What's the deal with SLC

Hello MP!

I have a job oppurtunity in SLC and I want to get a feel for the climbing community. How are the local crags? I heard there is bad smog? What are some good areas to live in(close to climbing haha)? Will I have to convert to Mormonism? Lmao. 

I'm coming from Alaska where the rock quality isn't great. There are some great places but not a lot and it's usually raining. So the idea of being close to Joe's, Indian creek, and Zion in a warmer climate sound amazing.

Thanks! 

The local rock will keep you busy for years. The smog will take a few years off your life. 

There is such a variety of good rock there that you will by psyched for years!

there's a million on threads. search for them. but to sum things up... the beer sucks, winter smog sucks, and there are too many climbers. go to denver or boulder

I'll chime in on the living situation. Everything is pretty close to climbing (Big cottonwood, little cottonwood, and surrounding areas) with I-15, I-80, and I-215 providing ~80mph speed limits if you're that kind of driver. You'll save yourself maybe 10 minutes of driving if you base your decision on proximity to rock, unless you live deep in the neighborhoods. Living close to the interstate will save you from rush hour traffic through the neighborhoods. Driving east/west in the city (north of I-80) can be a pain in the ass in the after-work hours. So can living deep in a neighborhood without quick access to the wider, higher speed north/south roads such as 700 East or similar. Generally speaking, living north of I-80 is more expensive than living south of I-80... Living around cottonwood heights (closest access to the cottonwoods) is also more expensive. If you live north of I-80 or just around I-80, everything downtown and around that area is pretty easy to ride a bicycle to. The Trax light rail is pretty handy, if you don't have a bicycle consider a place within walking distance to a trax station. Things are a little rougher/dirtier if you're west of I-15, but it's cheaper.

I think SLC is less than 50% mormon now. I could be wrong. I've lived in Utah for about 3 years now and i've never had missionaries knock on my door.      

cdawg lion wrote: there's a million on threads. search for them. but to sum things up... the beer sucks, winter smog sucks, and there are too many climbers. go to denver or boulder

SLC local. What cdawg lion says is unfortunately true. There is a bit of climbing but overall it is weaksauce compared to CO/CA and fairly chossy. 

Tyler Bernier wrote: So the idea of being close to Joe's, Indian creek, and Zion in a warmer climate sound amazing.

Joe's, Indian Creek, and Zion - aka disneyland, legoland, and the LA zoo considering how crowded with subaru's sporting CO licence plates they are. 

grog m aka Greg McKee wrote:

SLC local. What cdawg lion says is unfortunately true. There is a bit of climbing but overall it is weaksauce compared to CO/CA and fairly chossy. 

Somedays I literally wake up with a hella sore throat from the smog.

Mormons are pretty mean and do not like outsiders.

Some of the worst environmental policies I have ever seen. There is an open pit mine in the city for gods sake.

I agree. I moved to SLC two years ago. If I could do it all again I would move to Boulder instead. 

Tim Lutz wrote: GOP/Mo run

Jesus told me to vote this way. 

cdawg lion wrote: there's a million on threads. search for them. but to sum things up... the beer sucks, winter smog sucks, and there are too many climbers. go to denver or boulder

nope.  beer sucks here too, crags are crowded and rent is expensive.  best stay away...

I lived in So Cal for 7 years. The smog here is worse. It'll make you cough sitting at a desk.

Having lived in both-and now living in sc ak Utah will be a bit of a shock.   The rock is amazing-but traffic sucks nearly as much as socal.   The area seems downright ugly compared to sc ak unless your in the mountains or Moab/Zion.  You can count on traffic jams pretty regularly as compared to absolutely no traffic in Alaska.  Housing is nearly as pricey  (if not the same)  as sc ak but you’ll take a huge pay cut for most jobs-thus not saving anything on the thing you pay the most for.  

That being said-if I was to go back to the lower 48 slc would be on the short list of places   to go.
I would think about going down there the next time there’s a recession and housing is reasonable in terms of what you pay vs earn again-not now.

Local crags are plentiful after work, but the popular climbs can get busy. The smog was a shock; when it gets bad you can barely see past a couple blocks, then you see a lifted pickup rollin' coal through the fog, scratch your head and think WTF? Also the Bingham Canyon mine south-west of Salt Lake City is the deepest open pit mine in the world and then there is the refinery north of the city and don't forget the Stericycle medical waste incinerator as well... Plenty of nice old classic brick bungalows around, but they can get very pricey depending on the neighborhood, cash buyers and overbidding is common. The rental market is also quite competitive, but there are lots of new apartment complex's popping up around town if you prefer that. Unfortunately when the next earthquake comes, all of those nice old un-reinforced masonry buildings are going to crumble. Everything is pretty close, but timing is everything; traffic gets bad during rush hour just like any other city. Mormons are super friendly until they realize your not gonna convert, but they haven't bothered me yet, it depends on your neighbors. I've heard that after they go on a mission the last thing they want to do is spend more of their time recruiting, but I think it depends on the person and how many kids they currently have. In any event, they make great DD's if you have time to visit Epic, Fisher, Squatters, Wasatch, KiiTOS, etc. and literally have a beer because the BAC is now 0.05. I get the feeling the local cops take their law and order seriously: https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2018/02/19/commentary-utah-should-delay-enforcement-of-lower-bac-limits/ 

Here, I Googled it for you.  Oh, and apparently there are a lot of people filming videos of themselves soloing.

SLC isn’t too bad...you’ve just gotta live in a smaller, more Mormon-ey, practically dry town first

But hey, at least our climbs aren’t crowded ;)