Question: Moving to be closer to better skiing

[Sheena]

Granted, I am not single, and I live about 80 mi. north of SLC in Logan, UT - BUT regarding the mormon thing - I personally feel that most people make way to big a deal about it. I know that everyone is different - but I have started to volunteer and meet people here now and I meet a lot of non-mormon friends. Its not like you would be a social outcast in SLC because you are non-mormon. And *gasp* you could realize that you could make some really nice mormon friends as well. Besides, SLC is now majority non-LDS and as far as I can tell from what I see and read, SLC is becoming even more non-LDS as time goes on.

 

[pinto]

My experience was a bit different. (granted, I move to the west COAST instead of the Rockies)

I actually LIKE the brown hills! Different.

But in the end, I miss not the green but the season....

I lived in California for a while, and I definitely missed the seasons. Among other things.

 

[alta_gal83]

Granted, I am not single, and I live about 80 mi. north of SLC in Logan, UT - BUT regarding the mormon thing - I personally feel that most people make way to big a deal about it. I know that everyone is different - but I have started to volunteer and meet people here now and I meet a lot of non-mormon friends. Its not like you would be a social outcast in SLC because you are non-mormon. And *gasp* you could realize that you could make some really nice mormon friends as well. Besides, SLC is now majority non-LDS and as far as I can tell from what I see and read, SLC is becoming even more non-LDS as time goes on.

I wholeheartedly agree with Sheena. I was born and raised in the Salt Lake suburbs, and I am a non-mormon. I can truthfully say that the Mormon thing is blown way out of proportion. Sure, yes, they are here and they are the dominant religion. However, Salt Lake is becoming more and more diverse every day and the Mayor is doing many things to help increase Salt Lake's appeal to the outside audience. Slowly but surely, our strange laws are being changed (such as "private clubs"). Also, there are HUGE ski, bike, snowboard, running, hiking, etc. communities around here that are full of people that like to get out and do stuff on Sundays. Don't let the culture shock scare you.

 

[Little Lightning]

I agree, do it if you can. I live in Denver, although I prefer the skiing in Utah. But I've discovered that you can fly to Utah from Denver for the price of a tank of gas. :-)

I will say that the first year will be a shock, as you look around and miss the trees. It's pretty brown here (and SLC). But almost everyone I know who has moved from the East has gotten over that and grown to love the open, sunny blue skies and dry weather more than lush but humid environs.

Trees are lacking in newer developments but older neighborhoods have the greenery of the midwest. Once you leave those neighborhoods it is often brown. However, this year it was green for most of the summer, surprise of living in a semi-arid climate. I have seen fall seasons here that were much more beautiful than those in the midwest.

I love the openness of the land here and feel a little claustrophobic when I go back to the midwest.

While it's true it's a drive to the mtns that also depends on where you live. Western suburbs put you in the hour to hour 15 min range while farther east it's a long haul.

You also have really good deals on season passes for multiple mtns. and you are within driving distance of 5 major ski resorts.

I love SLC too but Denver seemed more appealing.

 

[cinnabon]

I wholeheartedly agree with Sheena. I was born and raised in the Salt Lake suburbs, and I am a non-mormon. I can truthfully say that the Mormon thing is blown way out of proportion. Sure, yes, they are here and they are the dominant religion. However, Salt Lake is becoming more and more diverse every day and the Mayor is doing many things to help increase Salt Lake's appeal to the outside audience. Slowly but surely, our strange laws are being changed (such as "private clubs"). Also, there are HUGE ski, bike, snowboard, running, hiking, etc. communities around here that are full of people that like to get out and do stuff on Sundays. Don't let the culture shock scare you.

I completely agree with this. I lived in the Northeast my whole life until moving to SLC a little over a year ago. I have yet to experience any culture shock. I am not religious at all, and it has not been an issue at all. I LOVE it here for many reasons even besides the skiing.

It is gorgeous, the climate is great, it is not over crowded, people are nice... And the amazing National Parks are only a few hours away. The biggest thing for me in choosing SLC over Denver is I like being able to get the slopes in 30 minutes as opposed to 2 hours. There is also a lot of other stuff to do in the mountains all year round. Denver is too far from the mountains and there is horrible traffic on I-70 to get to them. I also prefer a slightly smaller city - but SLC is big enough to have everything I need.

So there is my sales pitch! Utah is awesome!

 

[RachelV]

I completely agree with this. I lived in the Northeast my whole life until moving to SLC a little over a year ago. I have yet to experience any culture shock. I am not religious at all, and it has not been an issue at all. I LOVE it here for many reasons even besides the skiing.

It is gorgeous, the climate is great, it is not over crowded, people are nice... And the amazing National Parks are only a few hours away. The biggest thing for me in choosing SLC over Denver is I like being able to get the slopes in 30 minutes as opposed to 2 hours. There is also a lot of other stuff to do in the mountains all year round. Denver is too far from the mountains and there is horrible traffic on I-70 to get to them. I also prefer a slightly smaller city - but SLC is big enough to have everything I need.

So there is my sales pitch! Utah is awesome!

Heh, so, ok! I live in NYC and spent 2 months in Utah last winter. Part of the reason I did it was as kind of a test run to see if I'd really be happy moving out west.

[edit]

Ok, the post I started writing got insanely long really quickly. Here's my summary:

1) I *definitely* experienced culture shock, but it was mostly related to going from a huge city to a not-huge city. The mormon thing is a little odd, but it was nothing compared to having to drive everywhere, not being able to get good ethnic food, etc etc etc.

2) There are tons of awesome things about SLC, obviously, and the people who live out there on this forum are super awesome and will help you out. It will not be hard to meet people as long as you roll in the circles of people who are in the mountains every weekend, which I assume is where you'd be.

3) The weirdest thing about SLC for me is that *everyone* from their mid-20's up is coupled up. Most of the awesome people you meet will probably be married or in a serious relationship. The hostesses looked at me like I had 3 heads when I'd go to the sushi place alone. Here you could actually show up at a restaurant with 3 heads and they wouldn't even blink, they'd just ask if you needed a seat for each head or if 1 seat would be ok.

Summary of the summary: spend a few weeks in the place where you're thinking of moving, get a feel for it, and then you can think about it more seriously.

 

[ski diva]

Summary of the summary: spend a few weeks in the place where you're thinking of moving, get a feel for it, and then you can think about it more seriously.

This is excellent advice. We rented in VT for a while before we moved here to see how we liked it. It gave us a chance to find our way around and get used to the community.

 

[LindsaySkiGal]

Thanks for all the insight everyone. I guess my biggest concern about SLC now is that with being 27 and single, it could be difficult meeting other single guys my age. I'll see how things play out and what's available next year.

 

[RachelV]

Thanks for all the insight everyone. I guess my biggest concern about SLC now is that with being 27 and single, it could be difficult meeting other single guys my age. I'll see how things play out and what's available next year.

That would be my biggest concern, too. However:
1) One of the women I met out there (a friend of tradygirl's) moved out to SLC alone a few years ago, met a guy through the TGR forums shortly after, and is now married to him.
2) I talked to a bunch of people who live in Park City when I was out there and they all said it was a fantastic place to be young & single. I don't know if you'd want to or be able to live there as opposed to SLC, but it's something to keep in mind.

So you never know, I guess.

 

[Sheena]

1) I *definitely* experienced culture shock, but it was mostly related to going from a huge city to a not-huge city. The mormon thing is a little odd, but it was nothing compared to having to drive everywhere, not being able to get good ethnic food, etc etc etc.

So this sums up a lot how I felt about moving to Logan - and keep in mind Logan is WAY smaller than SLC but still not small, I guess @50,000 population. But still much smaller than what I was used to in DC... and really, DC is still rather small compared to "city" life.

anyhow, I also agree with what RachelV said about visiting someplace first. But give it a chance or two. My first visit to SLC 2 years before I moved, I never thought I could move to UT. the next year we visited for a ski vacation, and I saw a few more things, a few more neighborhoods, and realized I could see myself there. It is also good to get a feel for real estate prices and how long you really would be in traffic to get to work, recreation, etc.

And besides... if you live in SLC you can be at the ski resorts really fast. great access, great skiing.

 

[alta_gal83]

Thanks for all the insight everyone. I guess my biggest concern about SLC now is that with being 27 and single, it could be difficult meeting other single guys my age. I'll see how things play out and what's available next year.

LindsaySG, you do have a valid concern. I'm 26 and single in the SLC, and it CAN BE TRICKY! But, you'll be able to meet a great guy on a chairlift and simply say "I just moved here, can you show me around?" and you'll be set ;) In fact, I might just try that myself this year.

 

[abc]

I heard conflicting reviews.

I happen to know a few people who at one time or another living in Utah. They were all married already. And they all felt they might not like it as much had they been single. Even as couples, they felt while not made to feel like outcasts, they never fit "IN". Tolerated as opposed to accepted. Kind of in a bit of a limbo land socially speaking.

Keep in mind these are second hand reports...

 

[Scout]

I move from PA to Golden/Denver this year and I couldn't be happier. I'm not single, but I'm trying to get some of my single friends from PA to come out here... pretty much all of the people I've met are friendly and accomodating. I don't know what part of PA you're in, but I came from a semi-rural area in central PA and while I love to visit 'home,' I really love coming back to co. If you're outgoing and love to be outside, you should definitely consider a move west. My theory is, a new experience is a beneficial experience. Good Luck!

 

[SnowHot]

I see a lot of advice given with the side note "because you are single".

I'm going to give you a different twist.
If I were single, I'd move to Utah in a heart beat!

My life, including my marriage, family business, family in general, and all that I have here is great and it affords me the opportunity to do a lot of stuff that I may not other wise be able to do, but......
If I were single again, I'd reinvent myself in either Utah or Montana, maybe even Wyoming(haven't been there yet).
But, I come from the midwest with marginal shopping, country atmosphere and lots of wide open space, so the culture, shopping, ethnic foods, and other things that people are saying you might miss aren't things that are high on my list.

JMHO

 

[MaineSkiLady]

With regard to relocating to SLC (or anywhere else in the country, for that matter), here's a forum that may be of interest:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/salt-lake-city-area/

 

[BlndBmbshllVT]

LindsaySkiGal, I can't speak for SLC but I can speak for 20 years of skiing and moving to a ski town. It's a change of life -- for the better if skiing is truly your passion. Everyone's eyes lighting up at the slight of a flurry in October was enough to tell me I had a made the right decision. OMG people are *upset* we only got 4"? (This is EC people... our standards are lower haha) Amazing.

Alta_gal83 has got it right too! Girls are a hot commodity in ski town -- men outnumber us, and girls who rip are in high demand. I know there are a ton of ripchicks out there, but sadly we are outnumbered (did I say sadly?). The single men will find you if you put yourself out there to be conversed with. There are always people moving to the area for the same reason you are. Talk to guys on the lift! Doesn't hurt to make connections -- it's a small world, you might even end up having common friends. It truly is a chance at recreation of yourself, and how sick is that.

I'm not sure what your career aspirations are, but my network of skiers and riders was instantly created at new-hire orientation at the mountain. Kind of lame-o, but it worked! Even stopping in at a ski shop to pick something up, chances are the people working are just as pumped for the season as you are.

Teton Gravity Research has a nice, healthy population of menfolk (and women) who I'm sure can offer you more into the regions you're looking at if you haven't done so already. And they're happy to talk about the singleness side of it all as well. BEST OF LUCK, whatever move you make I hope you love it

 

[vickie]

If your company has offices in both SLC and Denver, you can try one for a while then move to the other if the first one turns out to not be everything you were looking for. As someone on here says about gear ... you ain't marrying it.

When you're 80 years old and looking back over your life, will you regret the adventure? Probably not. And would you regret it if you didn't give the adventure a chance?

 

[skidoc120]

Utah Plug

Really great comments, as usual. I have a little to offer from the Mormon perspective. I was a liberal Mormon from Pennsylvania and moved to Utah and felt that "outcast" feeling. Over time I realized it had more to do with the family culture in UT. More traditional Mormons often have large, close families, and they get together Sundays, weekdays, birthdays, family occasions, etc. In Orem, where I lived, people hung out with their families first, and then their ward members. Once I accepted that, I didn't feel left out, and formed my own circle of off-beat friends. I probably wouldn't move to Provo or Orem, too traditional, but as previous posters have said, Utah is becoming more diverse all the time. That said, Mormons make good neighbors . . . they tend to keep their houses up, mind their own business, and crime is low . . . I used to leave my front door wide open for fresh air when I went out walking, and neighbors would come by and close it for me, or leave us goodies. Once I got a threatening call and called the cops, and they were there before I could hang up the phone! Utah has a lot to offer. Let us know what you decide!

 

[LindsaySkiGal]

I have been reading a lot of sites online. I think I've come to the conclusion, no city is perfect and has some negative aspects. Although I don't know if I would like to make SLC my permenent home, the skiing would be awesome.

Currently the person in the position I want in SLC was interviewed for a lateral position in Hartford. If he moves there (which there's a good chance he will be picked), there is also a good chance if I applied that I would get chosen for SLC. If the SLC position opens and I get it, my manager is also denver's manager. The person in the denver position is currently on shaky ground, so it might be possible to transfer from SLC to denver if I find SLC's not for me (it's better to move to SLC than wait for a position in denver that may or may not open, but if it opens shortly after I move to SLC, they might not let me transfer to denver). The other option is that I can easily find a job back in Pittsburgh with my company after two years. It's nice having options just in case.

Since it looks like the position might open up sooner than later, I probably won't get to experience Utah before moving there and so much for being a ski instructor at my local resort and losing the money I invested there in my season pass and cabin, but I can't picture being sad about it skiing in such a great place when I'm used to ice, no coverage, crowds, low visibility etc.

My only 'problem' is that I'm going to need to learn how to ski powder I'll let everyone know if I make the move (which if I do I'll be nervous about!). If so, I hope to meet all you SLC divas

In the mean time, someone needs to send some snow my way. It's still fall in pgh! :mad:

 

[Jilly]

If you move because of work and its over a certain distance, they might refund the season pass. I know that Tremblant does.