 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi guys.
As some of you here know, I'm Brazilian but I've been living in the Netherlands for almost 4 years, one of the reasons me and my wife moved here is because we love to travel and living in Europe makes things easier, specially when you don't have kids.
It was never our plan to live here forever, we plan to stay here for maybe 2 or 3 more years and then move somewhere else(Europe or not).
In your opinion, what is the best place to live that is "near" ski resorts but it's also a big city with business opportunities ? I'm a software engineer and my wife is a business analyst, so we can find job in basically any big city.
Being born and raised in São Paulo, we really miss big cities and that's what we are looking for, something that has a lively night life with a solid business center and not so far from ski places.
My first thought was Toronto, big city with ski resorts less than 2 hours drive, any other ideas ?
English speaking countries makes it easier, but basically any Latin language speaking country would do as well, just trying to run away from Germanic language countries 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Denver, Vancouver, Seattle, Salt Lake City??
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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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Lausanne, in Switzerland. A university town with a younger vibe', big enough to be vibrant but not too big. By Lake Geneva (Léman) if you like sailing and drivable/trainable to a wide range of Alpine resorts. Job opportunities around the Lake (Geneva, Montreux, lots of international organisation HQs).
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| Mr.Egg wrote: |
| Denver, Vancouver, Seattle, Salt Lake City?? |
Denver and Vancouver are indeed a good option, specially Vancouver that is 1:30 from Whistler 
I guess Salt Lake City is not really a big tech city(compared with the other options).
Seattle is good indeed, but last time I was there I didn't really like the city.. maybe I need to visit one more time.
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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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Toronto doesn't have great skiing nearby. Better Canadian option would be Vancouver you have some skiing on your doorstep and Whistler not to far away. Calgary also has access to great skiing but not the most enticing city imo.
Denver is perhaps the best option. Good city and with an epic/ikon pass you have access to a bunch of top resorts. Also incredibly long ski season (7+ months).
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Barcelona & Malaga
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@AndreSilva, Grenoble would be my choice. However, I saw it posted somewhere that it may be uninhabital in the near future due to the very high and getting higher summer temperatures.
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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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@AndreSilva, Munich. The employment rate there is nearly 100%. Therefore, companies actually fing it difficult getting staff.
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@AndreSilva, +1 to Munich. A lot of skiing within easy access (some smaller ones possible by day on the train) and lots of other outdoor possibilities, hiking, cycling etc. The employment situation especially IT related is very good, you can find English speaking jobs. The downside is that it is not the cheapest place to live.
If you really dont want the German thing then maybe Geneva or nearby, the biggest downside in the cost of living.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@munich_irish, I'm not in Munich but my company is in Eching 
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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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| AndreSilva wrote: |
English speaking countries makes it easier, but basically any Latin language speaking country would do as well, just trying to run away from Germanic language countries |
Not sure about Munich ????
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Geneva or Milan. Or maybe San Francisco, with your background.
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You know it makes sense.
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| johnE wrote: |
| @AndreSilva, Grenoble would be my choice. However, I saw it posted somewhere that it may be uninhabital in the near future due to the very high and getting higher summer temperatures. |
France sounds interesting, we though about southeast but was thinking about Lyon, bigger city with more opportunities I guess
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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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@munich_irish, @GlasgowCyclops, @rayscoops, I'm trying to avoid German indeed 
I mean, even if I can live there speaking English it's not the same thing. Here in Holland I guess 95% of population speaks good English and it still bothers me that I can't read when I receive an official letter in the mailbox for example. I can keep a basic converstaion in Dutch but I'm FAR from being fluent.
I already speak English, Portuguese, Spanish and a very drunk Dutch, I guess I'm getting old and lazy to put a few years effort into learning a germanic language. A Latin language like French or Italy would be easy for me, that's why I'm trying to focus on those ones.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Lyon: lovely city, great for gastronomy. But 2 hours minimum to get to the bigger ski resorts by car; 7 hours on some Saturdays!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@GlasgowCyclops, I live in a village on the eastern edge of the city, the company is based in Hohenlinden a bit further out.
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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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| bobski62 wrote: |
| Lyon: lovely city, great for gastronomy. But 2 hours minimum to get to the bigger ski resorts by car; 7 hours on some Saturdays! |
Yes, it is one of our favorites choices in Europe for the future, great gastronomy with nice night life and learning French shouldn't be a problem
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
Lyon: lovely city, great for gastronomy. But 2 hours minimum to get to the bigger ski resorts by car; 7 hours on some Saturdays!
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And 3 hours plus by train
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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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@AndreSilva, apart from the Germanic issue (or similar issue no doubt in this case), Sofia is a beautiful emerging city with skiing about 60 minutes away, or sometimes on the outskirts of the city.
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Lyon is 2½ hours from here, similar from Alpe d'huez. Frequent visitor so know the route well.
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| johnE wrote: |
| Quote: |
Lyon: lovely city, great for gastronomy. But 2 hours minimum to get to the bigger ski resorts by car; 7 hours on some Saturdays!
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And 3 hours plus by train |
That's doable, enough for going Saturday morning and coming back Sunday evening 
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I hate the word 'resort' as it implies that a place exists purely for tourism. Yes of course there are purpose-built ski stations, but many ski towns were towns first and have other economic activity besides tourism. As such, it is quite pleasant to live in a ski town. Plenty to do besides skiing, a year-round economy and various non-tourism employment opportunities within easy reach. I commute for work to Salzburg, which definitely would not fit your 'big city' brief, and the language is definitely German, not English. But for ease of access to skiing, many ski areas less than an hour's travel and all on one lift pass, it is hard to beat. You really need to have a think about your priorities, and also how easily you will be able to find work and qualify for work permits.
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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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@rayscoops, yes but I read the OP as somewhere near the resorts that has employment oppertunities. Hence that is why I said Munich. Indeed, my company recently employed a software programmer and a software/hardware engineer so I know first hand how people with @AndreSilva and widfe's skills are immediately hireable.
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But if you do travel to ski on a Saturday @AndreSilva, leave before the crack of dawn as it's the main transfer day and the roads simply can't cope. A bit more of an issue for folk leaving the resort on Saturday morning and arriving into resort Saturday evening. If you get up there early, in many resorts you will have a fantastic day with no crowds, as everyone is transferring and many resort staff are helping them. Sunday nights to get home to Lyon are generally pretty OK. When I used to commute to ski each weekend I'd travel to resort on the Friday night (or Thursday if I could get more time off) and return Sunday night (or Monday night, again, if I got some time off). Accommodation may be a problem for you though for short stays (but I have some ideas that may help fix that).
As @johnE, points out, train is an option too. You can get off at Bourg St Maurice and the funicular up to the ski area is a few steps away.
I sympathise @queenie pretty please, but I think in Austria you have managed to maintain towns as towns to a greater degree than France. In France I'd agree that Bourg St Maurice is a town, but Val Thorens, frankly, is a resort... You can quickly tell the difference if you visit in summer. Towns: still buzzing; resorts: tumbleweed.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| AndreSilva wrote: |
... My first thought was Toronto, big city with ski resorts less than 2 hours drive, any other ideas ?
English speaking countries makes it easier, but basically any Latin language speaking country would do as well, just trying to run away from Germanic language countries |
I've worked [on software] in Toronto but flew to better places to ride.
Places with small hills don't really do it for me. Helsinki for example is an English speaking technical culture with hills essentially in the city,
and I've worked and snowboarded there, but it's not a place you'd go if snowboarding was your main goal.
In Vancouver you can ride decent hills in the evening from public transport. Whistler's a zoo, but close and world-class, and there are
other places a couple of hours in other directions. Vancouver is good for software.
Seattle obviously or that top bit of Washington State at least, although the snow's wetter and the people crazier.
I don't much like ski towns, so I tend to work anywhere and throw the profits at the problem of where to ride.
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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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Hemel Hempstead?
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I have gone skiing after work in Detroit. It was a while ago though and the economy there was in better shape.
Don't know much about the mix of jobs available in Turin but it is close enough to the mountains.
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You know it makes sense.
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Colorado
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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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Toronto is a proper city, sky scrapers and that. But the skiing is pretty terrible (unless you like cross country skiing). The terrain is flat as a pancake!
Vancouver would be top notch. I'd also look into Calgary, which has excellent skiing nearby.
In the US, San Francisco is a tech center, but skiing is a good 4 hours away.
Denver and Salt Lake City both have reasonably decent access to skiing.
Keep in mind, the US cities are nowhere near the density of European cities. So if you're missing the sky scrapers, you may not find enough of them in Denver or Salt Lake City.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Claude B wrote: |
| Lyon is 2½ hours from here, similar from Alpe d'huez. Frequent visitor so know the route well. |
Geneva!
Or Milan.
[EDIT] I see it's already mentioned:
| jellylegs wrote: |
| Geneva or Milan. |
+1
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Thu 10-09-20 16:39; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Salt Lake City is becoming more of a tech centre, firms are moving there due to cheaper real estate/taxes and labour costs.
Plenty of Tech companies operate out of there.
There is a population explosion, plenty of development and housing shortages. Predictions were( pre covid ) its going to grow rapidly in the next few years.
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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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I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Turin. Italian language and culture, big city, with Sestriere and Serre Chevalier 1.5 hours west, and Courmayeur less than 2 hours to the north.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Glasgow
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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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Salt Lake City has loads of access to skiing. But it's probably not going to tick off that big city vibe you are looking for. Denver would come a bit closer to that. Both cities are growing, but more so in the suburbs on smaller out lying towns due to COVID.
Seattle is booming like crazy. Probably too much booming in the burbs. Housing prices and even the rental market are very strong right now. I spent 20 years living there, and loved access to skiing at Snoqualmie Pass, which is less than an hour. Or Crystal and Stevens Pass about 90 minutes to 2 hours depending on where you end up. Easy to cruise up to Whistler or down to Oregon. Tons of out door activities for spring, summer, fall and winter.
You could always look at NYC. The home prices and rental market are starting to drop because of the COVID. Lots of new tech jobs coming on line. And Amazon went and plunked down some serious money for commercial RE in Manhattan. You just have to catch a flight to ski areas. But direct flights are easy to come by to ski destinations. Just need to cross the fingers that the Infected States of America eventually gets its act together.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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NYC is bar far the best city of all those mentioned. I'm not quite sure I'd consider it a good option for skiing though. There's a big difference imo in being able to say on Friday night oh the forecast is good let's go skiing tomorrow, Vs having to buy flights and plan accomodation weeks in advance. I guess it depends what constitutes "near", if NYC counts you could add London too.
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| boarder2020 wrote: |
| I guess it depends what constitutes "near", if NYC counts you could add London too. |
Or Glasgow, for Glencoe 
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Vienna might be a good choice as well. It doesn't take long to get either to Semmering or Stuhleck ski resorts. I also guess that most of the Austrian population (at least the younger generations) speak English pretty fluently .
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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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| abc wrote: |
| Claude B wrote: |
| Lyon is 2½ hours from here, similar from Alpe d'huez. Frequent visitor so know the route well. |
Geneva!
Or Milan.
[EDIT] I see it's already mentioned:
| jellylegs wrote: |
| Geneva or Milan. |
+1 |
Lausanne is a better city to live in than Geneva. 1 hour to PdS, Villars/Diablerets, Verbier and many more further down the Valais. And in tech you’ll be much better off in CH than France and Italy (Even taking into account the cost of living). No skyscrapers, and it’s not London nightlife but you can’t have everything. Get an EasyJet to London, Barcelona, Berlin for your big city fix. Waking up to the sun shimmering on Lac Léman, looking across to a coating of fresh powder on the peaks opposite is better than any city view IMO.
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FAQ
They certainly make it easy for new arrivals from overseas, especially in fields of employment that are sought after. Dutch is easier to learn then German too. Took me years to stop thinking Dutch when I moved to Germany.