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May, 2025

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Moving to Colorado

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hippy.killer
Posts: 204 - Karma: 947
Im about to graduate high school in 2 days and my plan is to move to Colorado by the end of the summer or early fall. I currently live in pittsburgh, pennsylvania. I chose colorado obviously to ski and smoke weed, I am also considering Oregon, but right now I am pretty set on colorado. I've got a couple thousand dollars saved up and a pretty good job for the summer so I'm trying to save up as much as possible. The question I have is: what is it like to move? especially to an area like CO. Do you guys think I'll need a car? or can I use public transportation? I was thinking about going to trade school for auto technology, but right now I want to move, and trade school will always be there. So what kind of jobs do you guys suggest? Is working on a mountain for a free pass worth it? I saw some ads in Winter Park, Boulder, and Telluride, claiming they will pay like $8-9 an hour plus housing and food discounts plus a free lift ticket. That sounds pretty sick to me but I'm honestly just not sure. I plan on going to visit a friend who lives in Denver with his aunt in August. I hope one of you can help me out from experience. Thanks for reading
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8 years ago
43 14
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SammyDubz
Posts: 2168 - Karma: 7,225
Oh boy
8 years ago
10 0
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XtRemE11
Posts: 5680 - Karma: 246
"I chose Colorado obviously to ski and smoke weed"
Go to Boulder please, the rest of CO sucks. Boulder will give you the most chill experience that you seek.
8 years ago
12 3
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270on420out
Posts: 7524 - Karma: 51,324
Same vro
8 years ago
0 0
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CaptainObvious.
Posts: 5713 - Karma: 20,647
Yes you need a car. Otherwise you'll have nothing to sit in on I-70.

Don't move here without a job signed and agreed. Especially if that job is hopefully on a mountain.

Really you should move to Oregon. This place is crowded as fuck and getting really expensive. The level of chill in Colorado is going down. Those Oregon homies have a chill level of 11.
8 years ago
18 2
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49566738265
Posts: 0 - Karma: 7,705
I'm not sure I'll be able to move back home if I don't do it soon. Colorado, especially Denver, has been a freaking magnet for everyone and their mom the last few years. It's gonna be LA at this rate.
8 years ago
3 0
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Dddsz
Posts: 3042 - Karma: 7,323
If you have a close relationship with your family and friends, the first couple days after leaving will suck. Keep yourself busy and don't think to much or you will have mental breakdowns like I did.
8 years ago
7 1
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SKIINGISEASY
Posts: 1552 - Karma: 2,200
I'm from Iowa but worked at Keystone last winter and am planning on it this winter. In my experience Boulder is the coolest place out there but unfortunately I couldn't afford the crazy tuition. If you do move into the mountains keep in mind things get more expensive. That being said I always have a blast when I'm out there and plan on moving there after college if I can find a job.
8 years ago
2 0
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mattytru
Posts: 2789 - Karma: 5,632
CaptainObvious.Yes you need a car. Otherwise you'll have nothing to sit in on I-70.

This place is crowded as fuck and getting really expensive. The level of chill in Colorado is going down.


yeah i just graduated from a school in colorado and am actually moving back to MA for these reasons. summit county is highly unchill and has a large concentration of tools and dbags (with a few tru homies sprinkled in, of course). the resort culture up there is offputting af, and the drive is horrendous, traffic-wise.

it also felt like colorado was getting flooded with out of staters which made it feel like less of a real place. a lot of the people i was meeting were from somewhere else in the country

all this said i loved my time there, especially if you like to fish and hike there are good opportunities to escape the level of crowds you see at ski mountains. place just wasnt for me to settle down and start life in
8 years ago
2 0
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CaptainObvious.
Posts: 5713 - Karma: 20,647
saracheezyyeah i just graduated from a school in colorado and am actually moving back to MA for these reasons. summit county is highly unchill and has a large concentration of tools and dbags (with a few tru homies sprinkled in, of course). the resort culture up there is offputting af, and the drive is horrendous, traffic-wise.

it also felt like colorado was getting flooded with out of staters which made it feel like less of a real place. a lot of the people i was meeting were from somewhere else in the country

all this said i loved my time there, especially if you like to fish and hike there are good opportunities to escape the level of crowds you see at ski mountains. place just wasnt for me to settle down and start life in


Yeah, you just have to go in knowing and accepting that it's no longer a larger mountain town, it's become a big city that is in close proximity to the mountains. You have to deal with the traffic, the out of towners, the transplants, the cost, etc.

If you've been here long enough to see it evolve, then you're most likely unhappy with what's happened.
8 years ago
1 0
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TheDoughAbides
Posts: 1319 - Karma: 4,036
go to oregon, colorado is getting worse everyday.
8 years ago
0 0
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OregonDead
Posts: 7074 - Karma: 26,638
Go to Oregon and go to community college. This place only requires that you have an Oregon address for 90 days to get in-state tuition and has new state of the art facilities to learn the trades. http://www.chemeketa.edu/Really nice newly remodeled auto shop plus a bunch of other good career and technical programs worth looking in to.
8 years ago
4 0
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laws
Posts: 373 - Karma: 789
Hello YOUNG LADY I live in Colorado and urge you to follow your dreams, life is gonna be life everywhere and I know that you won't regret it if you do head out west. Public transportation is ass here in Colorado but I guess you could bike. Good luck man, I have free lift tickets to A basin if you are stuck with out cash and dreaming of skiing
8 years ago
2 0
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theabortionator
Posts: 52626 - Karma: 174,620
hippy.killerI chose colorado obviously to ski and smoke weed


Good lord

As far as a car. Colorado is a big place. It's not all one town. Things very massively depending on where you are. If you live in employee housing at a ski area your chances of some sort of transportation are decent.

I would still recommend a car though. Otherwise you're kind of stuck.

In general do whatever you want. If you think you want to work at a mtn, do it. Get a job in advance and that will make everything much easier. Do it for a season. If you like it stick with it. If you hate it do something else next season

Don't move anywhere because of smoking weed though. Jesus.
8 years ago
7 0
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gravel
Posts: 5524 - Karma: 42,380
Colorado is getting to be a tough place to live on the front range and still want to ski. Lots of traffic and crowds. Not a bad place to live if you are comfortable with some sacrifice, plenty of people seem to just enjoy trash talking that it's not a good place.

I've only been in Oregon during the summers and it's my second home, but I think living near Portland during the winters could be tricky because of the weather. Bend is worth a thought because their weather is typically a bit nicer and Bachelor seems a better winter location than Hood area, though it's expensive.

Washington is worth a thought as well because there are more ski options, especially near the Seattle area. Weather is still tricky. Utah is cheap living and great skiing with very good weather as well.
8 years ago
2 0
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Static
Posts: 8588 - Karma: 4,099
If you really want to ski and hit powder days (keep in mind Colorado is great for holding snow but it doesn't dump all the time) with ease move to a resort town. You will need first last and a security deposit. Not having a pet will greatly increase your odds of finding a place, housing can cost anywhere around $650-900/room/mo. Location is huge, get a place by a bus stop and you won't need a car. It's easy to find work, lots of business that need decent reliable people during the season. Don't get a job that has you working in the mornings. Resort jobs are fine, the pad is a nice perk some independent places offer, but you usually get like half off at the cafeterias too. Or if you work at a restaurant as like a prep cook or dishwasher you get staff meals, either free or half off.
8 years ago
1 0
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iH8pow
Posts: 1890 - Karma: 8,524
The key to living in Colorado is having a non Monday-Friday job (if you're living in the front range) and traffic wont be so awful. You *could* survive without a car out here, but not ideal but I'm sure the same goes with Oregon. The resorts had better be including housing for free if they're paying $8-9, I feel like the standard starting wage up in the mountains is like $12/hour otherwise. Close to $10 in the front range for just a McDonalds job or something. Freemarket baby, fuck those people in Washington with their mandated $15/hour minimums
The biggest difference between Colorado and Oregon is the weather. The snowpack is different which you may/should know, but most of all just think about the weather throughout the year as a whole. Oregon is humid with lots of precipitation, bone chilling cold even when it's only like 40s. Colorado you can fairly comfortably ride a motorcycle year round (as in at least a few times/month). Oregon is green, much of Colorado is desert (in the front range) to brown in the mountains because of all the dead trees from the elm beatles or whatnot
If you're gonna go to school, I'd say forget CU it's too expensive and most people moving out here to ski and smoke weed would drop out, and that would be an expensive semester/year.
8 years ago
0 0
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edai
Posts: 4995 - Karma: 4,705
I dont know how big your balls are, but theres options out there for sure. You can take the gypsy route, buy some shit house in Govy, crash there for the Fall/Winter then dipset to the woods for spring/summer. Pass is a G for the year, but then you have to be able to deal with camping for 3+ months. Also this option would allow for hitch hiking, but Hood in the winter is not Bachy.

Next option, because Hood and Govy are absolutely dead during winter, is Bend and Bachelor. Decently cheap living, and theres a community college you can go to or the new OSU Cascade campus they just started up. Still going to need a car ya.

Colorado, meh. Not such a hot spot these days, good luck finding housing you can afford and paying for a car. Or you can get employee housing through Breck/Key, but make sure that job is nailed the fuck down before you book your ticket. They'll also transport you, but only to and from work. My homie did this all season at Breck, lived in Key's employee housing. He said it was tight, but had to move back in with employees after trying to get new roomates because...oh look he didnt have his own wheels.

Also dude biggest consideration is can you really fucking do this. I don't know you and I don't want to make it seem too big, but theres going to be times when you got no weed, no booze, light food, no homies, and work at 6am, are you going to be able to deal? Life in a ski town gets boring dude, you won't really be killin the bar scene especially w no car, and unless you know some homies in Summit already your partying is going to be minimal. You better love the fuck out of skiing guy.

Things to keep in mind man, my best advice is keep saving, buy a car, pass, and apartment, and drive your ass to Bend.
8 years ago
11 1
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hippy.killer
Posts: 204 - Karma: 947
thanks for the advice everyone. I forgot I made this thread until now. I am most likely going to work on a ski resort and get the housing and food discounts. I will post again when I move.
8 years ago
0 6
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CaptainObvious.
Posts: 5713 - Karma: 20,647
hippy.killerthanks for the advice everyone. I forgot I made this thread until now. I am most likely going to work on a ski resort and get the housing and food discounts. I will post again when I move.


posts thread
gets two months of solid responses
doesn't read any of them
makes decision anyway

God damnit OP.
8 years ago
11 0
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SofaKingSick
Posts: 9740 - Karma: 65,765
yolo!!
8 years ago
2 0
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270on420out
Posts: 7524 - Karma: 51,324
hippy.killerthanks for the advice everyone. I forgot I made this thread until now. I am most likely going to work on a ski resort and get the housing and food discounts. I will post again when I move.


Which resort you working at?
8 years ago
0 0
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SterlingArcher
Posts: 2200 - Karma: 2,456
If you come out here.. for the love of god don't act like you own the place and act like a stuck up shithead around town like half of the out of town seasonals.
8 years ago
0 0
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Chubz.
Posts: 13918 - Karma: 25,673
hippy.killerthanks for the advice everyone. I forgot I made this thread until now. I am most likely going to work on a ski resort and get the housing and food discounts. I will post again when I move.


youd have a lot more fun in oregon
8 years ago
0 0
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TheSmokinL
Posts: 496 - Karma: 1,620
Just moved here. Expensive af. My job helped me move but without it I couldn't even get the bank to approve a small loan for moving, so I would've been SOL. Denver area and the outskirts are expensive. Whoever said about $900/month is totally accurate, with roommates too. If you wanna live in a ski town get on Vail's website right now and pull up their hiring page (doesn't have to be vail but there's a TON of positions open from restaurants to maintenance to front desk). Also, you need a car. No questions. If you're not super out doorsy then you'll get cabin fever if you live near the resorts (or near the city for that fact). Food, entertainment, etc is expensive so you'll have to entertain yourself often until you've saved up money for a few months.
8 years ago
2 1
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ThaLorax
Posts: 21106 - Karma: 8,611
Asks for advice > gets solid advice > doesn't take anyone's advice

Yup. You'll fit right into the "new" Colorado lifestyle.
8 years ago
4 0
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50Kal
Posts: 2836 - Karma: 5,541
Apply for winter jobs now. I say go farther west than Vail.
Silverton, crest butte, telluride would be really sick places.
8 years ago
2 2
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theabortionator
Posts: 52626 - Karma: 174,620
hippy.killerthanks for the advice everyone. I forgot I made this thread until now. I am most likely going to work on a ski resort and get the housing and food discounts. I will post again when I move.


CaptainObvious.posts thread
gets two months of solid responses
doesn't read any of them
makes decision anyway

God damnit OP.


This

50KalApply for winter jobs now. I say go farther west than Vail.
Silverton, crest butte, telluride would be really sick places.


No way. I think OP was born to live in summit.
8 years ago
4 0
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TheDoughAbides
Posts: 1319 - Karma: 4,036
theabortionatorNo way. I think OP was born to live in summit.


100%
8 years ago
1 0
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hippy.killer
Posts: 204 - Karma: 947
DIRTYBUBBLEWhich resort you working at?


I just took a job at breck as a non certified ski instructor. make 10.50 an hour.
8 years ago
0 0
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hippy.killer
Posts: 204 - Karma: 947
Also, me and one other friend are working at breck, both on Peak 8, so I will have at least 1 roommate. my other friend is trying to get hired at breck and we might have 3 roommates. Probably going to rent a house for about $1800/mo. shits going down in November
8 years ago
1 2
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ThaLorax
Posts: 21106 - Karma: 8,611
...because Breck needs another crew of 18 year olds who think they run shit.
8 years ago
7 0
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SterlingArcher
Posts: 2200 - Karma: 2,456
I'll be sure to look for you in the police blotter.
8 years ago
5 0
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Nebrasky
Posts: 4 - Karma: 11
Ive been thinking of applying to a university in colorado too. Have a friend working in the IT department, not that it's going to help my application just saying he moved from NY and says Colorado is great.
8 years ago
1 2
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50Kal
Posts: 2836 - Karma: 5,541
SterlingArcherI'll be sure to look for you in the police blotter.

I need the name of local breck paper now. OP don't let us down.
8 years ago
0 0
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TheDoughAbides
Posts: 1319 - Karma: 4,036
NebraskyIve been thinking of applying to a university in colorado too. Have a friend working in the IT department, not that it's going to help my application just saying he moved from NY and says Colorado is great.

He's lying it sucks Utah and Washington are wayyy better
8 years ago
2 0
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49566738265
Posts: 0 - Karma: 7,705
NebraskyIve been thinking of applying to a university in colorado too. Have a friend working in the IT department, not that it's going to help my application just saying he moved from NY and says Colorado is great.


You should tell your friend to shut the fuck up.
8 years ago
7 1
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SofaKingSick
Posts: 9740 - Karma: 65,765
Dustin.You should tell your friend to shut the fuck up.


Yeah sure, wouldn't want anyone finding out about the top secret state of Colorado
8 years ago
11 0
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TheDoughAbides
Posts: 1319 - Karma: 4,036
taking odds on how many months till OP makes an angry thread about how crowded colorado is getting..
8 years ago
2 1
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frickindarn
Posts: 2545 - Karma: 11,371
If you move to summit county the transportation is free and actually pretty damn good.
With that being said Colorado has tons of opportunities for school and housing if you can afford it.

I'm not proud to say this but I gotta. Between blowing my knee out and having medical bills, plus car, insurance, phone etc I live with my gfs parents. I'm also going to school. I wouldn't be going if I couldn't afford it.

I LOVED living in keystone however a lot of the people there that I knew 4 years ago are still doing the same thing. That's not a bad thing if you're them. It I don't wanna be in my mid 20s getting drunk and high every day not going anywhere.

Cureently im an assistant manager for a dispo so the job market for me is easy to get another job if I need. But Colorado is still super exp since, we aren't chill anymore and you probably will love it out here but won't be here forever. However it is still kind of hard to find a job that you can live comfortably and still ski.

Thats my stand.
8 years ago
0 0
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theabortionator
Posts: 52626 - Karma: 174,620
SofaKingSickYeah sure, wouldn't want anyone finding out about the top secret state of Colorado



This so much. Nothing worse than people who act like a state is some hidden place that nobody has heard of.

The best is when you find out they've from NJ or something and have live in boulder for 2 years.
8 years ago
1 0
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ALMIGHTYSOSA
Posts: 2800 - Karma: 2,102
Just ask yourself OP do you like Meth (OR) or do you like Crack (CO)? Serious note Oregon has one of the best rated public transportation systems in the United States. You could literally travel from Mt. Hood to the coast and back for 10-12$. So literally not having a car isn't really a big deal, and Oregon is a very biking friendly state. With tons of paved trails, and dedicated bike lanes it is very easy to get around Portland/Oregon with public transport/bikes. Also on highway 26 from Mt. Hood to Portland it's very prevalent and common for people to hitchhike. I don't condone it but have relied on it countless times and have never had a issue getting picked up within 10 minutes (if you look like a normal person). Since Oregon is a very liberal state it shouldn't be hard to find a decent entry paying job from around 11$-15$. You can go to Mt. Hood Community College just about a hour away from the mountain and take courses there for school. The environment here is so nice with a ton of rivers, lake, camping, hiking, etc. Literally their is a reason why Oregon/Washington is projected to have a massive population increase from people moving here because of geography/region. We literally got cities, suburbs, desserts, grasslands, mountains, beaches, rainforest and small country towns. I've been living in Oregon all my life op, literally I could write a whole book on describing why Oregon is one of the best places to live but I'll save my time. PM if you have any questions or want more info.
8 years ago
1 0
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Randy_Quench
Posts: 5447 - Karma: 4,348
frickindarnI don't wanna be in my mid 20s getting drunk and high every day not going anywhere.

Cureently im an assistant manager for a dispo


Lol
8 years ago
1 2
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theabortionator
Posts: 52626 - Karma: 174,620
Lieutenant_DanI don't condone it but have relied on it countless times


lol que?
8 years ago
0 0
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frickindarn
Posts: 2545 - Karma: 11,371
Randy_QuenchLol


I stopped smoking weed a year ago lol. It's just great money and getting me through college now. Better than waiting tables every day.
8 years ago
0 0
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ALMIGHTYSOSA
Posts: 2800 - Karma: 2,102
theabortionatorlol que?


I relied on it a lot, but its a risky thing you know. Had a couple of weird/sketchy occurrences but besides that Ihave had met some really down to earth real people from hitch hiking.
8 years ago
1 0
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Randy_Quench
Posts: 5447 - Karma: 4,348
frickindarnI stopped smoking weed a year ago lol. It's just great money and getting me through college now. Better than waiting tables every day.


No hate man, I have plenty of friends doing similar stuff. There is definitely a fair amount of money to be made in the industry. I just thought it was funny how you segwayed that post ha
8 years ago
2 0
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