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Moving west, where should I live?

Travis Larsen · · Ogden, UT · Joined Sep 2006 · Points: 26

There definitely some options around town and there seems to be some pretty good and new places showing up regularly. I don't know their need for employees but might be worth calling and searching around.

Kirtis Courkamp · · Golden · Joined Mar 2011 · Points: 378

Camp 4

Ralph Swansen · · Boulder CO · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 761

Anywhere but Pittsburgh.

Any of these places will kick the shit out of it. I've live in Junction and I am in Denver now.

Unless you start leading 11's (sport) fast or trad .10's & learn how to crack climb, Junction may be limiting. Not to say you wont be leading 11's in rifle once you breathe enough of that Colorado air. You'll find a job in Junction but if you are not good at what you do, and you don't have to be the best there, you will run out of options fast. It is a gorgeous valley and I have many good friends there.

Denver has a great deal of sport close by and is a cool city but I think SLC has the better sport options from what I hear. I just can't see myself in Mormon town, ha.

Bend is a great suggestion as Smith Rocks fucking kicks ass for sport. Golden is expensive to live in the town.

The climbing in Vegas is good, just drink the bottled water.

Austin Baird · · SLC, Utah · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 95

Forget Ogden. If you're moving out here to climb, SLC is where you'll spend your time (when you're not in the City, Moab, Maple, or elsewhere). SLC also has a much better restaurant scene than Ogden.

Sean H · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Dec 2008 · Points: 120

Like to backcountry ski? SLC.

Just care about climbing? Probably 'rado.

/endthread

Bob . · · lyons, co · Joined May 2012 · Points: 10

+1 for forgetting you ever heard of Ogden

eli poss · · Durango, CO · Joined May 2014 · Points: 525
Antonio Caligiuri wrote:So with all the advice thus far, I think I've narrowed it down a bit. If anyone has any further beta (rent, weather, climbing gyms, specific neighborhoods to look at, etc) on the following cities that would be really helpful: 1) SLC (and suburbs)-- it seems like the LDS population is under 50% in SLC so I'm wondering if it's a bit less conservative, with more possibilities for work in the service industry. Seems like there's TONS of sport climbing within 1.5 hours. 2)Durango, CO -- highest restaurant per capita in CO would make it easy to find work. Also more of a small town which appeals to me. Seems like there are some decent sport climbing options in the 1.5 hour range: Lemon Reservoir, Golf Wall, East Animas, and Cascade Canyons, but not as much as SLC offers. 3)Grand Junction, CO -- the obvious plus here is being an hour from Rifle, but it seems like there also a bit of bouldering in the area. How's the job market here?
i would second Durango because it has great sport climbing AND a good intro to trad. plus it has that small town feel to it. also has a shit ton of restaurants and bars and is a bit of a tourist town all year between the climbing, kyaking, and mtn biking in the fall, sping, and summer and the skiing in the winter, and tourists tend to tip fairly generously. would also add that there is good sport climbing at fume wall with a <5 min approach which is very nice for an after-work pump. In addition Durango has a lot of history with climbing, as David Waggoner, the inventor of the Alien cams was from Durango.
Mark Wilson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2008 · Points: 0

jorb mkt is slower on the west slope than the rest of rado. there's not as much tourism here as in Durango, prolly...so fewer service jobs. but it is a town of 50k...so oportunities are here. and joes valley 2h45m...in addition to rifle and the other local stuff here in gj. oh and cheapo rent/buy here in gj. apply at the new rock gym maybe??? good luck.

NickO · · West Slope · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 30

Park City. Still close to climbing yet out of the smog. You would also kill it at any bar with all the tourist types but the general feel of the town is much more laid back than an Aspen or Vail type ski town.

Tony Schaps · · Chamonix France · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 45

Bishop California
Boulder Colorado
Mammoth Lakes California

Kai · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2013 · Points: 5

Time to come to Innsbruck.
SO MUCH CLIMBING! No Mormons (no offense).
More bars than you can shake a stick at.
Mainly sport climbing but bunches of super fun bolted and mixed alpine stuff.
Dolomites, Zillertal under 1 hour. TONS of limestone sport climbing with in 30 min on a bike. No car necessary.
Love it here!

Antonio Caligiuri · · Bishop, CA · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 66

The plan right now is to head for SLC. Although I don't really plan on staying anywhere long. Over the next five years I'd like to spend extended periods in CO, CA, WY, AZ, and who knows where else, so I'm sure I'll be resurrecting this topic again before too long. Thanks everyone for the advice and suggestions. I'll be looking for an SLC/Utah partner come November!

Ed Oak · · Moab · Joined Nov 2010 · Points: 5

Some perspective on the Durango climbing scene: It is not a great destination for roped climbing. There are a number of crags but none of it is really high quality. The bouldering is great, the mt biking is awesome and the backcountry skiing, while potentially very dangerous, is also quite good. Durango is A1 for serious kayakers too. Indian Creek is 2 hrs away.

SLC is A1 for backcountry skiing and really good for roped climbing, just remember that you are sharing the goods with a boatload of other serious recreationalists. Also there is the air quality to consider. If you are a boater, then forget about it.

Burghschred Aliberti · · Bend, OR · Joined Aug 2011 · Points: 105

Definitely don't check out central Oregon. Can't find any good beer, the food sucks, and the 'rock' is just petrified ash or something.

GhaMby Eagan · · Heaven · Joined Oct 2006 · Points: 385

I live in Bishop, and we have 2 or 3 crappy bars in town, but I know a girl that makes a good living bartending in mammoth. you have to want to live in a rural environment though, which coming from Pitt I doubt that you are. SLC is a cool city, if you like small cities. I'd imagine you'll find some form of work there, likely start bar tending at a restaurant. The air quality is probably THE biggest complaint my friends that live in SLC go on and on about, it's pretty easy to get used to the mormons (or Mo's as most non mo's call them). The climbing quality/quantity is un real for how close it is to the city, second only to Bishop for our great nation from what I've experienced.

Good luck, if you want more info about the best place to live in the USA-and the downsides let me know.

good pro · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2014 · Points: 25

Antonio, FWIW I once worked as a hot dog vendor in Salt Lake CIty. Didn't see much skiing or climbing nearby so I blew town. Cali is the place if you like to live on a computer but otherwise I recommend a good restaurant, or even a roomy pantry (Somewhere on the Oregon coast). Not much going on in Wyoming but you never have trouble finding a good burn. Fires all over the place.
Hope this helps & good luck.

John Duffield · · New York City · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 10
good pro wrote: in Salt Lake CIty. Didn't see much skiing or climbing nearby.
j/k amirite?
george wilkey · · travelers rest sc · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 235

since you asked about Grand Junction CO, it's one of my favorite places. I lived there for a few months a couple years ago. it's growing and has good job potential without the terribly high cost of living found in most other CO towns and it's not a tourist town. pretty good music scene, nice main street, with a great pizza place (Pablo's). now the climbing:

bouldering: several great spots within 5 min of the city limits. awesome stuff in unaweep. joe's valley not far.

sport: rifle is only an hour or so away; CNM has a few sport routes; there are some nice routes on the sandstone section of unaweep cayon and more going up all the time; there is also a few other spots only the locals know about.

trad: within 2 hours of moab, unaweep, escalante, rifle, grand mesa, CNM, san Rafael swell, and a lifetime of other places.

mountaineering: 53 official 14ers; hundreds of peaks above 12,000. everything from hike ups to tough technical challenges, and that's just in CO.

as you can see, I really liked grand junction. if I could talk my wife into moving west that's probably where it would be, it is certainly worth checking out. hope this helps.

William Thiry · · Las Vegas · Joined Dec 2011 · Points: 311

Las Vegas is an outstanding place for climbers/adventurers. The city is not nearly as bad as some people think it is, and if you are in the bartending/service industry you can't do any better. Red Rocks, of course, is terrific. It's got just about everything - from 1,000s of long trad routes (desert alpine) to 1,000s of superb sport routs. Plenty of 1st ascents are still possible. Probably the best overall climbing venue in the US other than Yosemite. You can climb almost all year long except summer (even then you can do alpine starts to beat the heat, or climb at Mt. Charleston which is perfect in the summer). It's only 2 hours from Zion, 4 hours from the Sierra Nevada, 4 hours from Joshua Tree, and a few hours from the Grand Canyon... an island of urban activity surounded by an ocean of desert mountain wilderness. Las Vegas is truly one of the best adventure centers in the country.

Jonathan St-Louis · · Squamish, British Columbia · Joined Mar 2014 · Points: 0

Squamish

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

General Climbing
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