Snowboarder wanting to move to CO, where should we look? (Denver: apartments, lease)

[Xplorer]

One Bedroom Steps to the Lifts

Look at that. You and your boyfriends income should be able to cover that no problem! There are TONS of places to live at the resorts..

[Xplorer]

More

http://rockies.craigslist.org/apa/3312825600.html
Cozy apartment, ideal for one person, great views!
http://rockies.craigslist.org/apa/3354408360.html
http://rockies.craigslist.org/apa/3331179281.html
http://rockies.craigslist.org/apa/3362203028.html

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Xplorer

More

Mother-in-law Apt.
Cozy apartment, ideal for one person, great views!
Ski-in/Ski-Out Mountainside Condo w/ Clubhouse
Across the street from Gondola
Sunny Cabin near Steamboat Springs

As a moderator, I always like to warn people to read and heed the warnings that are posted on Craigslist about phony rental ads.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by Xplorer

One Bedroom Steps to the Lifts

Look at that. You and your boyfriends income should be able to cover that no problem! There are TONS of places to live at the resorts..

Well...possibly, but considering the OP didn't say what their income was, how do you know it should be able to cover this?

Also, the ad states the resident must live and work in Summit Co. I would imagine that unless the OP already had a job there, this would preclude them from living here.

[Xplorer]

Have you ever lived in a ski town? it's really not that hard to land a job at the resort or one of the 46438 ski shops or a restaurant. You guys act like it's impossible. Some of you need to get out and live a little.

I see your from bend, you should know how this works to an extent. After I moved from my home town of Hood River I lived in Bend for 3 years. Finding a job and living comfortable was not a problem one bit. I rode Bachelor almost 3 days a week while doing this. Same thing as here in Tahoe. There were HUNDREDS of job opening the last couple months for the coming season.

[Xplorer]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

As a moderator, I always like to warn people to read and heed the warnings that are posted on Craigslist about phony rental ads.

While I agree with you. I have also rented ALL of my properties through Craigslist. Most aren't scams. You just need to pay attention to details.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by Xplorer

Have you ever lived in a ski town? it's really not that hard to land a job at the resort or one of the 46438 ski shops or a restaurant. You guys act like it's impossible. Some of you need to get out and live a little.

I see your from bend, you should know how this works to an extent. After I moved from my home town of Hood River I lived in Bend for 3 years. Finding a job and living comfortable was not a problem one bit. I rode Bachelor almost 3 days a week while doing this. Same thing as here in Tahoe. There were HUNDREDS of job opening the last couple months for the coming season.

I appreciate you assuming that I need to get out and live a little! I have, however, lived in ski towns (and currently do). When I was living outside of Breckenridge, times were different and affordability meant sharing a house/condo with 3 other people on our wages. I didn't say it was impossible. I said the OP needed to expand on their definition of affordability and proximity to slopes. This post contained very little information other than they wanted to live near the slopes because they like to snowboard.

[Xplorer]

That comment wasn't toward you Delta07..

And I honestly wouldn't consider Bend a ski town. It has a mountain near by but it is far from a real ski town. That's like calling Hood River a ski town. Not even close.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by Xplorer

That comment wasn't toward you Delta07..

And I honestly wouldn't consider Bend a ski town. It has a mountain near by but it is far from a real ski town. That's like calling Hood River a ski town. Not even close.

True, I agree about Bend. However, here in Oregon most people do consider it a ski town. Unlike most of the resorts in Colorado, Tahoe, etc, the mountains here don't really have their own towns or villages. Hood River is also considered a ski town according to many people on the Oregon forum. It's neither here nor there.

My point is, while it can be done, sacrifices have to be made (especially in CO and CA where you are). You aren't going to get the typical sized apt. or house that you would in other areas of the country. Those listings you linked do show you can find housing under $1000/month (which, I would consider affordable). However, they are all very small, mostly studios within the town limits. That might be fine for the OP, but for some, it's a real shocker.

Just as an FYI, I came across this link a little bit ago. http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files...n-Wage-Map.pdfMost of the jobs you'll find in ski resort towns are minimum wage, at least to start. If you can find housing provided by the resort, you might be better off. The other option is to work jobs that tips are part of your wage. Of course, you'll probably work a lot, but hey, you will get to ski!

My husband used to be a lifty at Breck. He started out a min. wage and worked 40 hours a week. We lived in Fairplay, about 30 miles to the south (and a much different town), because I was employed with the FS. I was making about $4/more per hour than him, and even then, with our combined salary, we were still paying close to $1200/month for rent. I realize things have changed with the economy, so housing is more affordable now. However, with that, there are fewer jobs. If the OP doesn't have a job lined up in a ski town right now, it may be tough to find one. It might be better to wait until next year, IMO.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by everclimbingivy

My husband is a very good snowboarder, and we may eventually move to Colorado. Since he loves snowboarding so much and has his own gear, I really want to know where the best places to live are. He would want the most access to slopes throughout the seasons. The trouble is, I know that in places like Aspen I'm sure it would be very expensive to find a home there. So where could we look into living that isn't expensive and has good access to ski/snowboarding areas? Thanks!

Inexpensive and Colorado skiing doesn't go hand in hand.

Realistically you need to focus on Summit County and it's resorts, Vail or Aspen. Of secondary consideration you can look at Steamboat, Telluride or Crested Butte.

Those are the only ski towns/areas that can provide plenty of options for living and working.

To live in an apartment by yourselves you are looking at a minimum of $1200 a month and to live in a decent place probably $1500 a month.

The catch 22 living year round in a ski town is that you have about 6 months of the year to make a good income and you have to find a way to sustain yourself in those months that are dead and there is no business. That means working a lot of hours when it is busy, which is of course during ski season. So you'll have to figure out how to make that work economically.

The problem in Colorado is that the ski areas are not anywhere near metropolitan areas, so it means weekend trips for your average person and that has issues of it's own.