Boulder, CO climber moving to East Coast

Move to where the climbing is and commute to work, instead of vice-versa. Getting to airports is pretty easy from the gunks (try to get to laguardia or JFK living on Manhattan's upper west side - it'll nearly take as long).

Boston is 3.5 hrs, Philly under 2, NYC 1.5
Daks 3 +\- hrs for bigger mountains
White Mountains about 4 hrs for alpine and mountaineering
Sport climbing is on the horizon with Thatcher Park set to open - an hour or so from New Paltz
World-class trad/bouldering 10 minutes from home
Ice-climbing and skiing 1hr north in Catskills
Hundreds of miles of awesome terrain for trail running - single and double-track. Check out the 50k rock the ridge run.
These same trails with snow become destination XC-ski systems
Great climbing community and cool towns of New Paltz/Rosendale - good ethnic food kept cheap by the college.

IMO it's your best bet - you won't find this combo in CT MA or the like - maybe N Conway but especially with the winter weather it'd make air travel far more difficult.

Some major pros to Boston - Ideally living just north of the city. Cheaper than being in the city itself and that way you're not driving through the city to access the NH climbing spots.

You won't have great climbing in a 20 minute drive - but you will be under two hours from Farley and other western mass crags, about 2 hours to Cannon and Rumney, 2.5ish to Whitehorse and Cathedral, and tons of other climbing/hiking areas in the Whites.

Some great gyms in the Boston area full of friendly like minded people.

Also great food and it smells better than New York.

Before you decide on NYC, try and make the drive out of town to New Paltz or wherever. You may lose your shhhh..

Take a look at Boston.

Bill Kirby wrote:Before you decide on NYC, try and make the drive out of town to New Paltz or wherever. You may lose your shhhh.. Take a look at Boston.

Ditto this, traffic to/from NYC is horrible.

Related note -- of all the places in the US I've visited most like Boulder, New Paltz is right up there (we joke that it's "Boulder East"). It's 1.5 - 2 hours (?) to Newark, less than 1.5 to Albany airport. Perhaps check the city out as a living option?

Boston also gets a nod for being just awesome as a place to visit, and likely live. Traffic can still be rough, but they've done a lot to expand the highways out there.

Additionally, Albany NY is between the ADKs and Gunks (and within driving distance of more in New Hampshire, Mass, and Vermont). Cost of living is (much) lower in Upstate as well. Nearly all metropolitan areas in the NE are expensive to live. If your pay is the same regardless of where you live, then definitely look 'elsewhere' and avoid the major cities.

If you're going to be travelling between DC, Baltimore, Philly, NYC, and Boston you'll like end up in the Amtrak as opposed to flying.

Consider living near a station on the NE Corridor.

That being said, New Paltz would still be my vote. The Gunks offer a lifetime worth of climbing and you are close to NY, NH, and VY ice, backcountry skiing, and climbing.

I second what Bill Kirby and Kevin Heckeler said above...

I live a few miles from NYC and getting in and out is a disaster on most days. It's probably at least 2 hours drive to the gunks which is the closest place to climb. There are a few other local crags within about that distance but mostly not worth visiting IMO. Trail running will also be very limited in NYC. NYC offers a ton of stuff to do but not much for the outdoor enthusiast so you have to decide which is more important to you now. In NY, New Paltz is a good option, still close enough to Newark Airport. Albany brings you slightly closer to more climbing areas, but it's pretty far from major airports (2 hours or so) and kind of boring. I'm not too familiar with the area but I think some places in MA or NH within an hour so of Boston (or in Boston itself) would be good. Boston is much better for outdoor activities than NYC.

"I love living within a 3 minute run from the trails/mountains,"

Coming from Boulder, you are in for a GIANT shock when you arrive for your new life in the Northeast corridor. It's pretty horrible. Boulder is heaven compared to any of these places being discussed. You will likely not respond well to large metropolis like NYC or Boston. They are concrete jungles, cold, expensive, and mean.

Your best bet is a smaller city, where you can quickly access your trail running and climbing, as quickly as possible without too much hassle. (It may not be three minutes...) Your work travel schedule is going to leave you with not much time, and pretty frazzled and tired. Keep it simple and keep your priorities in line.

My suggestion is a small mellow place where outdoors are the main thing. May I suggest somewhere in the "Pioneer Valley" which is western Mass. Great funky towns, near a couple of airports, insanely good local climbing, plus quick access to world class climbing such as the Gunks, Daks, and NH. It's all the charm of New England and not much of the headache that comes with life in the Northeast.

By the way, same idea applies to spots like New Paltz, Manchester NH, etc.

I would recommend living close to New Paltz as well. I lived in New Windsor, outside of Newburgh, NY for five years and found easy access to airports (Stewart and Newark, NJ) as well as outdoor activities (Gunks - 25 minutes away). I traveled each month including international travel (8 - 10x/yr to Europe). It was a great situation and if I had to move back East I would look to live in the area once more. The Gunks and the region offers lots of climbing and trails (Bear Mountain, Minnewaska for the trails, etc.)

The two times I lived in CT (in Broad Brook, 25 minutes North of Hartford) I found the airport convenient, even though I always had to connect somewhere to travel internationally, or do the horrendous drive to JFK. The bad part however is that central CT was lacking in climbing quality and I spent most of my weekends traveling to the Gunks, to the Dacs in upstate NY or to New Hampshire. I had a 7 mile commute to work, but drove in excess of 30,000 miles each year to find decent outdoor recreation. This was my experience both in the late 90's and again in '08 - '10.

The other nice aspect of living in the Hudson Valley is that NYC is really accessible for weekend/weeknight trips using commuter rail from White Plains.

Peter T wrote:Albany brings you slightly closer to more climbing areas, but it's pretty far from major airports (2 hours or so) and kind of boring.

Albany is definitely not a cultural center, but for most outdoorsy types they don't spend much time pursuing those things anyway. By the end of 2017 we will have two stellar [new] climbing gyms (Clifton Park, Queensbury) as well. We had Reel Rock 20 minutes from home this year, the closest its ever been shown to our residence in Upstate. Prior closest was New Paltz, before that Keene in the Adirondacks. Climbing is getting popular around here and the climbing community growing. Not good for getting on the classic routes, but good for prospects of climber's life stuff (gear and coffee shops, leverage for access issues, boutique beer, nipple rings, etc).

We do a lot of flights using Southwest to/from places out West. Albany airport might be fine depending on the destinations and frequency they actually need to travel. Lines are definitely shorter on most days than the major hubs. ;)

The larger issues living anywhere in the NE is the weather. The weather is a big issue sometimes. last year being the exception because of drought conditions, but most years it seems to rain half the time. And with winters becoming statistically warmer/wetter each year, even ice climbing isn't a guarantee anymore.

Ana Tine wrote: The point is, you can still have a climbing life & be strong living in a place such as NYC or DC if you want.

If your climbing life evolves around the gym: this is how these kids got really strong. It has nothing to do with climbing as an outdoor pursuit. They didn't get strong at or exposed to climbing thru the Gunks or Seneca, etc.

And really, your point would be meaningful if they didn't involve kids whose parents/sponsors have the time & resource to take them around the world. Kind of like using the Boulder trust funders as examples of work/climb balance.

reboot wrote: If your climbing life evolves around the gym: this is how these kids got really strong. It has nothing to do with climbing as an outdoor pursuit. And really, your point would be meaningful if they didn't involve kids whose parents/sponsors have the time & resource to take them around the world.

Definitely, coastal city life in the Northeast only offers hurtles to climbing outdoors. If someone wants to add more challenges on top of an already challenging pursuit, then by all means.

Always live closest to the mountains/crags as you can if it's important to you. That's why Boulder is so awesome. You can climb the flatirons as part of your morning jog. lol

Ana Tine wrote: That is why I said Despite living in NYC they are still elite climbers, meaning it's not a place known for climbing, but yet they manage. The point is, you can still have a climbing life & be strong living in a place such as NYC or DC if you want. Ashima was born in NYC, started there, got good, got world famous, became the first female to climb 5.15.... all while living in NYC. And still lives there.

A major difference to consider, though, is that both Sasha and Ashima have the financial support and time (school breaks) available to take several major international climbing trips per year. They are also highly motivated to train and have access to quality coaching. As such, they are able to train hard, and then fly to Spain to cash in on thier fitness. This is actually a strategy that works pretty well, and using it you can live just about anywhere. But you need to have the ability to take time off for those trips. This strategy, where you have to get on a plane in order to get to your climbing objectives. does not work very well for the average 9-5 schmuch in NYC with 2 weeks of vacation per year.

Hi,

I grew up in New Paltz, and live in Boulder (Longmont) now so I can speak to both places. I just wanted to echo the sentiment that New Paltz is a great place to live and is very similar to Boulder. Good food, music etc.

People will complain about the Gunks getting crowded but if you climb in Eldo you know the drill: just hike 5 minutes further and you can still climb classic rock. (Although this may have changed in the decade I've been gone).

Not a ton of sport climbing right out the door.

Easy 90 minute train ride from Poughkeepsie train station (20min from NP) to NYC, driving is another story.

The only gym nearby was the Inner Wall when I lived there. I understand that there's a new gym or two nearby.

reboot wrote: If your climbing life evolves around the gym: this is how these kids got really strong. It has nothing to do with climbing as an outdoor pursuit. They didn't get strong at or exposed to climbing thru the Gunks or Seneca, etc. And really, your point would be meaningful if they didn't involve kids whose parents/sponsors have the time & resource to take them around the world. Kind of like using the Boulder trust funders as examples of work/climb balance.

"And really, your point would be meaningful if they didn't involve kids whose parents/sponsors have the time & resource to take them around the world. Kind of like using the Boulder trust funders as examples of work/climb balance."

Hahaha. So true!

And of course where does Sasha live now? Boulder CO, where else?

The East Coast is where climbing dreams go to die unless you are made of pretty stern stuff indeed

Tim Benson wrote:... just hike 5 minutes further and you can still climb classic rock. (Although this may have changed in the decade I've been gone).

Sadly on many weekends this is no longer true.

A side note - at the current rate of growth/use, it looks like the preserve is going to run out of parking before they run out of climbable rock.

Peter T wrote:I second what Bill Kirby and Kevin Heckeler said above... I live a few miles from NYC and getting in and out is a disaster on most days. It's probably at least 2 hours drive to the gunks which is the closest place to climb.

So why are you still there?

kenr wrote: So why are you still there?

Are you kidding??? I throw out some guesses.. family or job.. Climbing is not the center of the universe for everyone!!!!

kenr wrote: So why are you still there?

Grad school, job, and family. Living here is far from ideal for climbing or other outdoor stuff but considering everything else it makes more sense for me to stay here.

Check out Concord, New Hampshire. Near lots of good climbing/ice climbing, tons of good hiking, a decent cultural area. Near Manchester airport and not far from Boston. Close to the ocean. If you can get away with northern VT (Burlington Intnl Airport) it would be the least shock from Boulder (besides much less climbing). If you can stand the cold it's awesome though.

I've lived in CT for the majority of my 33 yrs and it sucks.

Not a single person who poo-poos in this thread on NYC lives or actually has lived in NYC. Traffic is not that bad. It's not the Front Range type of thing when everybody on weekends goes mass exodus out of the city on a single artery. There are lots of ways to get out of the city, including mass transport, unlike Denver area. If you are going to be traveling a lot, living in New York would get you easier access to the airports via mass transit or cheap taxi fare (LGA) without worrying about driving and parking. There are three (!) major international airports all accessible via mass transit (way more efficient than the light trail in Denver).

There are lots of parks and greenways and green spaces in NY, all reachable via single Metrocard swipe. Living in New York is a great once in a lifetime experience. It only sucks if you are a visitor (overpriced, overcrowded, overhyped).