Burlington Vermont vs. Portland Oregon

climbing around portland generally involves dirt getting in your eyes.

Lewis and clark college is a bit outside of the city, set by a nice park with lots of old growth doug firs and a salmon run. The overall vibe at L & C is very liberal, so make sure you are into that kind of lifestyle if you are gonna go there.

I'm from the Northwest but currently live in New England. Was just in Burlington yesterday. I like Burlington a lot but...

Go West, young man! This is not a hard choice. Lots of skiing in Vermont, but it's all kinda bad unless you're a hardcore racer. Very few pow days, no above-timberline skiing, lots and lots of ice, plus NYC-yahoos on vacation so you still get crowds. The skiing in Oregon is decent, but not great: Hood is fun and within 90 minutes from Portland. Backcountry skiing can be quite good. Bachelor is good but 3 hours away. But any of it still easily beats skiing on the tilted hockey rinks of the Northeast.

I don't know much about the climbing in Vermont itself. North Conway is sweet and Rumney has great sport climbing after you sift through the hordes of gumbies (there are more than twice as many people in the NYC metro area than in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho combined). However, with a similar driving time from Portland you can be at Smith Rock or Trout Creek, where you can climb year round.

In Portland, you're within about 6-7 hour drive from Squamish. You can get to City of Rocks in a day. You can get to Yosemite, the Bugaboos, Joshua Tree, Indian Creek, or Red Rocks in a (very long) day. Yes, there is much excellent climbing in the east but it really cannot compare to the variety, grandeur, and weather of the West.

Yeah, it rains a lot in the Northwest--but almost never in the summer, which is absolutely glorious, and you can head over the mountains to the desert for dry weather any time of year. People don't drive like they are on a personal mission to kill you. There are real, big mountains. There are wilderness areas where you can disappear for days and find yourself with the aid of psychoactive chemicals and a good tent mate.

That said, you'll probably be happy in either place. I went to a smaller school and loved it; some people love the anonymity of a state school. That's one thing to consider. Being that far from home is also a big deal. I feel the pull of the Northwest every single day I live out here.

Best of luck to you!

Being that you're from the northeast, you'll probably be more used to Burlington right off the bat if you haven't really spent time in either city. I can't speak to the local crags in Portland, but you've got some decent rock climbing less than 30 minutes away from campus in the Bolton area. With just a little more driving and you've got the Adirondacks, the Gunks, and all that New Hampshire has to offer easily within a day trip. As for the ice climbing, Vermont wins by a landslide.

Sure, many people here will say that the skiing out west is always "better" (definitely more consistent), but I'd say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The tree skiing in Vermont is amazing and you can definitely get your share of epic days in as long as you're flexible. Stowe, MRG, and Sugarbush are all less than an hour from Burlington and it's perfectly reasonable to get some laps in at the mountain before heading to class later in the day.

Was in NH for a couple of years before moving to Portland - kind of toss up rock-wise. But don't let worry about Portland being a city; it's not, it's just a bigger-sized town and about the size of a neighborhood in Chicago, but we generally let them go on thinking it's a city given they don't know any better.

Squamish and the Bugaboos are not 5-6 hours away from Portlandia unless you're in a plane. Maybe if you have a tri corder and the USS Enterprise is orbiting Earth.

Six hours the way I drive...

Healyje wrote:Six hours the way I drive...

Good for you..

The rest of us get stuck in traffic. The S curves of Everett, the US/CA border, Surrey, Richmond, downtown Vancouver. So I would say it's fair to say 5-6 hours is not the norm.

Edit: I assume you mean Squamish. Don't even gimme your BS that you can get to the Bugaboos in 6 hours. You can't even get to Radium Hot Springs in 10.

burlington is very close to world class ice and some pretty decent rock. anything even remotely close to 6hrs from the bugaboos seems mighty darn enticeing! I don't like citys enough to live in either of them......

I'll just add: this hasn't been said, but friends I know in both locations have gotten realllly into white water. That may never be on your radar, but paddling/rafting is accessible near Portland, and paddling/canoeing is all over near Burlington and to the north.

All good advice above, and don't forget that this is only four years (or more or less), and unless there's some HUGE mixup, you'll love whatever school you're at. It's college, it'll be fun.

grubbers wrote: Sure, many people here will say that the skiing out west is always "better" (definitely more consistent), but I'd say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Many people say that because it's true. The tree skiing in the Northwest is better than Vermont too (ever done a lap through an old-growth Doug Fir forest with a foot of fresh? Pretty amazing). The mountains in the Northwest average anywhere from 2-5 times the annual snowfall of anywhere in the Northeast, except possibly Jay. The West has open alpine bowls, pucker-inducing couloirs, 10,000-foot volcanoes for the spring corn harvest, hut systems for multi-day trips, and an astounding variety of terrain and climates. An average day at any NE resort would be the iciest day in the past 5 years out West. There's just no comparison.

Ancent wrote:I'll just add: this hasn't been said, but friends I know in both locations have gotten realllly into white water. That may never be on your radar, but paddling/rafting is accessible near Portland, and paddling/canoeing is all over near Burlington and to the north. All good advice above, and don't forget that this is only four years (or more or less), and unless there's some HUGE mixup, you'll love whatever school you're at. It's college, it'll be fun.

Whitewater is very on my radar but not sure how I feel about it. My dad was a hardcore whitewater kayaker for over a decade but it wasn't my thing. Not sure if my opinion of it will change but it's good to know both have good whitewater.

Should probably mention Portland (Hood River) also features world-class wind and kite surfing.

If you end up in Portland, highly recommend checking out beacon rock. It's splitter on the S face! And stacked with climbs. If there were more actual climbers in Portland (tons of gym only climbers) the place would be packed. Most days I had the cliff to myself. Old school sandbags, long pitches, easy summit and walk off... Plus some of the first ascentionists are still hanging around in their 70s. Afternoon shade in the summer. It's a dream come true. MP and local guidebooks don't have much beta, but the local climbmax mountain shop has a poster with all the info.

Crush rocks!

Loganator wrote: If there were more trad climbers in Portland (tons of gym only climbers) the place would be packed.

Fixed that for you...

Does anyone in this thread know where the alleged "limestone" in Vermont is?
I'm both curious and skeptical.

Eli there is a limestone cliff that is currently closed but should be reopening in 2017 once the access is finalized. Message me if you have further questions on it.

Don't be an idiot. Go to whichever school is cheapest/best scholarships.

In any case, I lived in VT for 6 years, the climbing season is approximately 8 minutes/year.

OP-

Do you have any idea how hard/expensive it will be to travel back and forth many times per year, from Oregon to NJ? This is a huge factor. You will be crossing the country for holidays, vacations, upwards of 6-10 cross country flights per year. This is very horrible and expensive.

Aside from this, portland oregon is a killer city and a good choice.

"have not spent time in either place" --- well then you are really going random with this college idea

UVM student speaking.
Gunks: Heck of a drive but worth it for > two days.
White Mountains: Same as above.
Dacks: Easy day trip (generally).
Local Rock in the area is OK. Schist is... well schist. Not great trad climbing but there is good climbing if you are "open minded". Ice in Smugg's is great but the rock is questionable. If you like bouldering there is definitely more potential.
Hiking in most of the above locations is excellent, especially the High Peaks in the Dacks.
Skiing... Well West will be better. Not sure of the skiing scene near Portland but in my experience West Coast skiing is just bigger in every way. I do however manage to ski plenty in both the front and back country. Again though, some of the best back country does lie on the other side of lake Champlain...
Over arching theme really is go to school at UVM and recreate in the Adirondacks.

Eric G. wrote:Don't be an idiot. Go to whichever school is cheapest/best scholarships. In any case, I lived in VT for 6 years, the climbing season is approximately 8 minutes/year.

I got a very significant scholarship for both and they are now very similar to my in-state college tuition. This is certainly not a decision based only on climbing, i am just trying to gauge the opportunities in both places.