We're about an hour from good skiing at Crystal Mountain, and even better, I can be inside of MRNP in about forty minutes. Bend, Boulder, Squamish...I suppose they've got their attractions, but do you stand a chance there of running into Big Lou at the grocery store? I think you do not. In Bonney Lake, WA, you're less than two hours from Big Lou's Bunkhaus, where, if you're lucky, you'll have a chance encounter with the jolly giant. Have your copy of Memoir's of a Mountain Guide ready for a signature, and be prepared for a mighty hand shake.

That's right, you heard right. Yes, yes. Bonney Lake, WA. We've twenty minutes from Dwayner's Alpine Lounge, where the action is always hot. We're 45 minutes from Sauna Sausage, 20 minutes from Foody Goody's all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, 20 minutes from Spire Rock, where you can you put your liberal-arts diversity training to the test and climb in an urban setting (through broken glass, gang graffiti, urine stench). And you can maintain a world-class fitness level running the trails of Mt. Pete (only 20 minutes away).

[To_The_Top]

Bonney Lake might be good, but for mountian biking it is great. An ex Girlfriend once lived in Bonney Lake, it is close to Lou's homeland, but the rock climbing is better up north, and if you work in DT Seattle the commute is hell, but affordable to rent or buy.

[willstrickland]

Here's a link to a thread that ran a while back:

dream town?

[freeclimb9]

Bozeman, MT

Cody, WY

Driggs, ID

Kecthum, ID

These towns aren't trendy, but they've got what you asked for.

For rock-climbing, and nothing but, Tucson is a great place. Year-round climbing (just move up in elevation when it gets hot. Er, hotter).

[erik]

better wait till the end of the ski season before trying to move to some resort town. i got a friend struggling in driggs right now, with work and housing.

i would consider a city close to the action, but not one right in it. you will fall prey to the jaded attitude that most resort towns people have. "o i live in the best place on earth" qho gives a fuck. i am an adult i have plenty of money, but i dont want to be part of an elitest culture that most of these people consider them in. whoopty fuckin do. if you really want to experience life then roadtrip without work. work just taints these places.

and as far as bend goes, worst place on the planet. on that one blode kid who guides for redpoint is a perfect example.

my $.09

[Heinouscling]

In all honesty, I'm thinking Mobile, Alabama. Put a little thought into it and you will understand how I came upon this choice.