Has anyone relocated or thought of relocating due to COL/traffic/overall crowdedness? (Denver: to buy, camping)

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

$1200 for skis? No sale shopping for you!

Is there still the annual SNIAGRAB sale on SKI stuff?

IIRC, one may save enough to buy one Blizzak each year...

[maciesmom]

Originally Posted by MN_Ski

I know you can't factor all recreation into the COL, but for Denver you kind of have to. The whole point of living in Denver is to take advantage of the mountain sports. Sure, the city offers other amenities, but not to the lengths of other non recreational places. Plus, the majority of social circles will involve some kind of mountain sport.

Here was my personal shopping list my first year:
Skis: $1,200
Passes: $700
Tent/Bag: $650
Mountain Bike: $5,500
Climbing Gear: $400
Roof Rack: $400
Clothes: $7-900

I would never makes these kind of purchases if I lived in say..NYC or LA.

If that's your reasoning, you'll need to include surfboards, cruising bikes, roof racks, wet suits etc as expenses for living in LA. After all, what's the point in living there if you don't partake in those activities?

[Left-handed]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Is there still the annual SNIAGRAB sale on SKI stuff?

IIRC, one may save enough to buy one Blizzak each year...

I don't think SNIAGRAB exists anymore since Sports Authority's departure. However, I guess there's something call Ski Rex now at Colorado Ski & Golf.

I also imagine that a lot of the local ski shops like Christy's.

[Moonwalkr]

Originally Posted by Left-handed

I don't think SNIAGRAB exists anymore since Sports Authority's departure. However, I guess there's something call Ski Rex now at Colorado Ski & Golf.

I also imagine that a lot of the local ski shops like Christy's.

Colorado Ski and Golf was bought by Epic Mountain gear, but I do believe they are still doing ski rex.

[N610DL]

Originally Posted by Left-handed

Mountain bikes with heavy-duty equipment can be costly. I've seen them run as high as $12,000 at some LBS.

$5,500 probably gets you a pretty solid middle of the pack bike with mid-grade Shimano or Sram equipment.

My hybrid cost about $1,500. It's the most I've ever spent on a bike. Of course, I've had it since 2012. Generally, when you drop $$$ money on equipment, you're buying it for longevity sake. At least that's how I view my purchases.

Jesus Christ I had no idea they ran that high. I had a Trek Mountain Bike in High School that was like $500 at the most.

I got a 1986 Bianchi Road Bike that I paid $300 bucks for in 2010 that potentially is worth close to 1K now.

[Left-handed]

Originally Posted by N610DL

Jesus Christ I had no idea they ran that high. I had a Trek Mountain Bike in High School that was like $500 at the most.

If you get into any hobby seriously, you can rack up some big money. Biking can be pretty expensive if you account for all the maintenance on top of the initial capital purchases. If you can learn to service your bike yourself, you can save a lot.

[MN_Ski]

Originally Posted by maciesmom

If that's your reasoning, you'll need to include surfboards, cruising bikes, roof racks, wet suits etc as expenses for living in LA. After all, what's the point in living there if you don't partake in those activities?

Beach/surfing culture doesn't dominate LA like mountain culture dominates Denver.

LA is a world class city with endless options for recreation of all kinds. I'm not saying Denver doesn't have things to do besides the mountains, but due to it's demographics, and recent popularity of being known as a mountain sports city, people here are pretty obsessed with the mountains (and for good reason).

Even other places with good outdoor recreation, like Seattle or Portland, aren't as mountain obsessed as Denver is.

[Left-handed]

Originally Posted by MN_Ski

Beach/surfing culture doesn't dominate LA like mountain culture dominates Denver.

LA is a world class city with endless options for recreation of all kinds. I'm not saying Denver doesn't have things to do besides the mountains, but due to it's demographics, and recent popularity of being known as a mountain sports city, people here are pretty obsessed with the mountains (and for good reason).

Even other places with good outdoor recreation, like Seattle or Portland, aren't as mountain obsessed as Denver is.

I think the take away is that no matter where you relocate, there is going to be something else to fill in the void.

For instance, maybe you don't spend all your time and money at the beaches in LA, but maybe you spend more money on food & beverage, live shows, sports, and other forms of entertainment that are popular. My brother in MI spends a lot of his money on water sports and recreational vehicles like ATVs and dirt bikes. They don't have mountains, but they have plenty of lakes and outdoors activities that one can really sink a lot of money into. My parents bought a $30k RV recently to do more camping around the state.

If you have the inclination, there is always something to spend your $$$ on regardless of where you live. Hell, even home bodies may spend a ton of $$$ on an entertainment center or PC rig for gaming.

[emm74]

Originally Posted by MN_Ski

Beach/surfing culture doesn't dominate LA like mountain culture dominates Denver.

LA is a world class city with endless options for recreation of all kinds. I'm not saying Denver doesn't have things to do besides the mountains, but due to it's demographics, and recent popularity of being known as a mountain sports city, people here are pretty obsessed with the mountains (and for good reason).

Even other places with good outdoor recreation, like Seattle or Portland, aren't as mountain obsessed as Denver is.

You clearly travel in different circles than me, the people I know are not obsessed by the mountains, and very few people I know ski. They have all kinds of reasons for wanting to be in/enjoying Denver, but please don't be so narrow minded as to think that your reasons (and the people you associate with who happen to share your opinion) are the only reasons.

[Left-handed]

Originally Posted by emm74

You clearly travel in different circles than me, the people I know are not obsessed by the mountains, and very few people I know ski. They have all kinds of reasons for wanting to be in/enjoying Denver, but please don't be so narrow minded as to think that your reasons (and the people you associate with who happen to share your opinion) are the only reasons.

To MN_Ski's credit, mountain sports culture is indeed a big deal in the 20s-30s age range. It had always been a major hangup for me early on when I moved here and didn't ski much. Why? Because a lot of people that age spend a lot of time out in the mountains for those types of activities. It's certainly not everyone's thing, but it's a big influence for a lot of people. Even my fiancee moved here from Texas for the mountains and skiing.

As we've gotten older, we've spent less and less time in the mountains as we focus on other life goals, home improvement, travel, etc. But it was definitely an obstacle in my earlier years when I was trying to find circles to hang out in.