I have had it with the Mid-Atlantic. I moved out here (No. VA) in 1997 and since then I've been skiing. I have been in depression from the weather all season long. It's a feeling of hopelessness. Nothing we can do will make the conditions or weather change. I grow weary of checking 2-3 weather sites hoping for good conditions "next week". I've had enough. I am moving within a year to somewhere else. Skiing is major part of my life and I've been watching too many Warren Miller movies to let this part of life slip on by. Life is too short.

My Question is What is the best place to move to? Colorado? Vancouver? I am in the high-tech industry so that is another consideration.

Anyone else feeling the same urges?

It's like "Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind" where I make mountains and slopes out of my mash potatoes.

[This message has been edited by Lietmotiv (edited 01-28-2002).]

Um, in the meantime stay away from tall buildings and sharp objects

Lot's of Western cities have relatively close access to ski slopes (< 3.5 hours). Denver, San Francisco (Tahoe), Salt Lake City (real close to the slopes but it's a great place to ski and not visit), Sante Fe/Los Alamos, Seattle, Portland. Dream your dream.

Or make a lot of money in DC so you can afford to take frequent inexpensive flights out West. Or better yet, marry an attractive super model who will fund your ski trips. That would work. (I once road up a chairlift with an older, presumably weathly, women from Texas who said that she had it written into her pre-nup that her husband-to-be had to be willing to allow her to ski at least 40 days a year. I guess she was worried about any abandonment charges.)

lots of high tech jobs in San Fran area (or used to be anyway) and Tahoe is within a 2-3 hours, Seattle is 3 hrs from Whistler, if you don't mind glowing in the dark Los Alamos Nat'l Lab hires a lot of hi tech and computer people, have their own ski areas a couple miles away, ski santa fe is 1 hour away, taos is 2 hrs away. Bend Oregon is near Mt. Batchelor ski area.

Lietmotiv: ditto about the mid-Atlantic. I grew up living on a mtn in upper NYS and I hate the lack of mountains and summer heat in this area. If it weren't for the work I'd be out of here in a flash as well.

I know you said you were looking for western cities, but don't forget, you can't get more "hi-tech" than Boston. BTW, if you could be more specific than just saying "hi-tech", maybe we could narrow down the search a bit.

Tom / PM

[This message has been edited by PhysicsMan (edited 01-29-2002).]

I think at this point it's become more retorical than reality. I am going to get out of here. I am in the web development sector. A Sr. ASP/JSP developer. Seattle is in a depression as well as LA and San fran isn't far behind them. I know because I have friends out there in welfare lines. They used to make $50+ /hr a few years ago.

I think the Denver area is the best. Oracle and Lockheed hire alot in Colorado too. NM is bust. Los Alamos hires an occasional researcher but the economy in NM is terrible. I'll get over this. Hopefully I'll be able to get up to vermont this season. I could fly but I have a fear of flying at the moment. I'll get over that soon.

But the scenery in No. VA is quickly loosing it's value. The traffic is also wearing me down. Time to move on soon. It'd be nice to look out my window and see white tipped mountains and know that I could be skiing down them in less than 2 hours.

One of my friends just took a job at Los Alamos for the skiing. Here's what she says about the lab policy on skiing. :-)

" If you come out to NM this or next winter you'll have to report on Taos, and Pajarito (that's the Los Alamos ski area that we are
allowed to spend winter Wednesday afternoons at while our managers look the other way) if there's snow - they don't make snow there.
It's small, but one of the hardest ski areas (nearly all black diamonds) in the southwest. Some lore about it: during WWII Oppenheimer's colleagues created it by blasting the trees out with spare TNT borrowed from the experimental explosives site."

danadane,

I think you are right. I sold my soul for the almighty dollar too. I gotta sell a house and pay off some debt. I think next year I will see a different sky when I get up for work. Although I hold out hope for this year I will be planning for a move out west. Denver real estate is about as bad as DC so I'll feel right at home.

do what i do and get your company to let you telecommute. that way you can live anywhere and still keep your job. i'm headed in the opposite direction. warm water and good waves. maybe southern cal, or florida.

go to denver.. I am in similar situation and think about moving back out west everyday.. I sold my soul to the almighty dollar, though, and can't get away from the east coast(Raleigh, NC)..
Denver is cool though.. alot of jobs and alot of ski resorts not too far away..

Denver has recently (last 5 years) opened a high tech area that seems to be really growing. It's growing fast enough that restaurants (my business) are opening out there. From Denver, your access to many places are a short drive(forget the big names, Berthoud Pass, Loveland) or short plane ride (Salt Lake, Jackson Hole, Telluride).

Whatever you do, just do it. 10 years ago a buddy and mine swore we were moving out west to become ski bums. I just started college for the 2nd time and wasn't ready. When I finished, he had something going on in his life and wasn't ready. We played this game for 10 years. I'm stuck in DC (now married and the wife won't commit) and he's stuck in Charlotte. If you have a chance, just go. Jobs will take care of themselves.

I'd vote for Boston. One of the most livable places in the US and although real estate is crazy, you have the entire New England ski panorama less than three hours away.

A small city that would be great is Burlington VT -- consistently one of the best 10 small cities in the nation to live. B'ton is still in the '60s, has an incredible liberal attitude, you can do your thing, and is run by the Socialist Party. The focus of the town is the Unitarian Church at the foot of Church Street (Not exactly a friendly place for a Biblical Fundamentalist), but if your're looking for awesome scenery and a carefree attitude, it is worth it. With Bolton Valley, Smugglers Notch and Stowe a half an hour away.

Lou

Well stated Lou. I say forget this talk about jobs lets start the DCski commune in Burlington. In addition to New england you can always become an expatriot by crossing into the Canadian border, and once there you have Canada's version of Europe (Montreal) all within a few hours drive. And if we all end up workinf as lift operaters for minimum wage in Vermont a Canadian dollar costs only .62 so we will still be able to eat.

About 3 years ago I was sold on Boise Idhao. Good high tech industry(hp, micron, etc..) low rents, low cost of living, excellent skiing...sun valley and Bogus MTN. How could you no want to ski a place called Bogus MT. cool hu....

Denver is too big now. Salt Lake is a target right now but might be good after the games.
I too decided to stay in my beltway bunker. So go for all of us who stayed!
but Boise is very cool