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Spent last summer there in Ketchum, aka Sun Valley, during the pandemic. An absolutely beautiful place to be, but I heard the same thing many times. The lifties

Spent last summer there in Ketchum, aka Sun Valley, during the pandemic. An absolutely beautiful place to be, but I heard the same thing many times. The lifties at the ski mountain have to bus in 30 minutes from the nearby town Hailey every day to work. The area has become a lot more popular in recent years, and there are huge waiting lists to get into the schools. There's overregulation, yes, but most of the locals also don't want it to change. Frankly, a lot like CA. We decided not to stay. These trends are happening in other mountain towns we visited.

pinot 5y ago
Is a 30 minute bus commute all that bad?
- SnowProblem 5y ago
  It's a fair comment, and I had to reflect on why it seemed bad to me, when I've done much worse commutes on a bus for a software job. I guess it's that you're supposed to be there for a passion, but you're in snow gear, on a wet bus, in the cold, for minimum wage, and 30 minutes is the best case - probably more like 45-50 - only to work for people who make much more money than you, go to places you see but can't afford, who don't understand the local culture, and generally act like they're better. I realize this happens all over, but most workers are seasonal and doing it for a short time as a so-called once-in-a-lifetime experience. I actually took some time off college to do this 10 years ago, and 3 friends and I were able to get a large-ish home in a big ski town within walking distance to the mountain. It was great. We did have friends that drove in from the next town over, but I always felt bad for them, that they were wasting time during this short year. It sucks that that's the default in Ketchum. But I know skiing has only gotten more popular, and maybe this is just the new reality in certain places.
- x0x0 5y ago
  Probably an hour door to door depending on bus frequency and distance on the two ends...

pinot 5y ago

Is a 30 minute bus commute all that bad?

SnowProblem 5y ago
It's a fair comment, and I had to reflect on why it seemed bad to me, when I've done much worse commutes on a bus for a software job. I guess it's that you're supposed to be there for a passion, but you're in snow gear, on a wet bus, in the cold, for minimum wage, and 30 minutes is the best case - probably more like 45-50 - only to work for people who make much more money than you, go to places you see but can't afford, who don't understand the local culture, and generally act like they're better. I realize this happens all over, but most workers are seasonal and doing it for a short time as a so-called once-in-a-lifetime experience. I actually took some time off college to do this 10 years ago, and 3 friends and I were able to get a large-ish home in a big ski town within walking distance to the mountain. It was great. We did have friends that drove in from the next town over, but I always felt bad for them, that they were wasting time during this short year. It sucks that that's the default in Ketchum. But I know skiing has only gotten more popular, and maybe this is just the new reality in certain places.
x0x0 5y ago
Probably an hour door to door depending on bus frequency and distance on the two ends...