Best Place to Live--Alpine in Washington

[fowweezer]

Hey there,

 

I'm from the Salt Lake area and me and my girlfriend have been thinking about making a move. We're considering options in California and Washington (and Colorado less seriously).

 

Knowing that local traffic patterns can make mapquest distances deceptive (I lived in D.C. for 12 years and saw that first-hand), I was hoping to get some input from locals on where the best places in Washington to live are.

 

I'm mostly interested in:

 

1. Very close after-work cragging (sport or trad, I'm no purist, small walls are fine too)

2. Local ice climbing (again, doesn't have to be spectacular, just enough to work out on a lot).

3. Good access to the alpine rock and ice I've seen pictures of. Mostly interested in moderate to hard ice routes on the peaks, so I'm assuming North Cascades exclusively, but where is reasonably close?

4. Employment--we've both worked for a few years for eBay doing customer support. She has an associates in accounting and I'm finishing up a degree in poli sci but will probably either teach or (more realistically) do customer support. She'll probably do the same, she's not particularly interested in accounting or bookkeeping. She's considering real estate as well.

 

Any there any call centers or similar facilities in Bellingham? Any other cities to recommend?

 

How far is the U. of Washington (seattle campus) from rock and ice cragging and from the peaks? How bad is the traffic? She may be pursuing a masters in art.

 

Or, should we just stay away and move to California instead?

[TrogdortheBurninator]

From UW

 

1. After work = Traffic. A flexible schedule can have you cragging in about an hour + approach (maybe a bit less). If you have to work until 5:00, expect 1.5 hours.

2. There is no reliable local ice climbing. For a few weeks a year you might have ice climbing within just over an hour at snoqualmie pass. Options increase a little if you drive 2.5-4 hours. Options increase a lot more if you drive 6+ hours to Lillooet B.C. Options get crazy if you drive 10+ hours to Canmore.

3. The good alpine rock and ice is basically spread from the Stuart Range (2+ hours east of seattle) north past the Canadian Boarder. Expect to drive a lot regardless of where you live if you plan to explore any significant portion of the state.

[Alex]

The answer is obviously "Stay away and move to CA instead!"...

 

Should you decide to consider Seattle, Washington, though,

 

1. Not a problem for Seattle area. Bellingham doesnt have any real close cragging (I guess Mt Erie is 30-40 min away).

 

2. "Good local ice climbing" does not exist on the We(s)t Coast, the temps are too mild in the Winter. There *IS* ice in Washington and BC, just like there *IS* ice sometimes in CA, but nothing truly local and accessible like the interior.

 

3. What have you seen pics of? The alpine climbing in WA and Southwestern BC is amazing! Cdn Rockies are 10 hours away.

 

4. Thats up to you. Anywhere in WA other than Seattle area or perhaps Spokane will not have much w.r.t. tech jobs or call centers. Bellingham is a non-starter as far as employment: its a college/retirement town with no industry at all. Not that Bellingham isn't really nice, though.

 

Perhaps one of the local PDXers could comment on Portland.

[fowweezer]

The answer is obviously "Stay away and move to CA instead!"...

 

 

3. What have you seen pics of? The alpine climbing in WA and Southwestern BC is amazing! Cdn Rockies are 10 hours away.

 

 

Perhaps one of the local PDXers could comment on Portland.

 

 

Mostly stuff in the North Cascades--I've just seen TR's on this site and of course know a few people that have climbed long rock routes in the summer there (N Ridge of Stuart, etc). It appears that the potential for winter ice routes on the peaks is pretty high, and I'm sure there have already been a lot done.

 

Not so interested in Portland. While Hood is nice, I don't want to have to make the trek to Seattle and THEN to the N Cascades anytime I have time to climb seriously. Although I love the city of Portland.

[John Frieh]

I have lived in PDX since 2004.

 

Yes I must drive a few extra hours each way than my WA compatriots do but I still manage to get a little climbing done each winter

 

If a few extra hours of driving is a deal breaker for you wait till you get properly acquainted with a "cascades style" approach to "local ice climbing" and "moderate to hard ice routes"

 

Let us know where you end up and make sure to come to a few pub clubs and introduce yourself

[DirtyHarry]

It appears that the potential for winter ice routes on the peaks is pretty high

 

All the good lines have been climbed out but the daunting north face of Mt. Si has yet to see an ascent.

[sobo]

I'll prolly catch a load o' shit for this, but consider Yakima. Yah, I know - Crackima, the Drug Capital of Washington.

 

1. Close to cragging all up and down the Tieton River canyon (20 minutes from town to closest crag).

2. Moderate to hard ice routes in really cold years in the Tieton and Naches River drainages, and EVERY year at Strobach Mountain.

3. Mt. Stuart is only 1.5 hours from town to south side trailhead (Esmeralda Basin TH). The whole Alpine Lakes region and the Mountaineer's Creek drainage is right there.

3a. You didn't mention WW kayaking. Tieton, American, Naches Rivers - all right there. Mountaineer's Creek and the Wenatchee River are about one to 1.5 hours away.

3b. You didn't mention DH and/or XC skiing. White Pass is an hour from town.

3c. You didn't mention hiking. The PCT can be accessed at White Pass or Chinook Pass, and hour from town. Goat Rocks Wilderness Area, Norse Peak W.A., William O. Douglas W.A. should all get Honorable Mentions.

3d. You didn't mention glacier slogging. Rainier can be accessed in just under two hours from town to the Paradise parking lot.

 

4. Employment... good luck. You could always deal crack. It's a booming business!

 

Any votes for E-burg?

[underworld]

the best place to live -- alpine in washington is the one having the most fun

[montypiton]

good question - and smart to be doing your homework. I moved to Leavenworth in 1981 using criteria close to your list. I'm still here. employment is touchy (I drive a school bus these days...) and the ice-climbing is... variable..., but everything else is spot on...

Wenatchee, twenty minutes away, is marginally better for finding employment. I have long-time friends who settled further north (Winthrop) using similar selection criteria. If you can telecommute, or are sufficiently entrepreneurial to carve yourself a niche, or have a skill that qualifies you for some government job, move on in. btw, I also looked closely at the Salt Lake area back when I was deciding where to settle. If you liked Salt Lake, the major differences you'll find here are fewer Mormons and a tad less air pollution.