Which Ski town to live/retire/invest in?

[pow4ever]

Retirement is far far away but doesn't hurt to plan ahead and let me day dream for a bit now that the snow is gone.

it doesn't have to be in just US of A.  Niseko JP is cool.

 

On mountian/resort living:  ski-in/ski out/shuttle OK:  Not more than 20 mins driving is possibile.  

Availability/access to good water, grocery store/food

Cheap-ish; gotta have room for investment growth.

Stuff to do in off season; this doesn't seems to be a problem

Good healthy care

 

 

Good snowboarding (powder/carving):  

Variety of terrain is good.  

Resort that I really enjoyed:

Stratton

Powder mountain/Canyons/Snowbasin

Big Sky/Blue sky

Grand Targhee

Mammoth

Aspen/Vail/Beaver creek

 

time to check out:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/

 

 

[ursle]

Thinking investing in "water" type stocks might be a better idea, in (X) years, owning a place at a closed resort would suck, but having a large amount of capitol, readily used for winter entertainment, be it wherever? 

 

For example

 

Symbol

Equity

Rating

MSEX

MIDDLESEX WATER CO

A+

AWK

AMERICAN WATER WORKS CO INC

A+

CTWS

CONNECTICUT WATER SVC INC

A

YORW

YORK WATER CO

A-

WTR

AQUA AMERICA INC

A-

SJW

SJW CORP

B+

ARTNA

ARTESIAN RESOURCES

B+

CWCO

CONSOLIDATED WATER CO INC

B+

CWT

CALIFORNIA WATER SERVICE GP

B

AWR

 

 

Judging by this last winter in the east's snowfall, I'd save up but not want to be in the wrong place.

Water is going to get expensive, soon.

[pow4ever]

Great point Ursle!!

 

I just don't know how much of the "grind" I have left in my lol....

RV living is another way to go :-) 

[Eric Brammer aka PSR]

Um, Proctorsville, VT, Okemo.  All the H2O is bottled up in a state-run dam system upstream of you, and Okemo pumps out of the Black River to it's 3-million-gallon resevior upstream of town. While you lose on steep terrain, you gain buttered grooming, and trail access early and late in the season, plus the tax bennies from being near, or in, Ludlow.

 

I hate the place, but, then again, I designed the halfpipe/park, and never got got paid. IT WAS THE ONLY PIPE OPEN IN THE NORTHEAST THIS YEAR, because, I Designed it with it's own snowmaking system, drainage, and correct contours, a Quarter Century Ago, and, got NO PAY for it! 

 

But, as an investment chance, Okemo is, well, as good as their word [belch] .Bring a LAWYER!

[michael.a]

Let climate change dictate your choice. For example, banks no longer are giving loans to resorts below 2000 m inthe Alps. Id follow the same logic and look at general weather patterns to see where you get the most consistent snowfall.

[pow4ever]

If powder is a requirement (and it should be) then I don't think the east coast is going to cut it for you.

 

LOL...  once in a blue moon we get "powder day" here at the East.

Basalt/El Jebel is looking nice....

[Dan]

This has been on my mind a lot recently too. A couple places I've been thinking about, though none are quite as close to the slopes as it sounds like you're looking for:

1) White Salmon WA (because Hood River is already out of my price range) - 45 minutes to Mt. Hood and 10 minutes to Columbia Gorge windsurfing

2) Pemberton BC (30 minutes north of Whistler)

3) Glacier WA (long play, this is a town of 200 that's 40 minutes to Mt. Baker). 

4) Sandpoint ID (30 minutes to Schweitzer via the access road. There is a shuttle bus to the base of the mountain). Good summertime activities on Lake Pend Oreille too. 

 

The climate in the Pacific Northwest is supposed to do pretty well in the near to mid future - it will keep raining and the climate isn't supposed to get much hotter. That's a consideration for us, and kept us looking mainly in the area. Alaska is also interesting, but not cheap as you may know. 

 

Anyone else thinking about ski towns for retirement / living / investing?

[BlueB]

2) Pemberton BC (30 minutes north of Whistler)

While Pemberton might be cheaper, Squamish is better. 30min south of Whistler but at the sea, kind of famous for kite and wind surfing. 1hr to Vancouver.

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[Dan]

While Pemberton might be cheaper, Squamish is better. 30min south of Whistler but at the sea, kind of famous for kite and wind surfing. 1hr to Vancouver.

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Yeah, if money was no object, I would go for Squamish, but cost drove me towards Pemberton. I also figured the commute to Whistler would be easier from Pemberton, no? This is a fairly hypothetical conversation for me right now though, because the Canadian mortgage system (no 30 year mortgages!) and required 35% down for a non-CA resident might push me to the US anyway.  

Edited June 24, 2016 by Dan

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

Alta, WY

Ketchum/Hailey, ID

Big Sky, MT

Leavenworth, WA

Kamloops, BC

Wenatchee, WA?

I think that Whistler is too crowded and overdone. Isn't another super resort being planned for the Squamish area? Too much development.

[Keenan]

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Bend, OR.  6 month ski season & 300 plus days of sun.  Maybe there are too many retired people there already.

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

Bachelor is attractive, but I don't think that I would voluntarily subject myself to Oregon taxation. CA is out for the same reason.

[Dan]

My in-laws live in Bend, and the amount of development there has gone past what I'm looking for...looking for something more laid back. I'm also not sure what it's going to be like out there in 10-20 years if the weather keeps getting hotter/drier. 

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

Too bad that there are no resorts in the Himalayas. I'm in Pokhara right now, and it isn't too bad if you can ignore all of the power outages.

[ursle]

We love it here.  Equidistant between Glenwood and Aspen, 30 minutes to the hill, 3.5 hrs to Denver.

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, err

 

Dropped off the daughter last summer for her second year working the Aspen music festival, WOW, Glenwood to Aspen, hell, Denver to Glenwood in the summer was "stupid", winters, na. jmho

 

Honestly, save the funds needed and move to where the elements allow you to do what you do.

[Dan]

Too bad that there are no resorts in the Himalayas. I'm in Pokhara right now, and it isn't too bad if you can ignore all of the power outages.

 

Awesome! Are you trekking? I would love to see some photos. 

 

As far as ski resorts, isn't Gulmarg in the Himalayas? I'm guessing their season is well over by now, but maybe something to keep in mind for future trips? I lurk on Teton Gravity, and have seen a few trip reports on Gulmarg, but can't remember if the consensus was "pretty good skiing" or "pretty good skiing given my low expectations going in". 

[Dan]

Alta, WY

Ketchum/Hailey, ID

Big Sky, MT

Leavenworth, WA

Kamloops, BC

Wenatchee, WA?

I think that Whistler is too crowded and overdone. Isn't another super resort being planned for the Squamish area? Too much development.

 

Also, thanks for these, a number of towns there I hadn't considered (or heard of in some cases, haha. Alta, WY? Who knew). Real estate prices in most of your suggestions are pretty attractive now too. 

[pmorita]

I'm headed to Okemo, VT this weekend to look at some vacation properties.  This has been an interesting thread.  Like the focus on long term ability  to blow snow.  Any others words of wisdom that I need to know?  Mostly interested in making this a cost neutral property by renting by the week for 50% of the time.

Thanks

[Shred Gruumer]

There is plenty of Water here in Cleveland, actually great lakes!  So its probably a good investment to build your mountains here!!  Preferably about 2500 to 4000 vertical,  I know it gets pretty dam cold for a long time... and we have an automatic natural snow machine free of charge!!  I'll invest... let me know.

 

RSS

[Dan]

I'm headed to Okemo, VT this weekend to look at some vacation properties.  This has been an interesting thread.  Like the focus on long term ability  to blow snow.  Any others words of wisdom that I need to know?  Mostly interested in making this a cost neutral property by renting by the week for 50% of the time.

Thanks

 

I definitely don't have all the answers, but I'd also probably be hoping to rent some of the time, and I'm thinking about year-round rentability. So I'm also looking for good access to summer MTB trails, watersports, etc.

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

I didn't know about Gulmarg before, but I just did a little reading about it. It doesn't sound like it is likely to have much grooming at all. Add to that the fact that it is in Jammu and Kashmir, and you have some minor security concerns. I'm in Nepal just on a whim because I could get a cheap round trip flight from KL. It is already the monsoon season and there have been some major rain storms. I know that there are people trekking the Annapurna circuit now, but when it rains you pretty much have to take shelter in one of the lodges I think. I will consider trekking for the next trip.

Alta is just on the Wyoming side of the border on the road up to Grand Targhee from Driggs, ID. Only a few hundred people live there. It has a church and a school, but no stores, no apartments/condos and no post office. It also has no income tax, since it is in Wyoming.

Because Japan's population is dying off, some of the ski areas are now making greater efforts to attract foreigners. I have heard that there has been an influx of Aussie and kiwi skiers. Total visits to ski resorts is way way down from the big heyday in the late eighties, and I assume the industry must be in a desperate situation. Perhaps this will lead to some good opportunities for more scummy, dirty Gaijin to rule the slopes.

[Dan]

I didn't know about Gulmarg before, but I just did a little reading about it. It doesn't sound like it is likely to have much grooming at all. Add to that the fact that it is in Jammu and Kashmir, and you have some minor security concerns. I'm in Nepal just on a whim because I could get a cheap round trip flight from KL. It is already the monsoon season and there have been some major rain storms. I know that there are people trekking the Annapurna circuit now, but when it rains you pretty much have to take shelter in one of the lodges I think. I will consider trekking for the next trip.

Alta is just on the Wyoming side of the border on the road up to Grand Targhee from Driggs, ID. Only a few hundred people live there. It has a church and a school, but no stores, no apartments/condos and no post office. It also has no income tax, since it is in Wyoming.

Because Japan's population is dying off, some of the ski areas are now making greater efforts to attract foreigners. I have heard that there has been an influx of Aussie and kiwi skiers. Total visits to ski resorts is way way down from the big heyday in the late eighties, and I assume the industry must be in a desperate situation. Perhaps this will lead to some good opportunities for more scummy, dirty Gaijin to rule the slopes.

 

Heck, sorry to miss you, I was working in Singapore and Bangkok from the end of February to the first week in June - if I'd known you were around, I would have suggested a SE Asia Bomber Summit. Are you in KL long term? 

 

I lived in Sapporo for two years in the late 90s, and the snow at Niseko was amazing. I remember one night of snowboarding under the lights when it was snowing so hard our tracks were covered after each run. I have heard they've done a lot of marketing within SE and East Asia as well, and a cursory look at real estate prices suggests it's been working - I would be happy to go back for a ski trip, but couldn't afford real estate. 

 

Bomber trip to Hokkaido this season? 

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

I was only in KL on a whim because I could get a cheap flight from BKK. Everything is a whim. If there is a cheap flight, cheap lodgings and cheap food then I will go there. I am going back to KL tonight on a red-eye but will head on to Penang then Johor Bahru and Kuching. Singapore isn't in the plan because I have already been there and it is too expensive lah.

Because I am lazy and prefer carving on groomed runs to just about everything else,including Pow,I wonder which Japanese resorts are best for this. The famous Hokkaido Pow resorts must be more crowded and expensive. I might prefer a resort that is more famous for grooming than snowfall. That said, I don't like to travel to ride unless it is for most or all of a season. I just bought my Sun Peaks pass for this winter, so I'm locked in now.

[Dan]

I was only in KL on a whim because I could get a cheap flight from BKK. Everything is a whim. If there is a cheap flight, cheap lodgings and cheap food then I will go there. I am going back to KL tonight on a red-eye but will head on to Penang then Johor Bahru and Kuching. Singapore isn't in the plan because I have already been there and it is too expensive lah.

 

No argument on Singapore - it is really easy there as far as good transit, English is spoken everywhere, etc., but expensive (especially compared to the rest of the region) and a little too squeaky clean. Have you spent any time in South / Central America? I've never been anywhere other than Mexico City, and interested in recommendations. 

 

 

Because I am lazy and prefer carving on groomed runs to just about everything else,including Pow,I wonder which Japanese resorts are best for this. The famous Hokkaido Pow resorts must be more crowded and expensive. I might prefer a resort that is more famous for grooming than snowfall. That said, I don't like to travel to ride unless it is for most or all of a season. I just bought my Sun Peaks pass for this winter, so I'm locked in now.

 

I recall Rusutsu having good grooming and wide pistes, but I remember that some of the pitches were flatter than ideal for carving. I was riding with friends of friends, so it may be that they didn't seek out the steeper stuff, I don't remember details. 

 

Looking forward to your Sun Peaks reports for this season! 

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

I've only been to Costa Rica in Central America, but it is the no-brainer place to go. I would also try Panama and Belize. The other countries seem more challenging. I haven't been to South America yet. If I go, I would want to hit several countries on one trip. A minor problem is that several countries require a $160 tourist visa. I also have a half-baked idea to go walk the Camino in Northern Spain.