# best home mountain in the west



## gladerider (Feb 27, 2008)

which mountain/metro combo is best in your opinion in the west with regards to these priorities:
1- weather pattern in general and duration of the season
2- affordability to ride throughout the season
3- distance to the home mountain
4- city size big enough to find a job

i am in NYC metro and it is miserable.
here are a few i think about often:
a- vancouver/whistler
b- seattle/mt baker
c- portland/mt hood


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Vancouver is 2 hours (or more, if you're in the burbs) from Whistler. It's not a bad drive, but you have to factor 4 hours worth of travel into your plans. If you want to actually live in Whistler you have to be rich and retired or at least have a damn good job. Or be willing to eat KD and Rama a lot. Great mountain though.

Vancouver is generally pretty expensive as well, but we're day-trip distance from Whistler, Baker, Manning, Hemlock, Cypress, Grouse, and Seymour. It'll do.


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## Rider161 (Oct 12, 2011)

GR, I am by no means an expert but just pricing a week trip I found Hood/Tline to be pretty cheap on their spring passes and lodging is oh so cheap(as in I got lodging and two different resort passes for two people for the cost of just lodging some other places..) :thumbsup: 40 hr drive here I come :laugh:


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## srdeo (Jan 29, 2012)

Vancouver - 3 mountains 20 min from down town(with nite skiing). Close enough to take public transportation to the mountain. Whislter/baker is within day trip distance. Tons of mountains in rockies (eastern BC) (weekend trip). If you live outside the city, its affordable (further from local mountains/whistler but closer to Baker). Not the lightest powder. And alot of rain in winter (sometimes on the mountain). warm summer (not hot). Never really gets too cold in winter.

On the east cost, 
Montreal. few local mountains 1/2 hr to 45 min (for nite skiiing). Day trip distance to mont tremblant, jay peak and some vermont mountains. Probably the best bet on the east coast. Nice fun city to be in also. It's cold in winter and hot in summer.
Hard to get a job if you dont speak french. Very affordable, even in downtown


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

I would personally stay in US for ease of work.

With your choices I'd say mt hood/Portland but live between sandy and government camp somewhere.

Bend Oregon / mt bachelor is good too. 

Both have cheap rentals and short drives to mtns.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

yup, its the area, just pick a mtn and find a place closer. some of the smaller towns are cheaper...like mt vernon, centrailia, gresham are going to be cheaper and easy distance to the hill or the city. Any place along i-5 is striking distance to hood or whistler for a 2-3 day hit. In bham and whistler or crystal is doable for a long day. Bham/baker you could ride in the am and sail, kayak, scuba in the afternoon and hit sushi in vancouver for dinner and reggae into the night.


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## Sassicaia (Jan 21, 2012)

i live in downtown vancouver and I cant get from my place to the top of cypress in under 25 min. In addition to that if you buy a seasons pass now for next year its only $399 (excludes weekends but i never go on weekends). Its so close easy and cheap I substitute working out at the gym in the winter to going for quick and hard 2 hour rides as cypress...been up almost 40 times this year.

All around its my personal favorite.


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## grafta (Dec 21, 2009)

Can't complain about vancouver either... but if you don't have a .ca work permit it could be tricky.

It's super central to quite a few mountains and if you want the city thing then it's good :thumbsup:


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## aubzobot (Feb 19, 2011)

Calgary
-Million+ pop.
-Tons of mountains ranging from 15 minutes-4+ hours
-Long season, beginning of november to mid/late may
-Lot's of snow


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## srdeo (Jan 29, 2012)

Sassicaia said:


> i live in downtown vancouver and I cant get from my place to the top of cypress in under 25 min. In addition to that if you buy a seasons pass now for next year its only $399 (excludes weekends but i never go on weekends). Its so close easy and cheap I substitute working out at the gym in the winter to going for quick and hard 2 hour rides as cypress...been up almost 40 times this year.
> 
> All around its my personal favorite.


Where is a good place to live in downtown and still be affordable?


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

aubzobot said:


> Calgary
> -Million+ pop.
> -Tons of mountains ranging from 15 minutes-4+ hours
> -Long season, beginning of november to mid/late may
> -Lot's of snow


+1 Here's what's within driving distance of Calgary...

1:00 Nakiska (2100 vert feet, opened Nov 15th this year)
1:20 Norquay (haven't tried it yet, probably won't ever)
1:30 Sunshine
1:45 Lake Louise
2:45 Castle Mountain
3:00 Kicking Horse
3:15 Fernie
3:?? Panorama
4:00 Revelstoke (highest vert in North America)
4:20 Kimberley

Beyond that you've got Marmot Basin, Whitewater, some mountains in Montana.

1) Weather is good, some of the most sunshine hours per year in all of Canada in the city itself, very little depressing rain (*cough* vancouver *cough* lol) I've been riding since mid nov, and plan to ride until mid-may this year. Weather in the city is very dry, everything falls in the mountains instead.

2) Not sure how affordability compares to the other mountains. My 3 mountain season pass was $900 CDN. Planning on getting a 5 mountain pass for about $1300 next year. Day passes can be bought at costco for $60-70 for most mountains, and most offer some kind of "ski more card".

3) See above. Back in Ontario I used to drive 3 hours to get to 720 vertical feet. Now I drive to triple that in 1/3rd the time (at nakiska). Even day trips to Lake Louise are fine, because the roads are divided highway the whole way.

4) If you can't get a job in Alberta than you're probably a quadriplegic-deaf-mute who sleeps 23 hours a day. Even then we'd probably higher you.


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## srdeo (Jan 29, 2012)

How is the weather in Calgary compared to Ontario?
Both winter and summer.


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## grafta (Dec 21, 2009)

srdeo said:


> Where is a good place to live in downtown and still be affordable?


Downtown, like proper 'right in' downtown I don't think they do cheap... just outside would be the go for cheap-er, but not really cheap unless its somewhere not so good location-wise... ie east hastings etc

Don't get me wrong, I don't avoid east and go to gigs etc over that way reasonably often. Just choose to live outside of that area for less hassles day to day


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## IdahoFreshies (Jul 9, 2011)

SALT LAKE CITY!!!!!!!!!

the salt lake area is number one on my list for places to live. not only does it have fantastic resorts and insane snow, but in general all year round utah is full of shit to do out doors. utah really is a magical state.


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## gladerider (Feb 27, 2008)

poutanen said:


> +1 Here's what's within driving distance of Calgary...
> 
> 1:00 Nakiska (2100 vert feet, opened Nov 15th this year)
> 1:20 Norquay (haven't tried it yet, probably won't ever)
> ...


i see. i need to check out calgary.


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## jdmccright (Apr 8, 2011)

IdahoFreshies said:


> SALT LAKE CITY!!!!!!!!!
> 
> the salt lake area is number one on my list for places to live. not only does it have fantastic resorts and insane snow, but in general all year round utah is full of shit to do out doors. utah really is a magical state.


They would be perfect if they didn't have watered down beer.


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## Irahi (May 19, 2011)

No idea why Seattle/Bellevue doesn't get more interest as a riding mecca. You've got Snoqualmie/Alpental that's 30-45 minutes away on a four lane, 70 MPH freeway, and has $300 season passes. Then there's Steven's pass that's got some of the gnarliest freeriding and pretty much the best park you could ask for only 1:15 away. Crystal has similarly huge terrain, is about 1:30 away, and ran until July 16th last year. Oh, and all these places average 450+ inches of snowfall every year.

If all that weren't enough, you can hit the world record holder for snowfall in a season--Mt. Baker--with an only slightly painful 3:30 drive.

I mean. Seattle sucks. Don't come here.


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## rgunzalez (Feb 17, 2012)

Irahi said:


> No idea why Seattle/Bellevue doesn't get more interest as a riding mecca. You've got Snoqualmie/Alpental that's 30-45 minutes away on a four lane, 70 MPH freeway, and has $300 season passes. Then there's Steven's pass that's got some of the gnarliest freeriding and pretty much the best park you could ask for only 1:15 away. Crystal has similarly huge terrain, is about 1:30 away, and ran until July 16th last year. Oh, and all these places average 450+ inches of snowfall every year.
> 
> If all that weren't enough, you can hit the world record holder for snowfall in a season--Mt. Baker--with an only slightly painful 3:30 drive.
> 
> I mean. Seattle sucks. Don't come here.


Wow, my thoughts exactly as I was reading through this thread. Don't know of another place where you have access to an amazing job market, top schools and an almost world class city within such close proximity to a very decent resort. I'm able to slip away to Snowqualmie on many weeknights since it's so easy to get to. Also, when you do have more time you're close to many other resorts. 

I hit Alpental at Snowqualmie for the first time today and it was heavenly. It was also my first double-black diamond, there's nothing falling leaf can't get me through!

Oh and yes it gets an awesome dumping of snow pretty consistently.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

srdeo said:


> How is the weather in Calgary compared to Ontario?
> Both winter and summer.


I've only had one full winter here, and everybody tells me this winter was weird.

The biggest difference is the humidity and precipitation. Annual snowfall is about the same according to historical data. Humidity is much lower in Calgary. Mid summer days are very long (sun up until 10:00 and up again at 4:30 am), winter days are short. There is much less rain in Calgary, hence the very high total sunshine hour average for the year. 

From what I hear, the winters can get bloody cold. But we get "chinook" winds, which ceom down from the mountains and heat everything up, so even in january you could have one day where it's -20, and the next it'll be +10 (degrees C).

So far I really like it, the lack of rain being the big kicker. We'll see what happens over the next few years...


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## jello24 (Apr 10, 2010)

Given that I live in a suburb of Vancouver, I would say that Vancouver is one of the great places to live and ride, and if you're willing to compromise on location, can be pretty cheap when in the suburbs.

1) 3 "home" mountains within a 1 hr drive from my home and work, and Whistler and Baker are a couple of hours away.
2) Local mountain passes are cheap, all have night riding which means you're only paying under $35. Cypress, the biggest of the three local mountains, have night riding prices from 5 - 10 for $31 with a discount card. Cypress also has early bird discount on passes for $399 when bought 1 year ahead.
3) If the winter is good, like last year and this year, you'll get a really good base to ride on the mountains. Forecast for the week is snow, and its technically spring here already.
4) You'll probably find work in the city or its suburbs, be it in the service sector, production work or professional work.

Great place to live honestly. Out of season, you can do a lot of outdoor things around the city. Hike up the 3 mountains, mountain bike down the many parks and trails in the city, cruise around on a longboard, rollerblade around the seawall, whatever you like. Best place to live right here.

(just don't get too hardcore about the hockey team. you might get arrested if you get too attached and riot when they lose...)


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Hood/Portland will have the longest lift season, less expensive living and reasonable job opportunities. Bham/Baker has a short lift season, no park, tight job market, relatively expensive housing and a drive to the hill.


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## uh oh a virus 2 (Sep 1, 2011)

My goal when I get older is to live in a place where the season lasts pretty long, I can go riding at a real mountain every day(after work and what not), have nice spring/summer weather so it actually gets warm, I can go boating, and overall I want to give my kids a better life then I have. I have a pretty good life so I better find a fantastic job =P I am definitely leaving NJ though.


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## schmitty34 (Dec 28, 2007)

I cannot speak to the other places because I've never lived there :cheeky4: but I feel pretty lucky living near Seattle with how easy/cheap it is to ride at Snoqualmie/Alpental and how many good options there are within driving distance. Whistler/hood/bachelor are also close enough for the weekend trips to get away. 

What I like most is the season pass at Snoqualmie that costs less than $400 and the fact that I can leave work at 5:00, be on a lift just after 6:00, ride for 3-4 hours, hit the bar, and get back home by 11:30 and still get enough sleep to be at work the next morning without feeling like crap (unless I drank too much).

Depending on your career path, Seattle has a pretty good job market as well.

Portland/hood seems like a real good place as well.


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## schmitty34 (Dec 28, 2007)

wrathfuldeity said:


> Hood/Portland will have the longest lift season, less expensive living and reasonable job opportunities. Bham/Baker has a short lift season, no park, tight job market, relatively expensive housing and a drive to the hill.


Are you trying to keep people away from your powder?


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

schmitty34 said:


> What I like most is the season pass at Snoqualmie that costs less than $400 and the fact that I can leave work at 5:00, be on a lift just after 6:00, ride for 3-4 hours, hit the bar, and get back home by 11:30 and still get enough sleep to be at work the next morning without feeling like crap (unless I drank too much).


This is the one thing we don't have in Calgary, unless you count COP right in the city which has a good park and I think it open every night. The mountains here have pretty much no night boarding, so it's all weekends and trips for me.

I used to night board in Ontario and it was pretty good, usually no lift lines so you can blast off a lot of runs. That said I wouldn't go to COP again if my life depended on it!


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## SBK (Sep 14, 2011)

Depending on what kind of job you are looking for and what level of boarder you are it is hard to beat Bend IMO. I'd live there if my job wasn't dependent on living in a bigger city. Bend has tons of outdoor stuff to do, a big mountain that usually gets a lot of quality snow and it is only a half hour from downtown. Jobs can be scarce and the terrain is more moderate than super steep at Bachelor if that is an issue. It is also per capita beer capital of Oregon.

As Snowwolf mentioned Utah has some issues that are hard to overlook but with Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude all less than an hour away it is hard to argue. Other outdoor activities too like climbing and hiking. There are now quite a few microbrews in Utah too. I think I read that there are 12 resorts within driving distance of SLC.

Living in Seattle I feel fairly lucky. I never hit Snoqualmie but as mentioned Stevens and Crystal are about 1:45 from my place, Baker and Mission are 3+ hours away and Whistler, Bachelor and several interior BC resorts are within reach over a long weekend.

If I lived on the east side of Lake Washington I'd probably do some night boarding at Snoqualmie but I prefer the terrain and length of runs at Stevens and Crystal for a full day on the slopes and Stevens has good night riding too.

Mission Ridge is underrated; only place I'll usually board on weekends locally. Nice long groomer runs and although they get less snow it tends to be drier. Wenatchee has quite a bit of lodging options that can be gotten cheap and is only 20 miles from the hill.


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## blytha89 (Jan 30, 2012)

I live in Seattle but I will make the drive to White Pass on weekends, but it helps that my girlfriend's parents live in Centralia. So a 1.5 hour drive the night before followed by a 1.5 drive to the pass. I'll hit up Steven's or Snoqualmie on weekdays though if I get a chance. Still haven't made it to Baker.

SBK - I'll be going to Mission Ridge either next weekend or the one after, looks like there's some fun trees and chutes. There was a Groupon offer for 1/2 price lift tickets a few weeks ago.


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## SBK (Sep 14, 2011)

blytha89 said:


> I live in Seattle but I will make the drive to White Pass on weekends, but it helps that my girlfriend's parents live in Centralia. So a 1.5 hour drive the night before followed by a 1.5 drive to the pass. I'll hit up Steven's or Snoqualmie on weekdays though if I get a chance. Still haven't made it to Baker.
> 
> SBK - I'll be going to Mission Ridge either next weekend or the one after, looks like there's some fun trees and chutes. There was a Groupon offer for 1/2 price lift tickets a few weeks ago.


Thanks for pointing out White Pass! Forgot about them, even though we rode there for the first time last year. We had two of the best days there all year, dry powder over groomers and almost no one on the new run for the first couple of hours. Another good weekend/long day option, definitely less crowded and more laid back like Mission.

We picked up a few of those Groupon lift tickets and are heading over for Sunday/Monday this weekend. After a warm dry week it looks like the snow is back and temperatures are trending down for the weekend. March has been amazing again this year. Heard that Stevens is staying open longer this year until May.


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## jdang307 (Feb 6, 2011)

San Diego! Because it only takes 3 hours to a mountain that has about 250 acres ...


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