Aspen questions. (Denver, Fort Collins, Loveland: ski resorts, condo, employment)

[lakerstudent18]

Hi, I'm a 26 year old guy thinking about moving to Colorado and would like to be near a ski area. I like the thought of living in a ski resort town and want to know a little bit hopefully from someone that knows about Aspen or some other areas similar. Basically, what is there to do? (Besides lots of skiing of course!). I like to mountain bike and kayak, love the outdoors, also I'm single and would like to be near places where I can meet other singles. Am I asking too much of a smaller ski town? Or should I consider a bigger city like Denver or Fort Collins? Really I'd like to be up in the mountains.
Thanks!

[delta07]

Originally Posted by lakerstudent18

Hi, I'm a 26 year old guy thinking about moving to Colorado and would like to be near a ski area. I like the thought of living in a ski resort town and want to know a little bit hopefully from someone that knows about Aspen or some other areas similar. Basically, what is there to do? (Besides lots of skiing of course!). I like to mountain bike and kayak, love the outdoors, also I'm single and would like to be near places where I can meet other singles. Am I asking too much of a smaller ski town? Or should I consider a bigger city like Denver or Fort Collins? Really I'd like to be up in the mountains.
Thanks!

Aspen is beautiful, but it definitely one of the most expensive ski towns in Colorado and the nation. I wouldn't limit yourself there, but look at all the different ski towns such as Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne, Vail, Gunnison, Crested Butte, Durango, Telluride, Steamboat, and even Leadville. All of those towns are within 20-30 minutes of the slopes and all the other activities you are interested in. Most people who move to resort towns will end up working low wage jobs and share a small apt/condo with several others in order to pay the rent. I lived in Fairplay outside of Breckenridge for several years, but wouldn't suggest going too far from the resort towns if your single. It can be pretty boring. However, we always found plenty to do when we headed over the hill to Breck. If you are serious about moving to a ski town I would start looking for employment now. Many of the seasonal workers will be flocking to the slopes come October, and the competition for jobs right now is probably worse than it was when I moved up there. Denver and the front range are close to the slopes, but if you don't want to fight through traffic and the weekend warriers, I wouldn't recommend living there. Of course, that is where most of the jobs are, so you may have to do that at first until you can find something in the mountains. Good luck to you!

[80skeys]

Due to the popularity of ski areas for young people, I would think that the dating life would be good there. Always people coming and going. Popular destination for travellers and for locals.

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by delta07

Aspen is beautiful, but it definitely one of the most expensive ski towns in Colorado and the nation. I wouldn't limit yourself there, but look at all the different ski towns such as Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne, Vail, Gunnison, Crested Butte, Durango, Telluride, Steamboat, and even Leadville. All of those towns are within 20-30 minutes of the slopes and all the other activities you are interested in. Most people who move to resort towns will end up working low wage jobs and share a small apt/condo with several others in order to pay the rent. I lived in Fairplay outside of Breckenridge for several years, but wouldn't suggest going too far from the resort towns if your single. It can be pretty boring. However, we always found plenty to do when we headed over the hill to Breck. If you are serious about moving to a ski town I would start looking for employment now. Many of the seasonal workers will be flocking to the slopes come October, and the competition for jobs right now is probably worse than it was when I moved up there. Denver and the front range are close to the slopes, but if you don't want to fight through traffic and the weekend warriers, I wouldn't recommend living there. Of course, that is where most of the jobs are, so you may have to do that at first until you can find something in the mountains. Good luck to you!

I'm curious how you'd get to the slopes from Leadville in 20-30 minutes?

With the exception of Loveland, the ski areas are now more than an hour from metro Denver ... and during the weekend rush hours to the slopes, it can be a lot longer than that due to the traffic and road conditions. I used to be able to leave the KenCaryl ranch area via C-470/I-70 and be in Vail in 90 minutes. Such a commute is now only possible in off-hours; a friend tells me that he now leaves at 5AM on Saturday mornings to have a reasonable commute to Vail from the same area, and he must leave the slopes by 1:30 or he'll be in traffic all the way home.

Also, Vail is at the slopes ... with the lifts/gondolas at the town from several locations so everywhere in town is close to the slopes.

For the OP, the Colorado mountain communities have substantial outdoor recreational opportunities. Everything from hiking, camping, fishing, equine activity, sailing, boating, bicycling, hunting ... you name it, it's there.

In my view, there's a lot more to do in the non-snow months of the year than the ski season.

Aspen is pretty expensive, and it's more likely that you'll be sharing living space with roomates in a downvalley location than living in town. But that's true, also of so many of the ski/tourist towns of Colorado. They cater to the affluent who can afford to play there rather than the "worker bees" of the community. That's not an absolute situation, but more probably what you'll find unless you're an exception with a high income.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

Due to the popularity of ski areas for young people, I would think that the dating life would be good there. Always people coming and going. Popular destination for travellers and for locals.

Uh no, it is terrible. So bad the local papers often run stories about it. Usually the man to woman ratio is 3 to 4 men for every woman. The women end up with so much attention they turn into witches cause they know they have the upper hand. Also the coming and going isn't good because by the time you form a relationship, the season ends and everyone goes their separate ways.

Now if you are up for knocking off old cougars and dragons then you are in luck and you can do well.

Young people by themselves don't come to ski resorts like Aspen or Vail for vacation as tourists as the price point is extreme. Probably 90% of tourists are 40 and up and perhaps they come with their kids.

Once I did my seven years in that mess and getting out now in the normal world, it is quite a refreshing change.

From someone who has been in the trenches you do not go to Vail or Aspen for a good dating life.

[movementarian]

Originally Posted by sunsprit

I'm curious how you'd get to the slopes from Leadville in 20-30 minutes?

You probably would need to drive very slowly on 24 to Ski Cooper. Or if the roads were clear, you could possibly drive very fast on 91 to Copper Mountain.

[treedonkey]

Maybe you can hang out with Lance there.

[80skeys]

The ski season is pretty limited for what you can do. You can ski and snowmobile and that's about it.
Unless you're a die-hard, you aren't going to be camping, fishing, hiking, taking picnics, exploring forest roads, etc.

I'm not a skier and I don't own a snowmobile, so during the winter months I'm limited to taking small day hikes, trudging through the snow in my pac boots. I don't do it often. Just when I get so tired of being cooped up inside that I need to do something outdoors.

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by movementarian

You probably would need to drive very slowly on 24 to Ski Cooper. Or if the roads were clear, you could possibly drive very fast on 91 to Copper Mountain.

Sorry, but Ski Cooper isn't one of the ski areas or activity centers that the poster was referring to ....

During the winter months, it's unlikely you'd make Copper in 20-30 minutes from Leadville, and Vail's a bit more of a chore to get to.

[movementarian]

Actually, the Delta07 guy said there were "slopes" one could get to in 20-30 minutes from Leadville. He didn't say resort or activity center. There is skiing at Ski Cooper and it is within that distance.