5 - definitely worth it.
When I got into snow/mountain sports I lived 5 hours away from Tahoe and the Sierras. Now I'm a half hour to great cross country skiing and 45 minutes to great snowboarding. Plus I live in an outdoor lovers paradise... river, mountain biking, rock climbing, backcountry... you name it. I liked where I lived before but Bend is amazing.
I personally think that Denver and Salt Lake would be good a middle ground of comfort. They are large cities with all the conveniences, available jobs and access to mountains.