 Poster: A snowHead
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North Vancouver has it all , great vibe , every outdoor activity possible on your doorstep , that why I've just put a deposit down on a place there 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Zell am zee
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Friends of ours bought a place in Calgary, seemed pretty reasonable price wise. We've spent a couple of days there and really liked the city. IIRC its about 90 mins from there to Banff/Sunshine/Lake Louise.
If it was Europe I'd say Chamonix or Zell am See
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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My problem, as a Londoner who is very, very spoilt in that regard, would be finding the city which would provide the cultural riches I currently enjoy. Also for me it would have to be somewhere either anglophone or francophone. Possibly the Pyrenees, not too far from Toulouse. Or maybe Vancouver. I love Annecy, but would get bored living there and Geneva doesn't float my boat (if it did, then Chamonix would win.)
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I like where I have settled as it is easy to reach both Tirol and Salzburgerland, plus I have the opportunity to indulge in cultural events in both Munich and Salzburg (about equidistant from the two with a fast autobahn link between them).
I think you have to look at things differently according to how long you are intending to be out here - I've left the UK permanently and do not under any circumstances see myself returning, so I have looked at the long term advantages and disadvantages of living in my current location. My location is a compromise between my free time past times (skiing in winter and paragliding/sailing in summer), and my need to work to support myself. This is a big consideration if you are out in the Alps for a long period of time, I work as a translator and a TEFL teacher, currently full time with a company near Munich. That is my decision as I know I'm way too idle to be self-employed, so I take the lower income as an employee over the stress of constantly chasing new contracts that a freelancer would have to do.
If you are only out for a season - pick a good area as a base close to a ski area that interests you or maybe in resort if you can afford it. If you want to do a year or maybe two, then finding a bigger furnished apartment is something you are unlikely to find at a reasonable rent if you are in a popular resort, so a nearby town/village may be your only option. Shipping all your furniture and possessions out here really is not worth the money unless you are looking at a long term change. One thing you will find you need more often than not is a car, if nothing else to enable you to explore the other resorts within a couple of hours of your location.
Having sufficient language skills is also important if you are going to feel "at home" - depending entirely on the Ex-Pat community for your social life is not a good idea as it has a tendency to end up as a moaning shop where everyone tries to outdo each other in decrying the bureaucratic nighmare of Land X. I've seen people up sticks and return to the UK because they did not try to join in with their community and the non-stop moaning minnies from the Expat meetings just wore them down! I am in touch with the local English-speaking community but I do not go to many meetings, most of my friends are either German or Austrian and even the native English speaker friends also have a lot of social contact with the "natives". Those who try and live in an English-speaking bubble soon get disillusioned and depart.
I've lived long term in France, Austria and now Germany and the observations above are based on things I experienced in all three!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Samerberg Sue, good post. Your area sounds ideal in many respects, wouldn't do me, though, because my German isn't good enough. A bit pathetic, I know, but I hate feeling like a foreigner and I don't in France.
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| queen bodecia wrote: |
| DB wrote: |
| Quite a lot of ski resorts are ghost towns out of season, but I imagine Innsbruck still has things going on in the summer. |
I don't think that's true of many traditional Austrian towns. They are proper working towns, not primarily ski resorts. Plus the tourist trade operates all year round. |
Yes very few if any resorts in Austria are purpose built ski towns. However in my limited experience of living in Austria for almost 14 years - in the ski regions, the main tourist industry is in the winter. (e.g. St Anton was little more than a small village with a few farmers until skiing came about).
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Pedantica, My spoken German was very dodgy when I first came here, even though I had a good degree from a British uni. I immersed myself in the language and worked with native German speakers to bring my spoken German up to the standard of my reading. My written German is still pretty poor though as I rarely if ever have to use it! I did the same when I lived in France, although my written French was way better due to studying at the Université des Scienes-Humaines in Strasbourg for 4 semesters.
DB, yes places like St Anton are pretty dead in summer, the Gurgls are even worse! However there are many other good areas where there is as much tourism in summer as there is in winter - the Zillertal is a classic example. I do not think St Anton is a good example as in many ways it has become as specialised in its niche market as many of the French purpose-built places. The summer months are a joy because it is quieter and you can experience the majesty of the Alps without all the razza-matazz of the ski season.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Samerberg Sue,
Zillertal is a good call as there's more going on in the summer months than other places in Austria, plus you can ski @ Hintertux most months of the year. A friend of mine works for a sports chain in Hochfügen, Zillertal. In winter he works 7 days a week, he only gets time off in the summer. I'd say the majority of Austrian towns with skiing are much quieter in the summer than winter, which as you say can be a blessing. You have to be careful you don't end up like Jack Nicholson in The Shining though.
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I suppose it's a little too far from skiing for the OP but think I could give living in Lyon a go - I always have a good time when we go and have had some great meals and found plenty to do, although I suppose I've been there for gigs and the Festival of Light, so no idea what "real life" would be like.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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miranda, I looked into a possible move to Lyon and concluded that the skiing was too remote.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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A lot depends on the kind of life you live "at home" in the UK and what's important to you. Many people wouldn't go to a museum or a concert or a theatre in a month of Sundays but love being outdoors, even if just walking, and live happily in a small town on the edge of a country park. Others need the cultural life blood of a big city. Some need neither, if there are plenty of shops. Others are allergic to the very idea of shopping except for life's essentials (most of which can now be ordered online).
Some exist happily with public transport and a bike - some won't even go to get their Sunday paper a few hundred yards away without getting in their car.
If you are used to the daily discipline of work, to get you out of bed and into something other than pyjamas, the notion of being entirely "work free" for a while might seem attractive but there's a lot of hours in the day - and you can't ski or go mountain biking or walking for all of them. For many of us, work also provides a good deal of the social structure of our lives (for good or ill). Just cutting yourself off and going solo, for a long period, in a strange environment, especially without really good language skills, is a big step. My French is better than the average tourist and I have worked on it quite a bit, but it still needs some consideration and patience on behalf of others round the table if I am to be able to enjoy a social evening entirely in French. At least it stops me talking as much as I do in English. 
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Interlaken  lots to do all year round Wengen, Grindelwald & Murren just up the road.
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You know it makes sense.
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pam w, you've just pretty much nailed all my concerns. I like the notion of being semi-retired, working part-time for myself, in the Alps, but I fear the reality will be a very lonely existence. However, my life outside of work in the UK is fairly lonely too, so I expect working part-time for myself would be much the same here. At least in the Alps I will have great things to do in my spare time such as skiing!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Pau
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FAQ
