Missoula as a ski town?
- Thread starter Dlonetti
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verynormalguy
Member
Haven’t been in years but snowbowl is fun. They had a little park that was pretty dialed. Not really sure if Missoula has a ski scene tho
Yo, decently long-time Missoula resident here. Been in town for about three and a half years. After college, I planned to move to a proper ski town, but life had other plans, and ended up here. The town itself is great lots to do in the summers (river floating, fishing, nightlife, concerts, hiking, climbing, etc...) and winters (winters are somewhat brutal, probably mellower than the midwest, though). Although the main drawback is that housing's pretty tricky right now unless you're raking in remote work cash or something like that. Not nearly as bad as a place like Bozeman or Jackson in my understanding, though.
As for skiing, it's a good place to have skiing be a part of your life but not your entire life. I ski at Snowbowl most weekends during the winter. It's thirty minutes away from town and the terrain's decent but no park since I've moved here which is a bummer. One problem is that most of the interesting slopes are southern facing so refreezing, particularly because winters are warmer these days, is a bit of an issue. But the general vibe of the place (all two-seaters and a nice bar with really good pizza, classic mom-and-pop hill) make up for the often questionable snow and comparative lack of terrain. It's definitely not a destination resort for better or worse.
I also spent a year skiing Lost Trail which is arguably better than Snowbowl (has a park setup, more interesting terrain, better snow), but it's an hour and 45 outside of Missoula so harder to sustain for me as a weekend warrior.
Backcountry access is solid, too. Lolo Pass, which offers plenty of mellow terrain and some cool pillow zones is a 40ish minute drive out of town. I know there are bigger backcountry missions to be had if you're willing to drive longer.
Bottom line I like to say Missoula's almost a ski town. You're not getting Salt Lake or Jackson-level skiing accessibility, but that comes with the benefit of fewer crowds and the option of not having skiing shoved in your face constantly if you need a break. And there's essentially zero of the wannabe pro cool guy energy that you get in proper ski towns. Plenty of people ski, but it's generally in more of a casual way which was refreshing after skiing Whistler during college.
If anything I think it's been good for me as a skier to live here as the balance between skiing and other parts of life is easier to manage.
Feel free to shoot me a message if you have any questions.
As for skiing, it's a good place to have skiing be a part of your life but not your entire life. I ski at Snowbowl most weekends during the winter. It's thirty minutes away from town and the terrain's decent but no park since I've moved here which is a bummer. One problem is that most of the interesting slopes are southern facing so refreezing, particularly because winters are warmer these days, is a bit of an issue. But the general vibe of the place (all two-seaters and a nice bar with really good pizza, classic mom-and-pop hill) make up for the often questionable snow and comparative lack of terrain. It's definitely not a destination resort for better or worse.
I also spent a year skiing Lost Trail which is arguably better than Snowbowl (has a park setup, more interesting terrain, better snow), but it's an hour and 45 outside of Missoula so harder to sustain for me as a weekend warrior.
Backcountry access is solid, too. Lolo Pass, which offers plenty of mellow terrain and some cool pillow zones is a 40ish minute drive out of town. I know there are bigger backcountry missions to be had if you're willing to drive longer.
Bottom line I like to say Missoula's almost a ski town. You're not getting Salt Lake or Jackson-level skiing accessibility, but that comes with the benefit of fewer crowds and the option of not having skiing shoved in your face constantly if you need a break. And there's essentially zero of the wannabe pro cool guy energy that you get in proper ski towns. Plenty of people ski, but it's generally in more of a casual way which was refreshing after skiing Whistler during college.
If anything I think it's been good for me as a skier to live here as the balance between skiing and other parts of life is easier to manage.
Feel free to shoot me a message if you have any questions.
Dlonetti
Active member
14544132:iang said:
Super good info, thanks. "Almost a ski town" is kind of the vibe I was getting and doesnt seem like the worst thing honestly. Definitely trying to avoid the crazy crowds of somewhere like SLC/Jackson/Colorado. Snowbowl seems super convenient, but as a midwest rope rat, no park is a bummer. Feel like Snowbowl and Lost trail are two pretty solid options tho.
r00kie
Active member
14544138:Dlonetti said:
Boise is great for many reasons. Lots of youngish people who love getting outside doing stuff, downtown is alright and the river systems are world class. Housing is bitch and the suburban sprawl of the Treasure Valley sucks though. Bogus is one of the best managed resorts out there and the culture/community rocks. Good parks too. The snow gets ragged typically but last season rocked.
oldmanski
Active member
Pocatello Idaho is a place to look into. That area of Idaho is where I grew up, Pebble Creek is 20 mins from town, has great terrain, no park the last few seasons but they have had one in the past. SLC is 2.5 hours south, Jackson/Targhee is 2.5 north. Mountains are at your back door for dirtbiking, MTBing, hiking, fishing, boating. Housing has gone up but there are still affordable places to rent or buy. Job wise there isnt super high paying jobs but there are decent jobs in the area.
ScootSkiLyfe
Member
Hey Dom
ScootSkiLyfe
Member
Bozeman is next up dude, so many of the homies out there rn! That's where I'll be going I believe after getting in one more Duluth winter. Also come get some street shots in this year I'm tryna finish this video.
muffMan.
Active member
Bozeman would be a better spot imo, yeah housings a bit crazy but high turnover with college kids. Just don’t get a pet. I’m in the same spot, I got a few spots I’m road tripping this summer
Durango,
Bend,
Bellingham? Kinda far skiing,
Hood River,
and cheapest spot around Tahoe.
also have been kickin around the idea of getting some land around like Granby, Pagosa springs, drigs, Sandpoint, or east of Utah resorts, like Oakley.
Durango,
Bend,
Bellingham? Kinda far skiing,
Hood River,
and cheapest spot around Tahoe.
also have been kickin around the idea of getting some land around like Granby, Pagosa springs, drigs, Sandpoint, or east of Utah resorts, like Oakley.
Michigan_Sucks
Member
At least look into Washington before pulling the trigger, no state income tax is massive. Wenatchee might be what you are looking for, Mission Ridge is right there with a rope tow park and Stevens is and hour away.
switchlip2
Active member
14544236:Michigan_Sucks said:
And so close to hood in the spring and summer
ScootSkiLyfe
Member
14544257:gravel said:
Yeah but that's everywhere. Just a lot of homies from Minnesota going to Bozeman right now because it's the closest mountains.
If Dom wants to go somewhere to meet totally new people there's definitely better options just depends what you want out of your life.
For someone just out of college who wants to hang with other young people who are into the outdoors and skiing, and who are from similar places and have similar values and experiences I'd say Bozeman fits the picture.
methscratchface
Active member
good luck finding housing. missoula has turned into a nightmare. but if you do missoula's park scene is diy stylee since there are zero offerings. Some kids were building some fun setups at Marshall mountain which is an old shutdown ski hill. and some fun setups at lolo pass too. you are from the midwest so literally the worst days at snowbowl will be better than skiing on trash heaps. its 2600 hundo vert of obstacles and 9/10 times it snows its dust on crust. can be really fun sometimes tho. backcountry is the best way to get into the goods around missoula. A lot of time sled access is needed to chop off some logging road approaches. helena is not my favorite town but if you are a true park rat they have great divide ski hill which has decent parks and night skiing.
tuckerhoran
Member
14544182:muffMan. said:
I back Durango.
Colorado has so much more to offer than just the front range. I was about to say, its a bummer the perception of Colorado is the way that it is, but tbh... it keeps places like Durango (somewhat) pure.
muffMan.
Active member
14544336:Dlonetti said:
Yeah people trash the housing, myself included, but if you’re looking for anything other than a house it’s not too bad in Bozeman.
Sort of the reason why I left and others, had two dogs as well, it’s insanely difficult trying to rent both a house and pets. Keep it simple, full of chill people/roommates, and just get some apartment or townhouse.
Other than that grizzly bears are on the rise, had an encounter with one on a trail, those things are beasts.
14544236:Michigan_Sucks said:
The no income tax is a benefit but our other taxes do their best to compensate for it hahah. Love the skiing here in eastern WA though, solid parks, chill people, and no lift lines (usually). This last year at my home mountain at least 7 or 8 powder days, so good snow too.
Nature is also great here during the summer, lots of mountain biking, climbing, fishing, etc..
Our downtown has a ton of crackheads so i can’t really promote that, but otherwise, love it here.
**This post was edited on Jul 17th 2023 at 6:42:28pm
PeppermillReno
Active member
14544144:oldmanski said:
2.5 hours and $250 lift tickets to visit those places. I'd honestly just forget everything in the Western US on Epic or Ikon exists. Still some good hills. Take trips off the dollar Canada, Europe, even Japan.
Driving through Pocatello I wondered why they didn't have a bigger resort though lots of places they could put one with some snowmaking where 86 turns off from 80 north facing?
oldmanski
Active member
14544414:PeppermillReno said:
Agreed, the ticket prices are outrageous for those resorts and just going to get worse.
I think you meant to say where I-86 meets I-15. The mountains at that junction and north of Pocatello are all Indian reservation. There is an old ma and pa hill a bit further north called Taylor mountain but it has been closed since I was a kid back in the 80's.
IsaacNW82
Member
14544381:tuckerhoran said:
Another cosign from me on Durango. I live in Taos, so its ~4 hours for me to either Summit county or the San Juans/Durango and I'd 100% say southern Colorado is just better for almost everything. Less crowded, cooler geography mountains (IMO), better BC skiing, better hiking, more snow, better four wheeling, the only big advantage I give to front range/summit is I really like copper/woodward for park.
IsaacNW82
Member
Also since I've brought it up Taos is very much "almost a ski town". Its definitely a little bit of a love it or hate it place (most of NM is tbh) and I'd say its biggest problems are a lack of 20-something year olds, NM outdoor culture is small and bizarre, and a weird housing market that is nearly impossible to rent in but more affordable to buy than you'd probably guess. Biggest strengths are there is almost zero shoulder season if you like multiple mountain sports, freeride terrain at Taos is second to none, and its way less crowded than most of Colorado (which is only 2-6 hours away anyways if you want to visit on the weekends)
chiknmcplanks
Member
Missoula may not be the best location for day-to-day skiing, but fwiw, if you're like me and enjoy some variety, it's at least centrally located for accessing quite a few core mountains like Lookout Pass (1.5hr), Silver (2hr), Big Mtn (2.5hr), Schweitzer (3hr), Bridger (3hr), Grand Targhee (5hr).
Not to mention you'd be ~4 hours from Canada too (Fernie, Kimberley, Castle, Panorama, etc).
And FYI if you're into backcountry, most of the good spots in western Montana require a sled.
Not to mention you'd be ~4 hours from Canada too (Fernie, Kimberley, Castle, Panorama, etc).
And FYI if you're into backcountry, most of the good spots in western Montana require a sled.
PeppermillReno
Active member
14544458:IsaacNW82 said:
Taos is awesome. But the mountain ops are the biggest losers imaginable they look for any excuse to close the Kachina lift and will do avy control until 11am for 4 inches overnight. And its already a low pack sharky hill.
The town has its own thing going on outside of the ski hill which is probably good. Chill vibe not too much of a party scene.
Honestly most conversations you hear on the lift are Denver Ikoners talking about how much easier it is than skiing in Colorado. Somehow Taos was a 2x busier resort back in the 80s than it is now doesn't really make sense how they could drastically lose skier visits at that rate but the skier totals are about 50% of what they once were.
Zero cell phone coverage once you head up the canyon was a real fuck you too its 2023 people have responsibilities get fucked with that.
14544533:PeppermillReno said:
bro people like you are the worst, in what world does some gaper know more than the ski patrol that have been running the avy control for years? like seriously dude, fuck off with this dumb bullshit, you dont know shit about Taos' terrain and how it reacts with the snowfall. you are worse than the colorado ikoners.
14544541:muffMan. said:
yeah people are so entitled its unreal man, they couldn't even imagine that their opinion is wrong and they think that everything patrol does is wrong or lazy. i had a guy at PC complain for a 10 min lift ride that patrol couldn't get the resort open by 9am (we got on at 915 after 12" overnight) and I was honestly speechless. dude had been skiing pc for like 20 years and still didnt understand the nuances of avy control.
**This post was edited on Jul 19th 2023 at 1:14:06pm
PeppermillReno
Active member
14544539:eheath said:
Ugh we know your shtick and that you will defend the most moronic practices for no reason.
Anytime someone on here criticizes vail for ruining their mountain you flock to the thread like a fly to shit to defend them.
You probably like standing there in a crowd watching the patrollers take lap after lap because it snowed 6 inches don't lie. Being told what to do gets you off just bump any posts related to the coronavirus pandemic. Lockdowns you were 100% all in and supportive of. Mandatory masking made you cream yourself. Vaccine and vaccine mandates had your full support.
PeppermillReno
Active member
14544571:eheath said:
Even the patrollers will tell you themselves on the chair that their avy practices on small dump days are stupid and ridiculous.
BigPurpleSkiSuit
Active member
14544132:iang said:
Goddamn you just described wayyyyyyy too many skiers in LCC with that line
clindblomskier
Member
I think you’d love bellingham, especially if you mtb too. Baker is about an hour east, keeps you skiing but doesn’t have crazy ski town vibes. Super mellow and lots of young people, definitely one of my favorites to visit
PeppermillReno
Active member
14544900:clindblomskier said:
I'm going to a wedding of baker pass holders today. Definitely want to do a Washington trip soon 2-3 days Baker out of Bellingham and then 1 at Snowqualmie and 1 at Crystal.
clindblomskier
Member
14545367:PeppermillReno said:
Did that last winter, was epic