Where to move a skiing family in NY?

Am I cooler than the others - no

Am I more committed to living a ski life?  Yes I am - the proof is in the biggest choice you can make - where you live

When all the pros and cons were laid out by the person making the move in this post they valued keeping the surburban life style but being closer to skiing.  It sounds to me like they accomplished their goals and they will probably be very happy with their decision because they do seem to value those suburban trappings of life as he laid out in his decision making process and Saratoga seems like a pretty cool place. As Harv indicated ski days will likely rise considerably.

Before I decided to move to the LP area I had already owned two vacation homes in two different ski towns.  The 1st I never was able to be comfortable enough to see my family living there.  But the area around LP is different and we decided to make the full time jump.  After already owning homes close I could not see ever wanting to be an hour away.  Being this close changes the your atitude not just your promixity about skiing.  My family would all say its the most important activity in our life and its a way of life.

We have blended in well with the natives and in LP there is so many people that live there that were not born there that integrating is not an issue.  In the smaller towns dealing with folks that are not skiers they don't get skiers no matter where they were born.

uhm, everything you said we have here right in Virgil NY.....just sayin

I don't think where you live determins how committed one is to skiing. IMO, the weekend warrior or the peeps who drive countless hours on weekends are more committed than those who live near a ski hill.....i ski at lunch because i can, not because i'm more committed than the next guy.

ausable skier wrote

Living in a ski town means not having to deal with most of people around you rooting for a warm winter.

It means skiing at lunch for a few hours because it snowed, its sunny or its just a wednesday.

It means knowing what that crap eating grin on other townies face is after a good day

it means not driving an hour plus each way to the hill from a place like saratoga.

it means not living anywhere near a big box retail store - i see this as a positive if you don't you won't understand this at all

my entire family is an all in skiing family - this is what we live for and when we go on vacation we usually go skiing somewhere else.  I gave me kid a choice between going to Disney or Colorado.  He said lets go powder skiing.

In the summer I'm a dedicated golfer.  A membership for any of the golf courses in LP is under $1000 - in Saratoga it's 5 times that or more.

Unless you want to own a tourism business or work in someone elses you need to bring a job with you but in today's economy that is much easier to do than in the past as telecommuting becomes more common.

I'm a skiing 1% er.  This blog and forum are for the skiing 10% maybe 5% but my level of commitment is much more than that.  If you think Saratoga is a ski town you ain't in the 1%.  To me Saratoga is North Jersey North -nice but about 100 miles too far south.

ausable skier wrote

...yaddi....

Hmmm. This post created a stir both online and backchannel. Got lots of email about it.  Got me wondering why.

I like being surrounded by people who love winter. I'd love to ski at lunch.  I like being close to the mountain.  I don't like big box retail stores. When I can bring my job with me to the mtns, I'll do it in a heartbeat. Really I'm down with all of it (except the golf).

I guess it's got to be that last paragraph...

ausable skier wrote

I'm a skiing 1% er.  This blog and forum are for the skiing 10% maybe 5% but my level of commitment is much more than that.  If you think Saratoga is a ski town you ain't in the 1%.  To me Saratoga is North Jersey North -nice but about 100 miles too far south.

I didn't hear anyone say Saratoga was a ski town. It's just a nice place to live that is a hell of a lot closer to the mountains than where many of us come from. I guess the 1% thing is loaded with meaning these days.  That last paragraph feels very "us and them."

Everybody wants to believe their life and their choices are the best or at least good. I think you can do that without dissing the choices others have made.

Personally I dream about living in the mountains. It may never happen. Part of the fantasy is that when I get there I'd somehow figure out a way to fit in.  It's no fun hearing "you'll never be one of us" even if it might be true.

Carry on.

(nice avatar Pants!)

Good post, Harv. Many folks that live in the burbs could be seen as having a higher commitment level than those that live in ski country. You are a good example! It takes massively passion and dedication and massaging the family situation to get as many days as you do on skis. And goodness knows I live 40 minutes away from the best that NH has to offer but I don't ski any more days than when I lived two hours away from that same mountain.

A lifestyle and living location decision does not equate to commitment level and passion, especially when you don't feel like you are sacrificing anything and only enhancing your lifestyle and personal relationships by moving to that location. My lifestyle and personal relationships are at an all time low right now, I've come to realize there is much more to life than skiing. But that is just me and everyone is different.

Just a few more things, Danzilla.

Buy your beer at the Saratoga brewery. Always fresh, and cheaper, eliminating the middleman. Red Tail rules.

And, Hannafords over Price Chopper.

Zilla,

If you are a one of us (mountain biker)  be sure to check out the skidmore trails!  Good stuff.  Also just a short drive up the northway to exit 17 Monroe trails are big climbs and fun decent.  

As a Troy native I disagree w/ my esteemed friend HPD in that Saratoga is second to Troy!  Troy Rules!!  

I'm fairly certain AS is def not one of us!     

Highpeaksdrifter wrote

Benny Profane wrote

My ex wife had a great way to describe the people who live on the beach all the time

How does your ex wife describe you?

O boy O boy O boy!!!  This has fun times embedded all over it!!  

ScottyJack wrote

Zilla,

If you are a one of us (mountain biker)  be sure to check out the skidmore trails!  Good stuff.  Also just a short drive up the northway to exit 17 Monroe trails are big climbs and fun decent.  

As a Troy native I disagree w/ my esteemed friend HPD in that Saratoga is second to Troy!  Troy Rules!!  

I'm fairly certain AS is def not one of us!  

now THATS funny!

What's up with property taxes up there? I've been checking out Zillow a lot lately, and there has been quite a jump in property taxes in a lot of places upstate. I'm talking 50% to nearly double in one year! Doesn't encourage me to shop around up there, no matter how prices have dropped.

I'm torn on this one.  My inclination is the Lake Placid area, be it Keene, Wilmington or LP itself.  But I have family roots in Warrensburg.  Not based on taxes or school quality, just where I like to go.

Peter Minde wrote

I'm torn on this one.  My inclination is the Lake Placid area, be it Keene, Wilmington or LP itself.  But I have family roots in Warrensburg.  Not based on taxes or school quality, just where I like to go.

PM didn't know you had the itch too.

For me - you know PRACTICAL considerations aside -  W'burg would be pretty cool. It's close to the fork in the road between NY and VT.

Later in life, my grandmother complained about how Warrensburg had gotten overcrowded.  People were commuting to Albany from Warrensburg by then.  Still a helluva a way to Rutland, Bennington or Middlebury from there.

Realistically a getaway place is probably more feasible for us.  But you never know.

Bumping a long time dead thread. Changed the title as this (former) NY ski family recently relocated to Coach Z and the kid from New Jersey's favorite ski town to hate. It came together quick and was bit crazy how it all went down but Team Danzilla is now residing in Park City, UT. We will miss all of our winter friends at Gore and the fun summers in toga, but life is short. The summer here has exceeded my expectations. It has rained maybe 5 times, no bugs. and 450 miles of trails right out our backyard. But don't come here. Its flat, Jay gets more snow, Vail is evil, Deer Valley sucks and there are too many people from Texas and California (and New York).

I, for one, will forgive you for going to the dark side if you start a Utah or Park City thread, and fill it with pow shots!

Danzilla wrote

Bumping a long time dead thread. Changed the title as this (former) NY ski family recently relocated to Coach Z and the kid from New Jersey's favorite ski town to hate. It came together quick and was bit crazy how it all went down but Team Danzilla is now residing in Park City, UT. We will miss all of our winter friends at Gore and the fun summers in toga, but life is short. The summer here has exceeded my expectations. It has rained maybe 5 times, no bugs. and 450 miles of trails right out our backyard. But don't come here. Its flat, Jay gets more snow, Vail is evil, Deer Valley sucks and there are too many people from Texas and California (and New York).

Excellent - enjoy the life there, please let us know how it works out. I can't ever seem to sell my wife on such a move, she is afraid of the Mormon culture and does not want to move away from the kids/grand kids.

PeeTex wrote

I can't ever seem to sell my wife on such a move, she is afraid of the Mormon culture and does not want to move away from the kids/grand kids.

Park City is the only town in Utah that never had a Mormon stake. It was founded by Catholic bankers as a mining town when silver was found there, and mostly populated by Irish miners. I remember playing CYO baseball there as a kid, back before the ski areas were built. It was the poorest place I ever saw in my life, at least until I started traveling in the Caribbean.

FWIW Mormons have mostly abandoned Salt Lake City north of 2100 south. I never met a Mormon who skied either.

Moving away from the grand kids is a different deal. If it weren't for grandchildren, us old farts would all be splitting our time between Costa Rica and Bozeman.

mm

Danzilla wrote

recently relocated to Coach Z and the kid from New Jersey's favorite ski town to hate.

Harvey wrote

I, for one, will forgive you for going to the dark side if you start a Utah or Park City thread, and fill it with pow shots!

Aww, hells yeah!

Wait... snoloco hates on PC?  Don't they have primo lifts?

Was in New Mexico last week.  Taos and Carson National Forest are beautiful.  But I think I'm too attached to the northeast.