Living in Bend, Oregon for climbing and snowboarding?

My gf and I moved to Bend about 6 months ago from Portland and don’t regret it. We’re both nurses, and live in a tinyhouse, so i can’t weigh in much on the income+housing question. Personally, i’ve never loved Smith, but i’ve learned to like it. If ya’ll like trad, lower gorge is sick. I’ve had a ton of great ski days at Bachy so far. I’m also more into park stuff.

I think our biggest issue so far, has been making friends. I’ve met a couple people here and there to climb with, but not many. Maybe i’m not trying hard enough. Most of the people my gf has met, have been weird dudes that immediately want to fuck. Move here and be our friends ;)

John L wrote:

1. Dave - is Smith bad no matter what crag you go to on the weekends? Or is it one of those things where if you try chain reaction on a Saturday it's a waste.

Also - is trout creek as crowded as Smith? I know the climbing season is shorter there because of eagle closures. 

I have little sympathy for people that find Smith too crowded, there are dozens of crags that receive very little attention. If you are waiting in line for a route, there should be some intention to that choice because I’m sure you could walk less than 30 minutes and have a crag to yourself. 

Trout is funny, it’s  quiet all summer and every weekday. Fall and Late Spring weekends can get like 40-70 partners but you still have the place mainly cleared out by Sunday as people drive home. About 50% of the traffic centers around 3-5 routes, so you can usually find something worth doing. 

Great beta from Bend/Smith locals already, here's my pitch:
 
If snowboarding and good restaurants are a priority, Bend is nice, but I agree that it may be disappointingly similar to the wealthy Colorado resort town experience, only a little larger. In the eternal search for a utopia with great climbing and snow sports, restaurants, cultural diversity and cheap living, a place like Salt Lake City might actually be your best bet.

If climbing is the priority, I would recommend Redmond. It's a smaller, blue-collar town with cheaper rent, but is also seeing the positive effects of growth in the area, including nice parks, 4-5 breweries and a growing food scene. I moved here from SLC and have mostly lost interest in snowboarding as a result of the hour+ drive to Bachelor, the lack of steep terrain and less than ideal backcountry access. On the other side of that, the climbing is awesome and completely year round, unlike anywhere else I've lived. I've climbed outside well over 100 days each of the past three years, getting out basically every week of the year, while working/in school full-time. I live 18 minutes from Smith, whereas most places in Bend will be at least 40 minutes drive. Additionally, the colder/wetter/snowier weather in Bend will keep many people at home or in the rock gym when conditions are actually prime at Smith. The climbing is not for everyone. It is mostly vertical and crimpy. Holds crumble and break even on the most classic climbs. The grades are stout and the bolted climbs are sometimes scary until you get into the 5.11 and higher grades. However, there is a great variety, including awesome trad and easy multipitch, and new routes being established frequently. The park is small but incredibly beautiful, and each area has its own vibe. Once you learn the place it's always possible to find a wall that's either in the sun or shade and uncrowded on any given day. The technical nature and tough grades will play to your favor when you travel to other climbing areas. Trout Creek is a special place with world-class splitters and there are bunches of other crags and bouldering areas offering variety. Additionally, the biking, hiking, hot springs, whitewater, fishing, etc. are all fantastic. There's also a small but growing airport right in town offering cheap direct flights to Seattle, SLC, Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix and LAX!

Jon Rhoderick wrote:

I have little sympathy for people that find Smith too crowded, there are dozens of crags that receive very little attention. If you are waiting in line for a route, there should be some intention to that choice because I’m sure you could walk less than 30 minutes and have a crag to yourself. 

Trout is funny, it’s  quiet all summer and every weekday. Fall and Late Spring weekends can get like 40-70 partners but you still have the place mainly cleared out by Sunday as people drive home. About 50% of the traffic centers around 3-5 routes, so you can usually find something worth doing. 

Well...in the past 5 or so years on weekends I've found even the Marsupials and the west side crags jam packed with climbers, with almost every route under 5-11 occupied - and understand, these are the only places I EVER went to on weekends (along with the Gorge). When even those 30-60 minute walk crags began to feel just as crowded as the main areas, I began to picture Smith as a fishbowl where no matter where you go, you're hemmed in and can't escape. (I used to escape to to the Monument too but now that area is usually packed) 

Loved to death, indeed.  Don't get me started on the parking in spring and fall lately!  It's to the point where on a weekend i will only go to the Gorge, which thankfully hasn't changed a bit since the entry fee is more or less 5-10 trad and the committment that implies.

Molly M. wrote: Hello all,
My boyfriend and I are currently looking to move somewhere new. We live in a Colorado ski resort town surrounded by mediocre climbing and pretty much are just sick and tired of living in such an insanely expensive and culture-less town where the most of the decent climbing is 1.5-2 hours away with bad traffic.
Anyways in my search for places to relocate Bend OR keeps coming up. Clearly there is great climbing with Smith Rock close by and Mt. Bachelor looked pretty awesome for snowboarding but I’m wondering what the town itself is like.
Is it expensive to rent? Dog friendly? Jobs? I’m the more of the climbing fanatic and he’s more of the snowboarding fanatic so is Bend really a good place to satisfy both? 

Really just any info about what it’s like to live there or in the surrounding area would be helpful and appreciative!
I’ve looked at a few threads already but they are 10+ years old. 

hah, i live in summit too and have been thinking about checking out Bend as a place to relocate.... especially after these insanely busy holiday weeks here!

Max R wrote:Personally, i’ve never loved Smith, but i’ve learned to like it. If ya’ll like trad, lower gorge is sick. I’ve had a ton of great ski days at Bachy so far. I’m also more into park stuff.

I think our biggest issue so far, has been making friends. I’ve met a couple people here and there to climb with, but not many. Maybe i’m not trying hard enough. Most of the people my gf has met, have been weird dudes that immediately want to fuck. Move here and be our friends ;)

What about Smith are you not stoked on? 

I’m pretty sold on bachelor!! I mean they are getting a peace park this year (!!!) and I don’t give a shit about steep terrain so it seems like my cup of tea. 

But now I’m more interested in what Smith rock is like. I’ve never had weekends exclusively off and never intend to get a job where that’s my only option, so I’m wondering how crowded it feels on weekdays. I love crimpy and vertical. I also love juggy and steep. And some slab every now and again. Mostly a sport climber and just a budding trad climber. 

Molly M. wrote:

What about Smith are you not stoked on? 

I’m pretty sold on bachelor!! I mean they are getting a peace park this year (!!!) and I don’t give a shit about steep terrain so it seems like my cup of tea. 

But now I’m more interested in what Smith rock is like. I’ve never had weekends exclusively off and never intend to get a job where that’s my only option, so I’m wondering how crowded it feels on weekdays. I love crimpy and vertical. I also love juggy and steep. And some slab every now and again. Mostly a sport climber and just a budding trad climber. 

I’ve spent most my time climbing on granite prior to moving here. And I also haven’t sport climbed that much. I have a tough time standing on the micro nubbins at Smith. But i’m getting better at it. My girlfriend is great at it. The trad climbing in the main park sucks, so i’ve spent most my time at lower gorge. I basically only climb on weekdays, so i haven’t had crowd problems. Climb the easy classics once, then never do them again 

lou wrote: Hey Molly... if you are into a climbers lifestyle... then ditch Bend!  It basically only has Smith rock. Yeah I know the other areas....     And its way crowded.   You would love Bishop Ca. !    Tons of climbing...on all kinds of rock in all kinds of environments!    And has Mammoth for skiing and climbing.  Way better!!   Check it out

Pretty much sums up our assessment after multiple years visiting Smith. It is only going to get worse.

Example: Trying to get away from "the crowds" one weekend in our recent October visit, we went all the way up to the Marsupials - only to find un-leashed dogs, lines on the sport climbs and crying kids. A 40-minute hike from the parking. Luckily, we brought "trad" gear and were able to find some available routes.

It is the ONLY WORLD CLASS, WINTER climbing destination area for many states northward around. It is definitely NOT going to get better, given the direction climbing is going.

Bring your rack for a crowd-free day at Smith!

Bend is a cool town .  Love to visit - couldn’t live there.

I can only comment on the climbing by agreeing with Root: it’s one of my favorite places to climb but - hate the crowds

Root: “Climbing at Smith is superb but it's crowded as it is invaded most weekends by Portland and Eugene plus all the tourist that are on vacation. There is more climbing throughout the state but it's mostly obscure.”

“ Crowded” “ invaded” “ overcrowded” is a vast understatement. It’s oversaturated to the point of madness - even on weekdays certain months of the year. You’ll be driving several hours to get anywhere else. I guess if you have other sports you can mediate it, but I personally couldn’t live in a place where the only good climbing area is so impacted all the time. 

I don’t think crowds bother me as much as a lot of people but I guess it really depends on how severe we are talking here. Two of my favorite climbing areas in the entire world, that I have spent lots of time at during their peak seasons, are the Red River Gorge and Shelf Road. Also spent a ton of time this summer at the popular front range crags (even braved Canal Zone at CCC). Sure it was crowded, and sometimes you waited for the popular moderates, but it never really bothered me much. Wonder how Smith on a weekday compares.

I have never lived in Bend but go there quite a bit.  I love the scene, the breweries, the whole outskirts are a wonderland.  The only problem, which has been mentioned, is if you are into climbing you limited to basically Smith.  Although Smith is revered as a whole class crag, its really your only thing.  Its pretty blatant when you go to the routes tab in MP, scroll down and look at the overlayed GoogleMaps.  If you want a wide variety of climbing/snowboarding, plus oceans, Canada daytrips, metro city close by, food, etc. I would focus between Seattle and the Canadian border.  Bellingham, Mount Vernon, even where I live, Everett.  It has culture, food, plenty of jobs, tons of climbing.  I have endless crags of all different type of rock within 5hrs (including smith which I go between fall and spring).  There is also "mountain towns" like Leavenworth, Mazama/Winthrop, etc that you can explore/live in if you still want that style of environment.  Just a curveball to throw into this thread ha.

Conor Pesci wrote:  I would focus between Seattle and the Canadian border.  Bellingham, Mount Vernon, even where I live, Everett.  It has culture, food, plenty of jobs, tons of climbing.  I have endless crags of all different type of rock within 5hrs (including smith which I go between fall and spring).  

I've been wondering what else is good north of Seattle and south of the Canada border! Thanks for adding this in

J P wrote:

I've been wondering what else is good north of Seattle and south of the Canada border! Thanks for adding this in

If you have any other questions about the area let me know!

Check out Redlands, Ca if you want more diversity. It's a nice little small town in Southern California. You're about 1hour from big bear/snow summit, 1 hour from Joshua Tree for winter climbing, 1 hour from Tahquitz for spring-fall trad climbing, 1 hour from Tramway/Black Mountain for summer bouldering and all the various crags in Southern California. Bishop/Red Rocks are 3-4 hour drive from Redlands. A lot of good climbing in southern California and you don't get that LA vibe/feel

9:30am on a Saturday. So crowded.

Kevin MP wrote:

9:30am on a Saturday. So crowded.

What was the temperature?

^Sending temps. High of 42 forecasted, it was probably 60 on the sunny walls.

In regard to Smith being Crowded, I highly doubt that will be an issue if your a central Oregon resident.  I live in Portland and mostly climb weekdays at smith and its almost never too bad even during peak season.  Furthermore, the weather in Central Oregon is such that you can easily climb every month of the year, I climbed on New Years Day this year in a tee shirt and have climbed comfortably in the shade in the middle of summer.  Suffice to say, Just don't go in October or March on a weekend and you wont ever have to fight the crowds.  Finally, there is so much new development that people don't know about or don't want to hike 30-45 minutes for, that you can always seek out on a busy weekend and have the pick of the litter.  

Kevin MP wrote: the climbing is awesome and completely year round, unlike anywhere else I've lived. I've climbed outside well over 100 days each of the past three years, getting out basically every week of the year, while working/in school full-time

Strongly agree, Central Oregon is about the perfect climate for year round sending

We moved to Bend 10 years ago with two young kids and have absolutely loved it.  Nothing is "A+", but it gets a solid "B" in everything - community, livability, biking, climbing, and skiing are all perfectly acceptable and close.

Indeed, Smith is crazy on weekends in the Spring and Fall.  But weekdays are wonderful.  And weekends are fine in Winter and Summer and there are reasonable temps in those seasons 50% of the time. We were climbing in t-shirts a few weeks back on Saturday and there were plenty of open routes.  And even in prime season, if you get to Smith by 730-8am on a weekend you can get a solid 2-3 hours of climbing in before total chaos reigns.   And if you are a trad climber, the Gorge and Trout will keep you satisfied.  But expect to take road trips for climbing variety - we do.   I'm not a boulderer, but people seem to love the bouldering here FWIW.    Our gym is awesome as well.

If you are looking for a place that you might spend the next 5-20 years, then Bend may be it.  Bend will continue to grow, and opportunity will follow.  Yes, it'll get more crowded.... but show me a desirable place that isn't growing?

Bishop is amazing, but there is zero job growth and zero housing and thus it is likely just to be transient stop.  And Bishop will never grow because Los Angeles owns all the land for its water rights.

Nowhere is perfect, but something is *always* in season in Bend - skiing, biking, or climbing.  And when conditions suck for one sport, it is usually ideal for the other.

And if you are looking for a place where you can expand into the next life chapter - Bend has lots of opportunity for growth both personally and professionally.

ps.  If you are considering bigger cities, you may want to look at Reno, NV.