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Moving to Bozeman.... climbing/ drinking buddies?

Original Post
Ben Mackall · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 1,823

Hi folks!

I'll be moving to Bozeman right around the middle of December. I don't know ANYONE except my girlfriend, and figured I'd put in a word here to reach out to the climbing community there, which I know exists! I'd love to find some chill folks to rope up and/or boulder with or at least go to Spire and grab beers after, and have my eye on a bunch of the more moderate trad multipitch in the area once weather gets good.
I also backcountry ski.

What's good, Bozeman?

Ben

Kip Kasper · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Feb 2010 · Points: 200

Welcome! It's a great town.

I'll be back in a month and a half and I fit that criteria, you ice climb?

Jeff Johnston · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 110

Bozeman has gotten too big and now is no longer the town to move to, But if you decide to stick around anyway there is a bit of climbing in the area. I would be willing run a few pitched of trad, ice or sport. I usually hit the spire when the weather is to bad for any of the above mentioned. I am up for beer just about any time though.

Ben Mackall · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 1,823

Hey Jeff, I may hit you up when I get out there, even if it's just to explore Allenspur or Bozeman Pass or one of those spots for an afternoon and get some beta.

I'm curious regarding your comment about Bozeman getting too big though. Are we talking that it is just seeing an influx of people and has lost its small-town, isolated charm, or is it experiencing Boulder syndrome where it is impossible to find work? The size of the town doesn't matter to me too much, as I am coming from Boston, so any downgrade is welcome. Job market stuff, however, concerns me very much.

Ben Mackall · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 1,823

And Keenan, I have tried ice climbing but once! I am into alpine climbing and ski mountaineering, and I know that ice climbing is kind of the thing to do with Hyalite so close by. I'd like to explore it as an alternate to rock during the colder months.

Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,520

Just be wary of those Kalispell women.

Pushed off a cliff.

Jeff Johnston · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 110
Benjamin Mackall wrote:Hey Jeff, I may hit you up when I get out there, even if it's just to explore Allenspur or Bozeman Pass or one of those spots for an afternoon and get some beta.
Allenspur is going to be the best bet this time of year. It is mostly south facing and it a pretty nice winter area. The pass has much more shaded and colder.

Benjamin Mackall wrote: I'm curious regarding your comment about Bozeman getting too big though. Are we talking that it is just seeing an influx of people and has lost its small-town, isolated charm, or is it experiencing Boulder syndrome where it is impossible to find work? The size of the town doesn't matter to me too much, as I am coming from Boston, so any downgrade is welcome. Job market stuff, however, concerns me very much.
I am was born here, I have watched Bozeman go form 11,000 people to 60,000 people in the last 20 years or so. It use to be that the student population was almost equal to the town population. during the winter the town was hopping and the summers was much more quite. It still is a nice place to live but the small, isolated mountain town feeling is long gone; and a small city with traffic issues is now the norm. As for the job market, its fine there is work to be found.
Erik W · · Santa Cruz, CA · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 280
Benjamin Mackall wrote:Job market stuff, however, concerns me very much.
Really jealous of your move, Ben. Earlier this year my gf was offered a job at MSU and we did serious due diligence about moving up there (we were in Boulder at the time). One key consideration was my prospects for a rewarding job in Bozeman ('rewarding' for me = interesting, challenging, and compensation to at least keep us at our living standard while also allowing us to retire before I hit 78).

Just as about anywhere these days, if you're a web developer/software engineer/etc you're set, but if you're not, the opportunities in Bozeman (to meet at least my preferences for 'rewarding') were very grim. That's not to say those job functions aren't there, there just aren't many of them and they simply aren't vacated often. I literally checked job boards every day for 4 months, and in that time found only one single job opening that was close to what I'd be willing to do (note I said 'be willing to do' not 'wanted to do').

In the end, career choices led my gf and I to move to Silicon Valley. But there isn't a week where I don't think about what it would be like in Bozeman. Maybe once we've saved up enough money we'll make the move, which is an odd notion - save up money in Silicon Valley so you can move to Bozeman. But wages there are substantially lower relative to the Boulder area, whereas the cost of living is pretty similar. (And if you think the job market is tight in Boulder, the Bozeman situation is going to be an eye opener). Basing out of Bozeman for consulting would be an idea - but that means losing a lot of the upside of a place like that because you're rarely there to enjoy it.

Check indeed.com and such daily, find headhunters/recruiters early, network early and often, etc. Get your resume to every company that even contains a position like what you'd like to do (there aren't many companies there, so this totally doable). Best of luck to you, and enjoy the area... it's world class.
James Ellwood · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 10

Finding a decent job here shouldn't be hard, but finding a great paying career might be. It's an awesome place still, you won't regret it. Come by the Spire too to meet great friendly people and staff.

Also, what kind of work are you looking for?

Jeff Johnston · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 110
James Ellwood wrote:Finding a decent job here shouldn't be hard, but finding a great paying career might be. It's an awesome place still, you won't regret it. Come by the Spire too to meet great friendly people and staff. Also, what kind of work are you looking for?
Same here, I have never had an issue of finding employment.
Ben Mackall · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 1,823

James,

I am a geologist by education, but for the past few years have been exploring outdoor/ sports education and recreation (I currently worth as a youth program coach at a climbing gym) and outdoor retail (REI). I'd like to explore the Forest Service, or Billings-based geology industry when I get out there but wouldn't object to keeping the outdoor ed thing going either.

Jeff Johnston · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 110
Benjamin Mackall wrote:James, I am a geologist by education, but for the past few years have been exploring outdoor/ sports education and recreation (I currently worth as a youth program coach at a climbing gym) and outdoor retail (REI). I'd like to explore the Forest Service, or Billings-based geology industry when I get out there but wouldn't object to keeping the outdoor ed thing going either.
Sound to me like you have some good array of skills, should be able to find something to keep you occupied.
James Ellwood · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 10

Nice! Check out the Forest Service jobs in Livingston too and other surrounding areas.

Christian Rathkopf · · Tucson, Arizona · Joined Nov 2013 · Points: 5

Well, I'm glad I stumbled down to the bottom of this thread. I think I might have some relevant insight for you, Ben. We've led very similar paths. I spent a long time involved in the Northeast climbing industry (grew up in CT, college OE, rock guiding, numerous gyms, retail) as well as spent two years in Livingston (grade control geo at SMC). If you've got any job specific questions, I might have some answers. Let me tell you, with a 4-on, 4-off schedule, and a job in the mining industry, you can get a shit-ton of climbing in, should you so desire. As for climbing partners, I actually just moved to Tucson in July, so I can't help ya there. Keenan gets after it though, he'll get you on the ice in no time. You're gonna love it, dude, have fun!

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Colorado
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