Author Topic: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?  (Read 31691 times)

spartana

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« Last Edit: June 27, 2018, 02:00:03 AM by spartana »

frugaliknowit

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #1 on: May 31, 2016, 09:31:15 AM »
I have thought of on the Nevada side (should be cheaper) of Lake Tahoe (go as far east and as off the beaten path as necessary).

I can tell you first hand that New England skiing is much less reliable and in general, the mountains are much smaller than out west.

KMB

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2016, 09:53:07 AM »
Lots of dirt cheap places in Northern Michigan with cool summers and cold snowy winters. Lots of ski resorts too. But they're hills, not mountains. Bonus: there are a ton of great beaches too!

MDM

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2016, 10:16:30 AM »
Lots of dirt cheap places in Northern Michigan with cool summers and cold snowy winters. Lots of ski resorts too. But they're hills, not mountains. Bonus: there are a ton of great beaches too!
+1.  Both the northern lower peninsula and the upper peninsula.  E.g., http://www.upmichigan.com/ironwood/ski/ and http://www.boyne.com/.

Staying in the midwest, there's also northern Minnesota, e.g. http://www.giantsridge.com/giants-ridge-recreation-area.html and other areas around Duluth.

BigHaus89

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2016, 10:19:19 AM »
North Idaho, but keep it on the down low. :)

Fuzz

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #5 on: May 31, 2016, 01:50:20 PM »
Alta, Wyoming--no income tax, and ski Targhee. It's worth a visit. Crested Butte is supposed to be nice. Depending on if you're willing to drive, something on the Madison River where you ski Big Sky or outside of Livingtston where you ski Bridger Bowl are good options. 

seathink

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #6 on: May 31, 2016, 02:01:47 PM »
North Idaho, but keep it on the down low. :)

+1

frugaliknowit

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #7 on: May 31, 2016, 02:13:37 PM »


In my humble opinion, the only place worth skiing in Michigan is Mount Bohemia (expert only area).  The midwest is just TOO Daxx flat (but then again I am a "ski snob")!



« Last Edit: May 31, 2016, 02:16:09 PM by frugaliknowit »

nereo

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #8 on: May 31, 2016, 02:19:07 PM »
I have thought of on the Nevada side (should be cheaper) of Lake Tahoe (go as far east and as off the beaten path as necessary).

I can tell you first hand that New England skiing is much less reliable and in general, the mountains are much smaller than out west.
True about New England. Lived in Maine years ago and skied some places there (Sunday River, etc..)    and New Hampshire a little bit but don't know much about actually living in those towns or Vermont. Or Colorado, Utah, and other places outside Cali either. South Lake Tahoe appears to he pretty inexpensive on both the Nevada side and Cali side.

Vermont is inexpensive and Jay Peak is an incredible mountain (though buyer beware, it's undergoing some secret management swap right now).  It's 2 hours from Montreal, 1.5 to Burlington, 3 to Quebec City and 4 to Boston (an international hub) and Portland ME.

The town itself is pretty remote/rural, but you can be in some very major cities in just a few hours, unlike many places in the West.

Beriberi

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #9 on: May 31, 2016, 03:41:19 PM »
McCall, Idaho is lovely and very affordable. 3hr drive to Boise, so I don't know if that counts as too remote.  Certainly more affordable than almost anything listed - with seriously beautiful skiing and countryside. 

Boise is not a ski town, but has easy access to a pretty great mountain - Bogus Basin.  Bogus Basin is in National Forest. Many of the great ski areas of the west are built on public land - which means there is no ski town built right next to the lifts.  Ketchum/Sun Valley is wonderful, and can get less expensive if you move down the road a bit.

Fishinshawn

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #10 on: May 31, 2016, 04:42:00 PM »
Look around central Oregon, Bend/redmond/prineville excellent skiing sometime lasting through the summer on Mt. Bachelor...

GhostSaver

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #11 on: May 31, 2016, 05:01:33 PM »
Ogden/Eden/Huntsville Utah. Cheap living. Great skiing.

Silverton, CO. Isolated, cold. Affordable. Skiing is the real deal. Summers are nice.

Leadville, CO. A bit of a commute to the slopes, but reasonably affordable. High elevation. Nice summers.

Northern Idaho is great. Victor, Idaho is collecting people priced out of Jackson, WY but it might not be what you are looking for. The Tetons are fun.

I live between Park City and Salt Lake. I love the area, but part of what I love are the good schools and access to work. Still, Park City is a great ski town to live in. The problem is that the superior skiing is more easily accessed from Salt Lake and it's front range suburbs.

I think Bellingham, WA and Mount Baker would be cool. So would living in one of the villages on Mount Hood, OR.

HPstache

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #12 on: May 31, 2016, 05:04:11 PM »
Bellingham, WA is nice... I can attest to that.  It's higher cost of living for other cities in the area, but way cheaper than some of the other places listed here.  Get ready for some rain from about October thru April... but hey, rain dow low means snow up high!

Poeirenta

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #13 on: May 31, 2016, 08:07:55 PM »
I grew up skiing in New England...my teeth hurt remembering the jarring rides down ice-ball studded runs. Ironically the best skiing I experienced was a tiny little ski area called Nashoba Valley near the MA/NH border.  NE conditions contributed to the ruin of my knees, which is too bad because I never got to experience the western powder that looks so lovely where I live now. Maybe things have gotten better since the early 90's? I did love living on the shores of Lake Champlain in the summer though. I LOVERMONT.

G-dog

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #14 on: June 01, 2016, 06:35:41 AM »
Flagstaff Arizona (elevation ~ 7000 ft) - 20 minutes to Snowbowl (elevation ~ 9000 ft). And a fucktonne of hiking, biking, etc. activities.

Disclaimer - I am not a skier and haven't skied here, but lots of visits spring/ summer. But wanted to get it on your radar

Laserjet3051

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #15 on: June 01, 2016, 08:49:29 AM »
Utah skiing is is some of the best and most dependable skiing in the USA. The ride  up to Snowbird or Alta from Salt Lake is super short and real estate in SLC can be very cheap (compared to socal). On the other hand if you are wed to the Tahoe skiing circuit, there are plenty of towns outside the circle (lakefront) where col is "relatively" low and the drive is also relatively short: Carson City or Minden, NV are insanely cheap, small towns in the Truckee to Grass Valley corrider aren't too bad either, but it is still CA. For dependable high quality skiing, I personally wouldnt consider anything east of the Rockies.

I dont have too much knowledge on CO or NM in this respect, though the NM resorts seem to have a short season, and many of the popular CO resorts are associated with HCOL towns.

frugaliknowit

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #16 on: June 01, 2016, 09:39:17 AM »
Thanks for the suggestions and links everyone. I haven't been to most of those places but do like Park City a lot and its on the short list along with Tahoe but it was expensive from what an remember but I like the size of the town and easy proximity to big city. New England ski towns seem pretty good to with easy access to other areas without the hassle of driving steep mountain roads in winter.The town I use to live in, Big Bear Lake CA., was only 30 miles from a large city but a huge slow windy PITA drive.

Caution:  Park City is mighty pricey.  However, nearby Ogden is definitely worth looking into...

nereo

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #17 on: June 01, 2016, 10:11:58 AM »
For dependable high quality skiing, I personally wouldnt consider anything east of the Rockies.

I object to this generalization.  I learned to ski on the west coast (Tahoe mostly) and never skied anywhere else for the first 8 years of my adult life.  Then I moved to New England my west-coast friends laughed; "hope you like skating down the mountain, they have nothing but boilerplate over there!" and "what they call mountains are really just hills"

Neither has turned out to be true.  Sure, conditions can be icy and craptastic at times, but that's true everywhere - unlike out west, mountains here aren't as strongly influenced by el niņo/la niņa conditions.  Some of the best days of skiing I've ever had have happened on the east coast. The key is being able to pick and choose the day, and with FI and living close to ski runs a person can do exactly that.  The maximum elevation of mountains in the east may not be as high, but there are a lot of resorts with 2,000ft+ of vertical, and broadly speaking I've found the runs here to be tighter and more technically challenging than out west.  I also encounter fewer yahoo-idiots on the slopes who have more money then sense (or etiquette) in the east coast then out west.  Plus, the lift prices are cheaper on average.
I still love to ski out west, and try to take a ski vacation to visit friends each winter, but I happily put Jay Peak, Cannon, Le Massif and others on my list of 'mountains i'd be happy to live next to'.

just my opinion and experience.  ymmv.

Kiwi Mustache

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #18 on: June 01, 2016, 08:27:23 PM »
Queenstown, NZ.

Jaguar Paw

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #19 on: June 02, 2016, 07:36:02 PM »
Ogden/Eden/Huntsville Utah. Cheap living. Great skiing.

Silverton, CO. Isolated, cold. Affordable. Skiing is the real deal. Summers are nice.

Leadville, CO. A bit of a commute to the slopes, but reasonably affordable. High elevation. Nice summers.

Northern Idaho is great. Victor, Idaho is collecting people priced out of Jackson, WY but it might not be what you are looking for. The Tetons are fun.

I live between Park City and Salt Lake. I love the area, but part of what I love are the good schools and access to work. Still, Park City is a great ski town to live in. The problem is that the superior skiing is more easily accessed from Salt Lake and it's front range suburbs.

I think Bellingham, WA and Mount Baker would be cool. So would living in one of the villages on Mount Hood, OR.

We check zillow for silverton and Leadville almost daily... shhhhhh

Jaguar Paw

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #20 on: June 02, 2016, 07:37:21 PM »
Thanks for the suggestions and links everyone. I haven't been to most of those places but do like Park City a lot and its on the short list along with Tahoe but it was expensive from what an remember but I like the size of the town and easy proximity to big city. New England ski towns seem pretty good to with easy access to other areas without the hassle of driving steep mountain roads in winter.The town I use to live in, Big Bear Lake CA., was only 30 miles from a large city but a huge slow windy PITA drive.

My wife and I honeymooned in Ca and spent some time in Big Bear Lake in late September. Super beautiful and some awesome mountains!

Cottonswab

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #21 on: June 02, 2016, 07:40:48 PM »
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Veloter

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #22 on: June 02, 2016, 08:46:24 PM »
We moved to Bend, OR two years ago from So Cal and could not be happier.  Mt. Bachelor is 30 minutes away and has great skiing until May.  Summers are biking, kayaking and hiking.   While it is probably not the least expensive option, compared to So Cal it was a real bargain.    We absolutely love it here.

pbkmaine

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #23 on: June 02, 2016, 09:17:39 PM »
Bellingham is super expensive. My BFF lives there. I'm not sure I could buy a doublewide for the cost of my very nice Florida house ($300k).

Kriegsspiel

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #24 on: June 03, 2016, 06:11:27 AM »
I'm heading back east in a couple of days to first check out east coast areas (as well as to check out some coastal areas and small cities) and then will head to New England and then head to western areas so can check out Michigan too. Not sure it would suit my other outdoorsy  needs (climbing, mountain biking, trail running and hiking) but you never know! My sister lived in Luddington for a while and said there is a ton of recreational opportunities for all that stuff close by.

ETA Anyone know about mid Atlantic ski towns in places like NC and West Virginia? I'm heading to coastal NC and wondered if it's worth doing the extra drive to check them out or best to stay on the coast and meander north that way? I've been to the mnt areas there (and all up the Blue Ridge Parkway) and its lovely but am more in the town/city looking mode on this trip.

I've been to Timberline and Canaan Valley in WV for skiing, mountain biking, and hiking. The towns close by are Thomas and Davis. It's been a while, but I remember Davis being a hip little place. The population is under 1,000. We went there to eat when we were hiking in Blackwater Falls. Dolly Sods is also close by and is a cool hiking spot.

The climate is Cfb, so cool summers and winters. It's up in a mountain valley (very pretty) by MD. It's an hour from Wisp, another ski resort. I figure you wouldn't think it's too isolated, coming from the wide open spaces of the west.

This $115k condo is within biking distance of Timberline.
« Last Edit: June 03, 2016, 06:13:15 AM by Kriegsspiel »

HPstache

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #25 on: June 03, 2016, 10:46:06 AM »
Bellingham is super expensive. My BFF lives there. I'm not sure I could buy a doublewide for the cost of my very nice Florida house ($300k).

I think that might be a little extreme.  And there are plenty of towns outside bellingham proper, such as Ferndale where you can get a brand new house for $300K

mlejw6

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #26 on: June 03, 2016, 11:57:23 AM »
I was going to say Santa Fe, NM, but if you think Flagstaff gets too hot in the summer, it may have the same problem. Not sure. Santa Fe is the highest state capital in the U.S. at 7000 ft, and northern NM in the mountains is generally much much cooler than the rest of NM in the summer. My cousin skis there, and they've had snowfall in May (this year). Not only is there skiing in Santa Fe, but all around as well. Taos is well known for its skiing and it's less than an hour from Santa Fe.

Kriegsspiel

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #27 on: June 03, 2016, 12:13:56 PM »
I agree, Taos is cool. I went there in the summer to escape the Texas heat once and really like it.

horsepoor

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #28 on: June 04, 2016, 12:17:11 PM »
McCall, Idaho is lovely and very affordable. 3hr drive to Boise, so I don't know if that counts as too remote.  Certainly more affordable than almost anything listed - with seriously beautiful skiing and countryside. 

Boise is not a ski town, but has easy access to a pretty great mountain - Bogus Basin.  Bogus Basin is in National Forest. Many of the great ski areas of the west are built on public land - which means there is no ski town built right next to the lifts.  Ketchum/Sun Valley is wonderful, and can get less expensive if you move down the road a bit.

This is what I was going to say.  Check out McCall/New Meadows.  Brundage is where my husband does most of his skiing.  Great for summer recreation too.

abiteveryday

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #29 on: June 04, 2016, 12:35:57 PM »
We moved to Bend, OR two years ago from So Cal and could not be happier.  Mt. Bachelor is 30 minutes away and has great skiing until May.  Summers are biking, kayaking and hiking.   While it is probably not the least expensive option, compared to So Cal it was a real bargain.    We absolutely love it here.

Bend is where I'd move to tomorrow, if there were jobs there and my wife wasn't also married to Seattle.

Zamboni

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #30 on: June 04, 2016, 12:51:04 PM »
Sounds like a fun plan!

I've skied in CO, UT, NV, NH, ME, VT, NC, and VA. If you are a strong skier and enjoy variety, then it is very hard to beat CO. There are many multi-area season passes available for reasonable rates to locals:
coloradoski.com

Summers in the mountains are gorgeous everywhere, although somewhat hotter in the mid-Atlantic states. The west tends to be more arid, while the east is more lush in terms of foliage.

If you are looking for a vibe like CA, Colorado is probably closer to that than UT or ID, which have large populations of the same religion which some people find style cramping and oppressive (obviously no place is quite the same.) Colorado has strong doubles volleyball in the summer, with big tournaments at various ski areas in addition to many in Denver (mostly grass although these is much more sand facilities now.) Housing is not the cheapest there, but for a single person you don't need a giant house and it's still less expensive than much of CA (the people who operate the lifts have to live somewhere, after all.) If you pick somewhere close to I-70, then Denver is a pretty quick trip, so it's not too isolated if you are along that corridor (Georgetown, Empire, Dillon, etc.)

Cassie

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #31 on: June 04, 2016, 01:17:37 PM »
I grew up in the Midwest and it is pretty flat with hills unless you compare it to Kansas. Wis has skiing too but I think that would be as impressive as Michigan:))   Plus the Midwest weather is so unpredictable. Some years you skip spring and go right to humid summer. Some years a cold winter goes on forever, etc. The New England area is nice as is the West. My son lived in Leadville at one point about 15 years ago and it was kinda a dumpy little town back then. It is so high that i had a constant headache and felt sick so had to leave after a few days. I think the elevation is 10,800.  Taos and Santa Fe are beautiful but expensive. Also we went in April and it was still pretty cold there.  Have fun on your trip and I hope you find the perfect place for you and your little Barkinator.

ohmylookatthat

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #32 on: June 04, 2016, 02:03:08 PM »
Northern Nevada. Cheap housing, no taxes and great skiing

Mtngrl

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #33 on: June 04, 2016, 08:44:04 PM »
Crested Butte, Colorado is a great ski town -- but it is not cheap.
Many Colorado ski towns are struggling with affordable housing.

I live on the other side of the pass from Silverton -- it is gorgeous, but it is really remote. No broad-band internet available. Harsh winters -- not unusual for the town to be cut off by avalanches on either side of the town. And it is a small town -- smaller in winter. Imagine running into the same two dozen people all winter long. Then in the summer being overrun by tourists. Getting to an airport requires driving some major mountain passes -- provided the passes aren't closed for avalanches, mudslides or rockslides. If you think Telluride is too far away from things -- Silverton is way more remote. The growing season in Silverton (days with no temps below freezing) -- 14 days.

(I am in Ouray County -- one of the most beautiful places in the world, IMHO -- but it's fairly HCOL.)

If you like Colorado (and the mountain communities will offer everything you mentioned -- great hiking, climbing and cool summers, plus lots of sunshine in the winters) I would look around Buena Vista ("local" ski mountain, Monarch has good skiing, and you're a little over an hour from Copper Mountain, Breckinridge and Loveland.) Real estate is climbing all over in Colorado, though, so there are few truly LCOL areas anywhere near skiing or the mountains.

Cassie

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #34 on: June 06, 2016, 05:04:33 PM »
The Tahoe area is pretty hard to beat.

phwadsworth

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #35 on: June 06, 2016, 05:18:07 PM »
  Does it need to have a lift operation to count as a "ski town"?  imho, any town that has mountains with snow counts as a ski town, and one withOUT the "clown car" lift operation will be a lot cheaper.  My mustachian solution to my ski habit has been to invest in skins and AT gear.  I've skied a lot of seasons in Vermont now and barely crossed another track (all fresh powder) because I choose mountains that have no other people on them.  Instead of the $ going to resort-style equipment, buy BC gear and never buy another lift ticket, also stay in great shape and never have to ski tracked out snow, let alone East coast ice.
  Find a real *ski* town with no lifts, and avoid the *resort* town to save tons of money.

phwadsworth

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #36 on: June 07, 2016, 05:00:04 AM »
But...but...but...can't I have both ;)![/quote]
Not usually, because the cost of living is so much higher where the resorts are.  But, maybe your budget fits this, then yes, you can have both.

ETA also I wanted to add that I'm hoping to live right in town so that I can walk or bike as much as possible and only have to drive when leaving the area.
  Totally agree, I would trade a ton of other things to have this.  This kind of life and its (mental) health dividends are worth paying a significant amount for in my experience.

good luck!

Edit to add:  This is for sale for about $400/acre.  It's a reach goal for my FIRE.  I could see from my old house.  From you can see 3 different resorts that charge over $1200/season to ski their icy tracked-out crowded runs, and the real estate at the base of it cost about 30%-50% less than those next to the resorts.
« Last Edit: June 07, 2016, 05:12:27 AM by phwadsworth »

Panfish

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #37 on: June 07, 2016, 10:45:01 AM »
Interesting question.  I have kind of an odd ball suggestion...Deadwood or Lead SD in the Black Hills.  These towns are a few miles from Terry Peak and Deer Mountain which aren't the greatest ski hills on the planet but get a fair amount of decent snow.  I remember an early bird season pass was like 200 bucks at Terry Peak in my college days ten years ago.  I would compare them to the resorts of the northeast with way better snow.  South Dakota is dirt cheap, has no state income tax, and the black hills are actually a super cool area in any season (Google Custer State Park, Needles Highway, Spearfish Canyon, Badlands, Jewel Cave, Wind Cave, Sylvan Lake, Lake Pactola, Deadwood, etc. etc.).  If you buy a cheap house in one of these towns you can rent out your house for crazy sums of money to the more wealthy folks that attend the Sturgis Motorcycle rally(get references, you are in demand as a home owner and can get very courteous renters) about 20 miles away, and then take a paid for vacation(you will want to leave during the rally).  You are about 30 minutes from Rapid City which has every consumer comfort one would need at roughly 80,000 people.

In addition to the perks of being in this immediate area you can get to some really good big time resorts in 6 to 8 hours including Steamboat Springs, Jackson, and Big Sky (personal favorite).  I am biased being from South Dakota, but man for living a good life the Black Hills are hard to beat.

Telecaster

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #38 on: June 08, 2016, 01:07:31 AM »
Ogden/Eden/Huntsville Utah. Cheap living. Great skiing.


Eden/Hunsville used to be undiscovered ski town paradise.  It was an awesome valley (with a lake!) and three ski resorts.  It was beautiful with authentic old timey western towns.   Then the Olympics happened and it turned into an unzoned, unplanned chaotic stripmall shithole.  Breaks my heart what could have been. 

raygor

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #39 on: June 08, 2016, 04:42:44 PM »
My family likes to ski (I don't), and I have been researching places that will take us closer to skiing, since we spend so much on it every year. We live in SF bay area, and go to Tahoe often. The lake itself is expensive, but you might be able find a small place that is more affordable.

I was looking at Spokane recently. I'm not sure how good the skiing is, but its close to skiing, and its incredibly cheap. Ultimately, I nixed it as I don't want to deal with winters that harsh, or that much rain, plus the issue of my kids and schools. I also looked at Bend, and Vancouver WA without success.

My current favorite is Placerville, CA, while not as cheap as others, the weather would be more tolerable, and the kids transition would be easier. From your point of view, you don't get snow locked in Tahoe, but you can still head one hour to the East to hit Sierra-at-Tahoe, and one to the West to hit Sacramento (for airport and big city needs). You might also look at Truckee.

Telecaster

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #40 on: June 08, 2016, 08:38:26 PM »
It is not a "town" but Boise ID is quite nice.  Good skiing and other outdoor activities, as well as surprisingly good  nightlife.  Also consider Leavenworth WA. 

ekimatuan

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #41 on: June 09, 2016, 10:31:12 AM »
I grew up in Tahoe and family +many friends still live there. I don't know if you could classify it as cheap. Prices have been increasing steadily since the bottom in 2009 or so. Tons of Bay Area money flowing in and buying up houses as vacation homes/rentals. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency severally limits development in the basin. These two factors have increased housing costs throughout the entire Tahoe basin.

Tahoe will always be home to me, but I don't know that I'll ever choose to live there. As others have said, Placerville could be a good choice. You are reasonably close. On the other side, Gardnerville or other communities on the Nevada side will be more reasonably although more desert like than the California/Central Valley side. That being said, Nevada generally has lower taxes all around than California.

Today I live in Utah. I am 30 minutes from Sundance. 45-1 hour from the resorts in the Park City area and 1.5 or so from the best skiing in Alta, etc. COL in Utah is reasonably low, especially in comparison to SoCal. We moved here from LA 10 years ago and have loved it.

Brokenreign

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #42 on: June 09, 2016, 12:19:34 PM »
Don't mean to hijack, but does anyone have recommendations for Canada for this? I'd be fine with touring only, though a resort would be nice within 30 min drive. Mountain biking trumps skiing for me, but the two usually go hand in hand.

I'd love to have at least a quarter acre with a small house for under 200k CAD. Amenities beyond outdoor access aren't that important. My current front-runner is Kaslo but I haven't spent a lot of time there and don't know Canada much at all besides Alberta and Eastern BC. The island would be ideal but properties are way too expensive except for the always-raining NW.

Good luck Spartana! Looks like you're spoiled for choices in the states.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2016, 12:21:37 PM by Brokenreign »

spud1987

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #43 on: June 09, 2016, 04:13:57 PM »
Another Utah option is Heber/Midway. It's a mtn town about 20 minutes south of Park City. It's also relatively close to Sundance. The cottonwood canyon resorts (Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude) are over an hour away though (even though they are only about 10 miles away as the crow flies!).

COL is much cheaper than PC. Both Heber and Midway have a nice little downtown and lots of festivals, events, etc. The "big" city (SLC) is also only about 45-50 minutes away.

These towns are on our FIRE short list.

Goldielocks

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #44 on: June 09, 2016, 05:35:30 PM »
Don't mean to hijack, but does anyone have recommendations for Canada for this? I'd be fine with touring only, though a resort would be nice within 30 min drive. Mountain biking trumps skiing for me, but the two usually go hand in hand.

I'd love to have at least a quarter acre with a small house for under 200k CAD. Amenities beyond outdoor access aren't that important. My current front-runner is Kaslo but I haven't spent a lot of time there and don't know Canada much at all besides Alberta and Eastern BC. The island would be ideal but properties are way too expensive except for the always-raining NW.

Good luck Spartana! Looks like you're spoiled for choices in the states.

Mountain biking -- Sechelt  (Wow, we just did some of the area last month, incredible bike clubs and trails)  Rossland and Castlegar area (former BC epicenter of mountain biking also incredible), Williams Lake apparently is putting in a lot of funding, I just read an article about the recent investment but have not seen it in person.

All of these should net you something in the price range you are looking for (Sechelt will not be waterfront / water view for $200k).AND
Sechelt does not have downhill skiing unless they actually build the tunnel to Squamish / Whistler.  (which gets more likely each decade)

Terrace, BC has both, nearby, (plus lots of kayaking and 1 hr to ocean).  I liked Terrace a lot;  Smithers claims to have it all, too, but everything is a bit of a drive.

Brokenreign

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #45 on: June 10, 2016, 03:29:39 PM »
Thanks for the reply Goldilocks. I'd pretty much written off the sunshine coast as I thought it would be overrun with house-rich Vancouverites by 2018. Terrace and Williams Lake are interesting options I've never thought of. I went DH riding in Williams Lake a few years ago and remember the trails being the gnarliest I have ever seen. Don't remember the town at all.

Fishinshawn

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #46 on: June 10, 2016, 05:19:30 PM »
My family likes to ski (I don't), and I have been researching places that will take us closer to skiing, since we spend so much on it every year. We live in SF bay area, and go to Tahoe often. The lake itself is expensive, but you might be able find a small place that is more affordable.

I was looking at Spokane recently. I'm not sure how good the skiing is, but its close to skiing, and its incredibly cheap. Ultimately, I nixed it as I don't want to deal with winters that harsh, or that much rain, plus the issue of my kids and schools. I also looked at Bend, and Vancouver WA without success.

My current favorite is Placerville, CA, while not as cheap as others, the weather would be more tolerable, and the kids transition would be easier. From your point of view, you don't get snow locked in Tahoe, but you can still head one hour to the East to hit Sierra-at-Tahoe, and one to the West to hit Sacramento (for airport and big city needs). You might also look at Truckee.
Placerville is nice. All my family are in that area (mostly Auburn another cute town) which adds to the pull of Tahoe for me. I also like Grass Valley and Nevada City a lot. But all those towns are too hot in summer and too expensive. Still hoping to find a place somewhere right in a ski or mountain town were I can walk or bike everywhere. My cousins grew up in Tahoe Vista and recentlt moved from thete for a job, and it's pretty nice there with easy access to Squaw Valley and North star (only places I've skiied in Tahoe) and Incline Village. But it is much higher price then the South Shore I think.

You really need to check out bend/redmond/Lapine Oregon area, it sounds perfect for you, you can bike everywhere and the high desert gets warm, but not many triple digit days and it cools off nicely in the evening.

Jeremy E.

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #47 on: June 10, 2016, 05:34:03 PM »
You should check out Sandpoint, Idaho. Schweitzer Mountain is pretty awesome, probably the cheapest place on this thread so far too

Telecaster

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #48 on: June 12, 2016, 11:29:44 AM »
Bozeman  > Missoula

pbkmaine

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Re: Best (and cheapest) mountain/ski towns to move to after FIRE?
« Reply #49 on: June 12, 2016, 01:53:18 PM »