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Bend Oregon

Original Post
Jared Garfield · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 5

I am thinking about moving out to Bend in the fall, and I am going to make a trip out there to climb and check out the area in a week. Anyone have any advice on what to check out around the city while I'm there?

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

Try lining up a job before moving there, the unemployment was sky-high when I lived in Portland.

Just found this sweet interactive guide: google.com/publicdata/explo…

frankstoneline · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 30

beers. drink all of them.
also employment, lots of folks without work up here in the nw.

Jared Garfield · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 5

Yeah I have been working on getting a job so if I end up there I will have one before heading out that way.

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

Do you like mountain biking? That is what Bend is best for, the trails are un-real. Most of the good ones will be covored in snow this time of year though.

What type of work do you do? Are you considering anywhere else? Of all the places in the country I am willing to live Bend is up there, but for climbing it isn't that high on my list. Salt lake, Tucson, Vegas are great for climbing and are big ass shities, for more medium size I can't think of many besides Bend, Santa Fe or St George/Cedar City (which also has incredible mountain biking as well as climbing). For small towns I think Bishop is the best in this country, but there is also Moab, Fruita/Grand Junction, Fayetteville WV, Jackson Hole (if you like skiing a lot), or Cody Wyoming.

Are you driving the entire distance?

Andy Laakmann · · Bend, OR · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,990

I love living in Bend. A lifetime of recreation is available, and you can do most sports all year long. Heck, you can climb, ski, and bike in the same day all <30 minutes from town.

Smith is an awesome home crag IMO - a lifetime of projects and plenty of trad.

Just bring your own job.....

Ryan Palo · · Bend, oregon · Joined Aug 2006 · Points: 605

Bend is an awful place to live. Housing is through the roof. There's traffic jams to and from Smith and the mountain. All the bolts at smith are 20 feet apart and ancient. Locals there will hike rigs in your face at every opportunity. The mtn biking trails are loaded with dogs and old people. Road biking is even worse. The hicks routinely run roadies off the pavement. Forget about getting a job (unemployment hovers around 45%). When it's not negative 10, it's well over a hundred. Forget about hiding out in the gym. It's 8 feet tall and crawling with piss-pants children. We hate beer here. HATE IT. Hope you like Bud.

Try boulder.

frankstoneline · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 30
Ryan Palo wrote:Bend is an awful place to live. Housing is through the roof. There's traffic jams to and from Smith and the mountain. All the bolts at smith are 20 feet apart and ancient. Locals there will hike rigs in your face at every opportunity. The mtn biking trails are loaded with dogs and old people. Road biking is even worse. The hicks routinely run roadies off the pavement. Forget about getting a job (unemployment hovers around 45%). When it's not negative 10, it's well over a hundred. Forget about hiding out in the gym. It's 8 feet tall and crawling with piss-pants children. We hate beer here. HATE IT. Hope you like Bud. Try boulder.
Nice try Palo. Trying to dissuade mountain project folks from moving to bend is like trying to dissuade hipsters from moving to portland. unemployment be damned they'll show up with their tight pants, funny hats and designer footwear.
Ryan Palo · · Bend, oregon · Joined Aug 2006 · Points: 605

Yeah, I must admit the "spit on tourists" campaign has done little to dissuade visitors.

Been to a good chunk of the mountain towns and I must say bend is a great place. Just big enough to be to avoid exs, but not so large we have the pain the ass city problems. The climbing isnt exactly in vogue these days, but what we lack in quality, we more than make up in quantity. As for work, if your profession is swinging a hammer look elsewhere. If you can program or have a pretty face you'll find work.

I second what Andy said, you can do something in season all times of the year (within 20 minutes of downtown). It wont be world-class, but it wil l be pretty dam good.

The sun. We see it at least 300 days of the year. It really doesnt get that hot. When it does, it's never more than 105, and it never lasts.

Travel. We're about 11 hrs max from Bishop and about 10 from Squamish. There's decent summer crags near hood (where you can ski year round). If that doesnt float your boat, you can fly from Redmond to the Red for about 250.

Also, we have 16 breweries.

Healyje · · PDX · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 422

And I suspect there'll be at least one high-tech campus open there sometime in the next five years.

Cale Hoopes · · Sammamish, WA · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 10

"Also we have 16 breweries"

Do you need more?

Andy Laakmann · · Bend, OR · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,990

I'd say the biking is world class when one considers the length of the season, variety of terrain, and quantity of trails... provided you are into cross country style trails rather than the gnar more common on the west slopes of the cascades and in Canada.

Jared Garfield · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 5

Thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to have a few brews

Vanessa Barnett · · Bend, OR · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 0
Ryan Palo wrote:Bend is an awful place to live. Housing is through the roof. There's traffic jams to and from Smith and the mountain. All the bolts at smith are 20 feet apart and ancient. Locals there will hike rigs in your face at every opportunity. The mtn biking trails are loaded with dogs and old people. Road biking is even worse. The hicks routinely run roadies off the pavement. Forget about getting a job (unemployment hovers around 45%). When it's not negative 10, it's well over a hundred. Forget about hiding out in the gym. It's 8 feet tall and crawling with piss-pants children. We hate beer here. HATE IT. Hope you like Bud. Try boulder.
BAHAHAHHAHAAHAHA....Palo, you're so funny.
Cody Finke · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2013 · Points: 0

I am looking to do a ski traverse of the three sisters in mid May, are any of you Bend climbers interested?

I am an expert skiier, advanced ski mountaineer currently skiing in the tetons. I am very comfortable (but would not consider myself an expert) with glacier rescue, and general mountaineering skills.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Pacific Northwest
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