5 ms·

This is what has trapped me now. I'm not too keen on living here anymore, but don't want to miss out on ski + climbing + hiking.

stephencanon 10y ago
If skiing/climbing/hiking are what you want specifically, you can do a lot better than the bay area in the US. The bay area is good for these things, but there are plenty of places in north america that are closer to better opportunities for them (especially skiing!)
- dasil003 10y ago
  Yeah once you live in the Rockies you realize how overcrowded the California resorts are, and how bad the snow is relative to what you get at 10-14k feet.
  - praneshp 10y ago
    Do you feel sick at 14k? I will go to Colorado to ski for the first time this year. Wanted to go last year but then we had a great season at Tahoe.
    - dasil003 10y ago
      No, but I was living at 7k in Santa Fe at the time. Also that will be just the top of the lifts, pretty sure all the bases are below 12 or 13k.
      - stephencanon 10y ago
        There's nothing lift-serviced in the US above 13k feet. Colorado has a number of 14ers, but no lifts run that high; the highest is Breck, where the highest lift runs to just below 13k. That's high enough to make everything more tiring, but low enough that there's no serious effects for most people. Even in CO, most ski lifts top out between 11k and 12k.
dleslie 10y ago
Vancouver, Canada. I am about an hour from skiing, sailing, canoing, hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, et al; throughout most of the year. The trick is to work for a Valley firm, making Valley wages, and telecommuting; SAP is the only local shop that pays a decent wage.
- schrodinger 10y ago
  Is it tough to move to Canada as a US resident w/ a US job?
  - mahyarm 10y ago
    These are the options: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/eligibility.asp http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/eligibility.asp
- rdmcfee 10y ago
  We Vancouverites are spoiled. I just finished an 18 month stint in the Bay Area. One of the biggest inconveniences was the driving time (especially with traffic) to get to the mountains. In Seattle now and it's a great compromise. Similar wages to the Bay Area but similar geography and outdoor access as Vancouver. And even with the exchange rate housing is cheaper than Vancouver.
  - gk1 10y ago
    I spent a summer in Seattle and did more hiking, kayaking, and biking than I did in the year prior. It's an amazing place to work if you like the outdoors.
- spikels 10y ago
  I heard Vancouver is almost as expensive as SF - at least housing. Is that the case?
  - mahyarm 10y ago
    In SF, house prices and rent are pretty close. In Vancouver they are disconnected. Equivalent rent can be about half or lower of what the mortgage would cost. Even though the average house is about $4 million now. The bigger problem is the relatively low wage. And on top of that everything is more expensive in Canada. Seattle is definitely the economic sweet spot, and I would live there if it wasn't for the weather and the companies I can work for.
drumdance 10y ago
Consider Colorado. A strong tech scene and world class in those activities.

stephencanon 10y ago

If skiing/climbing/hiking are what you want specifically, you can do a lot better than the bay area in the US. The bay area is good for these things, but there are plenty of places in north america that are closer to better opportunities for them (especially skiing!)

dasil003 10y ago
Yeah once you live in the Rockies you realize how overcrowded the California resorts are, and how bad the snow is relative to what you get at 10-14k feet.
- praneshp 10y ago
  Do you feel sick at 14k? I will go to Colorado to ski for the first time this year. Wanted to go last year but then we had a great season at Tahoe.
  - dasil003 10y ago
    No, but I was living at 7k in Santa Fe at the time. Also that will be just the top of the lifts, pretty sure all the bases are below 12 or 13k.
    - stephencanon 10y ago
      There's nothing lift-serviced in the US above 13k feet. Colorado has a number of 14ers, but no lifts run that high; the highest is Breck, where the highest lift runs to just below 13k. That's high enough to make everything more tiring, but low enough that there's no serious effects for most people. Even in CO, most ski lifts top out between 11k and 12k.

dleslie 10y ago

Vancouver, Canada. I am about an hour from skiing, sailing, canoing, hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, et al; throughout most of the year. The trick is to work for a Valley firm, making Valley wages, and telecommuting; SAP is the only local shop that pays a decent wage.

schrodinger 10y ago
Is it tough to move to Canada as a US resident w/ a US job?
- mahyarm 10y ago
  These are the options: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/eligibility.asp http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/eligibility.asp
rdmcfee 10y ago
We Vancouverites are spoiled. I just finished an 18 month stint in the Bay Area. One of the biggest inconveniences was the driving time (especially with traffic) to get to the mountains. In Seattle now and it's a great compromise. Similar wages to the Bay Area but similar geography and outdoor access as Vancouver. And even with the exchange rate housing is cheaper than Vancouver.
- gk1 10y ago
  I spent a summer in Seattle and did more hiking, kayaking, and biking than I did in the year prior. It's an amazing place to work if you like the outdoors.
spikels 10y ago
I heard Vancouver is almost as expensive as SF - at least housing. Is that the case?
- mahyarm 10y ago
  In SF, house prices and rent are pretty close. In Vancouver they are disconnected. Equivalent rent can be about half or lower of what the mortgage would cost. Even though the average house is about $4 million now. The bigger problem is the relatively low wage. And on top of that everything is more expensive in Canada. Seattle is definitely the economic sweet spot, and I would live there if it wasn't for the weather and the companies I can work for.

drumdance 10y ago

Consider Colorado. A strong tech scene and world class in those activities.