I was looking back at articles from ski town locales, questions e-mailed here about whether or not to move to a ski town and reflecting on my own experience living in a small mountain town, a good distance from a major city, surrounded by an abundance of natural beauty and endless outdoor recreation. Never did I feel that I was missing out on something better.
Do you have mountains on the mind? Considering mountain living? Before you even get started with the nitty gritty details of how to make it work, how do these thoughts resonate with you?
- You chose to live in the mountains, and then you began searching for a mountain job. It does not tend to (successfully) happen the other way around, it often begins with a burning desire to experience the mountain lifestyle.
- Money or owning a big house does not define you. Paying your bills on time, supporting yourself, your family, and plenty of time playing in the outdoors, success!
- Career does not automatically mean 9-5, inside an office and isn’t necessarily limited to just one job or occupation. (maybe you’re a climbing guide in the summer and a ski instructor in the winter)
- Web 2.0 Not that you don’t appreciate the way the internet allows you to connect (we have even created a mountain network), but when it comes to choosing between “tweeting” or hitting the trail, you’ll likely choose the latter.
- Sexy? Size 2 and Double D? Not quite. Probably something more like keeping up with your significant other on a powder day.
- Saturday afternoon? A bike ride more often than not beats out a trip to the mall.
- Shopping? A new pair of Cloudveil pants sounds way more luxurious than the latest Coach handbag.
- Poor economy? The reality, this may not be affecting your leisure time as much as many others located in city and suburban locales. Yes, ski towns are experiencing the downturn too, but much of your free time is spent outside in nature (free). You are sometimes scarily familiar with not a whole lot of disposable income and ok with that, it is a compromise you make to live here.
- Lifestyle? You realized early on that suburbia, cities and/or cubicles in large corporations were not true to you.
- Personal Preference You love the beach, and have fun the city, but over and over, the mountains win again.