Where should I live for a year?

I am a WI climber who is moving out west for vet school. I am graduating undergrad in the spring and am taking a gap year. During my gap year my goals are to save money and climb as much as possible before committing to 4 more years of advanced education. Currently I am thinking of moving to SLC but being from WI I really love my beer. I have thought about Co but it is so expensive or so I've heard. I'm looking for somewhere not too expensive with lots of climbing as well as alpine environments. I don't really care for sport climbing I'm more interested in trad multipitch and alpine climbing. Being in WI, most people here don't have much experience climbing out west so I'm turning to the beautiful MP community! 

If given the opportunity to live anywhere in your 20s for a year, where would you move? 

Ps. I also love skiing and am getting into mountain biking.

the Lake Tahoe area may check your boxes. Great climbing in the immediate area, you’re a couple hours (day/weekend trip-able) from some of the best alpine climbing in the country (not to mention Yosemite valley), and the snow sports are fantastic in the winter. There’s also plenty of beer. Cost-wise it’ll be dependent on where in the region you choose, I’m not an expert in that regard so I’ll leave that to others to chime in on.

If you make friends and are cool with climber roommates Colorado can be a ball of fun. Most of my 20s were spent in the front range and I had the time of my life in so many ways. Ton of young beautiful people with less hangups than then the Midwest (I grew up in IL/WI). The access to high quality climbing and the weather climbing window is just bananas. I'd wager I can rock climb ~300 days a year in Boulder, not to mention ice etc. The ski access is mediocre to be fair, but still light years ahead of WI and Devils Head resort. 

How about iowa

First off, great plan taking a gap year. It's what I wish I would have done 15 years ago, alas I dug trenches on highway construction (for WisDOT funny enough ... I'm a UW-Madison alum!)

I think you could listen to the Lauren Delaunay Miller enormocast episode just to absorb the vibes of being on the road so to speak : https://enormocast.com/2021/03/enormocast-215-lauren-delaunay-miller-the-five-year-plan/

Basically, there's a time-honored migratory dirtbag circuit : ski bum in the winter where you work for a resort, get housing for the coldest time of year, make some money and ski your brains out.

Then when the weather warms up you get a van and join the rock bums, just pick a spot , meet cool people and move up in elevation as the summer progresses.

Optional side quest: salmon fishing in Alaska, you can make a ton of money in about a week's time. (I never made it up there but had a job offer from a captain I met in joshua tree)

...

The alternative to the van life deal would be to pick a spot and settle in more with a part-time job. Couple more California ideas : Bishop is the Sierra eastside hot spot full of climbers doing huge mountain link-ups. Also, a lot of climbers have worked for Aramark in Yosemite over the years. All up to you!

...

P.S. Congrats on getting into vet school, I know it's very competitive!

Bishop/Mammoth CA might be good for you. 

I think it depends upon what type of climbing you want to pursue. Lots of options if you just want to rock climb. If you want to alpine climb, then your choices are more limited. Leavenworth or Bellingham would be my top choices. Driggs or Victor, Idaho would be nice too, although the Tetons aren't really alpine climbing.

BTW, anywhere out west worth living is going to be expensive. 

COL in Colorado isn't much higher than somewhere like SLC; it's a common misconception. Hard to beat CO for multipitch trad. Eldo, Lumpy, RMNP, South Platte, Black Canyon, and Vedauwoo is only a few hours away. It definitely lacks the same quality as somewhere like Yosemite or the Wind Rivers, but it's got more multipich trad than you could climb in a lifetime. 

phylp phylpwrote:

Bishop/Mammoth CA might be good for you. 

I’ll second this and add that Bishop has a great veterinary care facility that you may find some work at if you’re interested.

There’s some decent skiing around here too. 

SLC does have beer. Obviously, no one drinks as much as Wisconsin.

Are you also looking for work? The better the work opps, the more clusterfucky and expensive the area, of course.

Personally I shy away from the endless front range megaopolis of colorado. The mountains are great, don't get me wrong. That megopolis is not for me though, despite the job opps.

SLC is great. I think its a great option for what you seek, beer notwithstanding. Jobs yes, lifetime career - look elsewhere.

Lake Tahoe is great, except for the costs and lack of close by long route tradding. No good local work to speak of other than seasonal do whatevers, bagging groceries, etc.  I suppose there's Reno?

PNW is great except for the lack of sunshine. Lots of work, the people are cool... but the sun don't shine. Maybe that's not important in WI?

Mammoth/ Bishop, if you can find a way to live there, would be your absolute best bang for buck. Hardly any work, but none of the other downsides either. For climbing skiing biking hiking loving nature Mammoth Bishop would be amazing for a year. (or 10)

I'm not as familiar with other areas as I am with California. 

Tahoe is great but not much in the way of Alpine. A fair amount of trad multipitch but not tons.

Bishop / Mammoth Lakes is much better for Alpine. Or as locals call it: The East Side (of the Sierra). Pros: spectacular Alpine rock with reasonable approaches. Bishop is at 4,000 feet and you head West 20 miles and bam 14,000'. Lots of uncrowded adventurous trad multipitch. In the summer/early fall you are 1.5 hours from Tuolumne Meadows and 3 hours from Yosemite Valley, two of the best multipitch trad areas in the world. You said you're not into sport, but it also has perhaps the best sport climbing in California at Owen's River Gorge. Mammoth is a top 10 resort in North America for experts skiers/riders in terms of steep terrain and deep snow. Palisades Tahoe is another one. But they are both feast or famine. You could have waist deep light powder, or ice, or 3 weeks with no snow, or rain. It's not nearly as consistent as CO or UT. But when it's on it's really great. Some great natural hot springs. Cons: it's expensive. And far from a international airport.

Hi Fiona, I didn't notice skiing mentioned in your OP. I have lived most of the places mentioned, and been to them all. Yosemite Valley hasn't been mentioned as a place to live, which requires working there. For multi  pitch trad climbing it is #1. 

Boulder CO area is a close 2nd because of the variety nearby, and Eldorado Canyon is awesome. South Platte and RMNP are excellent,  Boulder Canyon is good right there close granite.

I agree with someone above, the only real alpine climbing is in Washington (in the lower 48). The rest of it is alpine light, but certainly can be great "rockineering". The Canadian Rockies are pretty real too. 

Plenty of other places it can work, but those four locations are the cream of the crop, IMO.

I like Wisconsin. Not so much for climbing. 

Eric Craigwrote:

Hi Fiona, I didn't notice skiing mentioned in your OP. I have lived most of the places mentioned, and been to them all. Yosemite Valley hasn't been mentioned as a place to live, which requires working there. For multi  pitch trad climbing it is #1. 

Boulder CO area is a close 2nd because of the variety nearby, and Eldorado Canyon is awesome. South Platte and RMNP are excellent,  Boulder Canyon is good right there close granite.

I agree with someone above, the only real alpine climbing is in Washington. The rest of it is alpine light, but certainly can be great "rockineering". The Canadian Rockies are pretty real too. 

Plenty of other places it can work, but those four locations are the cream of the crop, IMO.

I like Wisconsin. Not so much for climbing. 

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "the only real alpine climbing is in Washington". RMNP is excellent for alpine climbs, many being 5 or more pitches, and top out on pretty high peaks. Take the diamond for example. Vertical to overhung for 7+ pitches on many different lines, and tops out on a 14er. What's more alpine climbing than that?

Yeah this is Canada, I don't have a single picture from the PNW climbing. The Cascades do have mountains of similar character. Colorado, California, Wyoming do not. 

Don't get me wrong Louka, RMNP is awesome! I would love to do more climbs there. Same for the Tetons. And your area, to me, would be one of the top two locations for a trad climber to live. Eldorado is my all time favorite cragging location. It's all opinions. 

Iz K wrote:

I hear Indian Creek is only 4 hours from Boulder. 

I'm never living this down.

Louka Hendrickswrote:

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "the only real alpine climbing is in Washington". RMNP is excellent for alpine climbs, many being 5 or more pitches, and top out on pretty high peaks. Take the diamond for example. Vertical to overhung for 7+ pitches on many different lines, and tops out on a 14er. What's more alpine climbing than that?

Alpine as in Alps Like: big glaciers, sweeping permanent ice faces, and ice filled couloirs. Now don't get me wrong, there are lots of lovely cragging options in CO. My partners who moved there from WA maintain that the weather allows for more climbing days to train, but certainly admit it's not real alpine.

Daniel Patrick Smithwrote:

Alpine as in Alps Like: big glaciers, sweeping permanent ice faces, and ice filled couloirs.

Sadly, less and less so......!!!!!

Daniel Patrick Smithwrote:

Alpine as in Alps Like: big glaciers, sweeping permanent ice faces, and ice filled couloirs. Now don't get me wrong, there are lots of lovely cragging options in CO. My partners who moved there from WA maintain that the weather allows for more climbing days to train, but certainly admit it's not real alpine.

Would that not be leaning pretty hard into "mountaineering" rather than "alpine rock climbing"?

I don't think most people who say alpine climbing in the context of a rock climbing website are talking about carrying ice tools and pickets for the objectives. That's in the realm of mountaineering, in my opinion. 

Anyway, my vote for OP is Colorado. California is a lot more expensive (I've lived in both states) and Colorado has better access to climbing in terms of much shorter drives, generally. 

Cosmic Hotdogwrote:

Would that not be leaning pretty hard into "mountaineering" rather than "alpine rock climbing"?

I don't think most people who say alpine climbing in the context of a rock climbing website are talking about carrying ice tools and pickets for the objectives. That's in the realm of mountaineering, in my opinion. 

Anyway, my vote for OP is Colorado. California is a lot more expensive (I've lived in both states) and Colorado has better access to climbing in terms of much shorter drives, generally. 

It's not alpine climbing unless you need ice tools and crampons, otherwise it's just alpine cragging. 

Alan Rubinwrote:

Sadly, less and less so......!!!!!

Unfortunately, you are correct. One the reasons I move away from WA.