Where should I live....

Hello all,

I would like some opinions and Ideas if you would all be so obliging.

Firstly I'll introduce myself; I am a climbing and mountaineering instructor and expedition leader from the UK and have a mass of experience in all things adventurous with my main skill being climbing and mountaineering.

I hold the highest UK qualification for climbing & mountaineering (the MIA which is accredited by the UIAA)and work both as a climbing instructor, international expedition leader and a semi pro specialist location photographer and cinematographer on a private and freelance basis. I have lived in Nepal and Bolivia previously and speaks both languages.

I am in an cool situation as my girlfriend and we are trying to decide where would be good for us to live. (FYI she is an occupational therapy assistant so can work around the world also)

Here is where I need your help, I have some ideas of where would be good and possible with my qualifications to live in the UK (or Europe) however where would you all suggest if we were to pick the US to live in?

I have a basic list of what we are looking for:

Needs to be near and an area with work for me (guiding & instructing)
Lots of climbing nearby (preferably year round - rock Ice & ski but just rock will do)
good transport links for international travel
Near a city/urban area with work for her
Not crazy expensive

So with that what are people suggestions for good locations in the US

Thanks in advance

Rob

The only place I've lived that I think fits your requirements is Salt Lake City. World class skiing. Fantastic rock climbing. Good ice climbing. You're a ~4-hour drive from the southern Utah desert (Zion and Moab), which I think is the most beautiful place in the world. It's a very cheap place to live as far as mid-sized cities go. The city is big enough that it has everything you'd need, though I don't know what the guiding scene is like as far as your work is concerned.

As far as transport for international travel goes, Salt Lake isn't New York or Los Angeles, but the airport is decent-sized and easy to get to from the city itself.

Another great thing about Utah is that it's right in the middle of the west, so you can drive to Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada, California, etc. pretty easily if you want to visit some other classic climbing areas.

Indiana. Avoid :p

Yeah utah sounds perfect for you.

Lyons Colorado
Work for her in boulder
Work for you every where
Not too expensive
DIA is about an hour and a half drive I believe

SLC is a great place too but the inversions kill it for me.

Camp 4

I lived near Boulder, Colorado. Fantastic climbing, a lot of job opportunities, and rent can be reasonable if you drive 20-45 minutes away from Boulder.

I just moved to Carbondale, Co. I like it a lot more. Not as populated, a lot of climbing around, and rent is about the same as the Boulder area.

SLC, Jackson, Boulder, Bozeman, or any number of places on 395 (California).

I have traveled a lot and live in the UK now, so I probably have a good idea of what you might like. PM me if you want to ask any questions.

Salt lake area for sure! The smog sucks at times but here is SO much climbing.

Thanks all some good stuff I will have to check out there. SLC had never really crossed my mind but I think Ill have to check it out.

Colorado or Northern California were the places I have been leaning towards, never been to the former so I guess a trip out there will happen at some point.

If we decide on the UK it will probably be Edinburgh area for all of the mentioned reasons, has an airport, train links, easy access to motorway, pretty cool city and got climbing all around it as wel as the highlands only an hour and half away. (just got to find a way for a So-Cal chick to accept the rain and midgies!!!)

Rob

Florida for sure 🏊☀️

Brent Butcher wrote:Florida for sure 🏊☀️

Anywhere in, Colorado. For the most part there are major metropolitan areas for her. And any city worth living in is at most 1 hr from classic climbs and great resorts for winter.

I'm sure you're aware that being a guide/instructor in the U.S. is nowhere near as financially rewarding as compared to somewhere like Europe. It's a bit like Peyton Manning foregoing his hefty NFL salary to go play arena football.

Just east of Seattle or in Seattle itself

You can also start threads on:
what clothes should I wear
what foods should I eat
what music should I listen to

Those will all be equally helpful in shaping and molding your future giving as little personal responsibility to you as possible.

and I literally lol'ed at the boulderites telling her to live in colorado :)

WoW
Ya some one soliciting information on where might be a good place to live from people who live or May have lived at one point in order to make a well informed and educated decision.
You are right total misuse of forums!
we should all just troll around and spray our douch all over eachother!!!

Chamonix? Fuck man,anywhere other than the states. Its a third world down there.