What's Bishop like year round?

I have an opportunity to relocate to Bishop for work. I know I'd be *much* closer to climbing every single day, and it sounds pretty great. I'm also intrigued about the idea of being so close to Mammoth and riding during winter.

My questions:

What are the seasons like?
Will I be able to climb year round?
What is life in Bishop like?
I prefer trad, multi-pitch, and lastly sport routes... Will the Bishop area be able to satiate those climbing needs?

(For what it's worth, I'm aware of "culture shock," but I'm beginning to grow quite sick of big, urbanized city life and welcome the change...)

Thanks for any and all input!

DO IT!

verticalworldtraveler wrote:DO IT!

These are the types of folks everyone needs in their life... Beginning to get the ball rolling on the opportunity!

What are the seasons like?

Summer is hot (but the mountains aren't), winter is brisk, and spring and fall are perfect

Will I be able to climb year round?

Absolutely

What is life in Bishop like?

Full of outdoor recreation opportunities, probably not a lot else

I prefer trad, multi-pitch, and lastly sport routes... Will the Bishop area be able to satiate those climbing needs?

Absolutely

Do it for sure.

Summer is hot, but dry, and it always cools off at night. You can be climbing comfortably in Pine Creek or at Cardinal Pinnacle in 30min, Rock Creek is about 45min, and I've made it to Tuolumne in 1.5hrs when there's no backup at the entrance gate. Of course, if you're willing to walk a little, there's a lifetime of alpine terrain to explore around here.

Winter is cool or perfect, depending on your point of view. We get very little snow in town, so it's unlikely that you'll get shut down by weather. Mammoth is about 45min away, and you can be at the gorge or the milks in 30min or at the happy's or sad's in 15min from town.

Bishop is a small town with limited opportunities for dining, entertainment, etc. The social scene can be pretty meager too. Having said that, I've found it to be the friendliest and most welcoming community that I've lived in. If you can deal with the reality of not having a million different bars, restaurants, stores, etc., you'll probably be fine. I'd definitely recommend visiting before moving here, it's not for everyone.

One of the things I like about the climbing here is that although it is a year-round season, the type of climbing varies seasonally. Summer tends to be our trad and alpine season and winter is for sport and bouldering. If you need a trad fix in the winter, you can get to jtree or red rocks in about 5hrs. If you're motivated, you can drive to moab or zion in a day as well.

For what it's worth, I moved here 8yrs ago after living in Boston and LA for a combined 10yrs. It was quite a change, but I've been much happier here than I ever was in the city.

I would imagine that Bishop would be a fairly top notch place to be located for backcountry skiing as well...

Bishop is arguably one of the best towns in the world for climbing. You just have to adjust your elevation with the seasons but definitely year-round climbing.

Within 10-60 mins you have:
Buttermilks
Rock Creek
Alabama Hills
Whitney Portal
Pine Creek Canyon
Owens River Gorge
Cardinal Pinaacle
Mammoth Crags
The High Sierras! (plus approach)

Within 2-5 hours:
South Lake Tahoe
Yosemite
The Needles
Joshua Tree
Red Rocks
etc, etc

Needless to say, if you're really into climbing and don't need/care much about nightlife....do it!

BISHOP has it all.... it's Vacation Land.

Only downside (that I can tell) housing is limited, and not cheap, may of my friends are retiring to Bishop and they all have stories about sticker shock. Remember this, no new building in Bishop for many years, the DWP controls all of the water permits so things are limited. That is what makes for the good environment, otherwise there would be tons of building and private land, ala St. George Utah.

what do you "Do" for a living???

Guy Keesee wrote: what do you "Do" for a living???

I'm a planner for the state and have an opportunity to potentially transfer to a district office located in Bishop.

The Bay Area is taking its toll, as I found Denver to be the upper limits of an urbanized area when I lived out there.

Todd Townsend wrote: The social scene can be pretty meager too. Having said that, I've found it to be the friendliest and most welcoming community that I've lived in. If you can deal with the reality of not having a million different bars, restaurants, stores, etc., you'll probably be fine.

Five years ago, I wouldn't have been able to handle a "slower scene." Now, I'd rather have a nice chat around a fire or over a pint in a low-volume location. Never really been into exploring 5-star restaurants either...

Do it. I miss it every day.

In Bishop you have the ability to ride/climb half! days at world class locations. Emphasis on "half days"!

AWinters wrote:Do it. I miss it every day.

You and me both Adam. I don't miss the never-ending climber talk tho.

Do it only if you have a couch for me to crash. Don't do Mammoth unless you like the LA crowds on weekends come skiing season. Come with a woman type because the picking is slim in Bishop. Joking aside, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. If you call yourself a climber then you move to Bishop with a 50% pay cut without blinking.

Jake C wrote:In Bishop you have the ability to ride/climb half! days at world class locations. Emphasis on "half days"!

Curious about this comment. Why half days?

Alot of people would like the opportunity to try a change like this, but lack the huge entryway in the form of employment and financial stablity. Two ways to look at it from my POV: 1) this is a chance to try something completely new and see where it takes you. Life is serendipitous, and this could lead to something permanent, or even if it doesn't, it'll be a fun 3-5 yr. (or whatever) length experiment that you will not be able to duplicate once you're saddled with a spouse and family; or 2) it's a 3-5 yr. experiment that will sideline you from getting established and building wealth (i.e., jumping into the housing market) in the area that you likely settle in for the rest of your life.

I think of no. 2 as a possibility because I had my own personal experiences when I jumped out of the rat race in my late 20s. But you're situation is different since you'll be working in the same field, with the same salary, retirement funding, etc., so it's probably not even applicable. Same stuff, different place. Thinking about it, I don't really see a downside. Life is short, better go climbing while you can.

dylan grabowski wrote: I'm a planner for the state and have an opportunity to potentially transfer to a district office located in Bishop.

You should know the Caltrans office in Bishop is very small. Small office politics can be weird, but that said I found the folks in that office are nice, grounded people. I had two chances to move there in an engineering capacity, and ended up declining both times over about a 5 yr span. The deciding factors for me were the combo of house prices and the pay cut I'd take (I make 50% more for the feds, with much better benefits, in a place where real estate is about 2/3 what it costs in Bishop). Tough decision at the time, but in retrospect it was the right one, it will let me retire about 5yrs earlier than if I'd moved there. I also had some lingering bitterness after working in District 8 for some years (San Bernardino), during the furlough bullshit around '08/'09.

But if you are already in that class and plan on staying in State employ, do it. No question.

Will S wrote: You should know the Caltrans office in Bishop is very small. Small office politics can be weird, but that said I found the folks in that office are nice, grounded people. I had two chances to move there in an engineering capacity, and ended up declining both times over about a 5 yr span. The deciding factors for me were the combo of house prices and the pay cut I'd take (I make 50% more for the feds, with much better benefits, in a place where real estate is about 2/3 what it costs in Bishop). Tough decision at the time, but in retrospect it was the right one, it will let me retire about 5yrs earlier than if I'd moved there. I also had some lingering bitterness after working in District 8 for some years (San Bernardino), during the furlough bullshit around '08/'09. But if you are already in that class and plan on staying in State employ, do it. No question.

Will,

I'm currently in District 4... relocating anywhere that's not the Bay Area will certainly result in a reduction of overhead expenses. I'm also coordinating with the person whos position I'd be taking over, and it sounds like I'd be able to move into his apartment, which is decently priced compared to what I'm paying right now.

I don't know how long I aim to stay with CT, but this opportunity to climb almost everyday seems like a great one for a single, late 20-something.

From what it sounds like, at least my supervisor and folks I'd work closely with are down to earth, hopefully that'll be one degree of separation away from BS office politics. Then again, I've only been with Caltrans for a year and a half, so what do I really know..?

I lived in Bishop for a total of ~2 years. I moved away b/c it was a hassle to get to the Bay Area every month for work, CA taxes make me grouchy, and cost of living is expensive compared to other places I was considering. There are a number of younger climber/skiers at the Caltrans office I know (all friendly guys). Caltrans is one of the more coveted places to work in town, and coming from the Bay Bishop housing will see like a steal. If you chase the sun, on warmer winter days you can still climb multi-pitch trad in Pine Creek. I would encourage you to give it a go.

dylan grabowski wrote: From what it sounds like, at least my supervisor and folks I'd work closely with are down to earth

Yep, the Caltrans guys I know are super chill. Look forward to seeing you out at locals night at the milks :)

All,

Thanks for your posts, the ball will begin rolling this week, and hopefully a happy update in a couple of months.

(Fossana, we briefly chatted on top of Cathedral Peak last summer in Tuolumne, and you off-handedly mentioned moving to Bishop to climb a lot. Funny how an opportunity is now available.)

And everyone else who has commented or wants to, please, spray this thread with rad Bishop spray!!

Cheers!