I’ll keep this short.

Your attention span is short and so is my time because I live in a ski town.

With the ski season fast approaching, the shoulder season is upon us–when time drips by like molasses, the tourists return to their lives as parents, professionals and hobbyists, and ski town businesses reminisce fondly over the times when dollars spent more time coming in the doors than they did going out.
The shoulder season is a time to reflect and breathe, knowing that those magical flakes will fall soon and transform the mountain, the town, and the people. But the fun ain’t over.

While this sleepy time is important, there’s one thing it is not. Boring.

In fact, I’m hard pressed to write this article because I was just invited to hike to the top of our ski resort that received a trickle of snow, and last night I spent more time drinking beers brewed by our neighbors to the north than thinking about my future. There’s simply not enough time.
There’s not enough time to tag all the bases in an environment where the weather, the people, and the activities change every day. I hear criticism all the time about ski towns–there’s nothing to do in the off season! I tried to replay these words in my mind last night while watching a friend’s video of a raft trip. He traveled deep into the heart of one of the largest expanses of protected wilderness in the contiguous US located just east of us, requiring a flight via bush plane to begin. When did this trip happen? In the Spring–AKA a mountain town’s super shoulder season or “mud season”.
All of this goes to say that it’s fun out here.

So if you’re considering moving to a mountain town here’s a few things to ponder:

• Think of everyday as your Saturday.
• Contrary to popular belief, rivers don’t stop flowing in the fall.
• If your bored, you’re boring.
• In season an Olympic skier will most likely be floating around somewhere on the mountain to keep you humbled.
• Don’t bother looking for a “real job”. We all work in seasonal or service industries. Be one of us.

Most of all, it’s not that cool. Don’t move here.

Just buy lift tickets from us when the time comes around.