 You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Let's say you love mountain biking, skiing and snowboarding and you could work from home anywhere, where would you choose to live?
- Chamonix valley, $$$, amazing biking and skiing but bikes banned in July/Aug
- Bourg St Maurice - access to lots of ski resorts and some great back-country riding
- Morzine / Portes de Soleil - access to lots of ski resorts and downhill riding
- Somewhere else...
I had the most fantastic 4 days in Chatel last summer, so that would be high on my list. You can live almost anywhere around there (Morzine/Avoriaz etc) and travel around using the ski lifts
I'm also gonna chip in with Whistler....
Found myself watching this again yesterday. Utterly superb and inspiring.
The dolomites.
Went there for a motorbike trip a few years back and vowed to come back as soon as I can with an MTB. Stunning place.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/4374/36232003133_89ecf79f88_h.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/4374/36232003133_89ecf79f88_h.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
Although, if I was properly emigrating, Canada would be hard to beat. Around the Vancouver area would be OK, I suppose...
A pretty village in the Aosta valley? uplift at La Thuile and Pila, miles of other trails. Amazing big mountains plus the relative value of great food and drinks compared to French resorts?
Verbier and the surrounding area, somewhere in the valley like Etiez.
Zermatt was nice but eyewateringly expensive to live there.
Ideally I would like to live on the outskirts of Bourg St Maurice. There is good access to loads of different ski and biking resorts as well as kayaking and climbing. Now lots of places have that but BSM has things that would make it practical to live there all year round like supermarkets, shops, services and a train station.
Somewhere around or near Lake Annecy!
I would love to live in Sospel, decent weather most of the year and lots of trails.
Having lived (in a van) in the alps, before and during of the summer season, do not underestimate how little (both in terms of facilities and trails) is open in the shoulder season.
Vancouver, or somewhere deep in the Pyrenees
Chamonix valley: ace apart from the vehicle and woodburner pollution. It's one of the most polluted areas in France; I couldn't live there.
Bourg St Maurice: one of the villages opposite les Arcs maybe but life would be a bit dull a lot of the time as there's not a fat lot else to do when you've finished your daily exercise. The sunny side of the hill, but it's still dismal in late Autumn and Spring. A two season possibility.
Portes de Soleil: Nah.
Lake Annecy: Not bad
I chose Pau: I like the attitude in the south west, people are just as important as physical environment to me. Prosperous comfortable town of 150 000 with all that's needed for an active social life. The best heated outdoor swimming pool anywhere, great lowland trails, an active club scene, big enough peaks nearby and ski resorts from 55km. The ocean close enough for day trips. Rarely too cold or too hot.
Pila La Thuile area. It still gives easy access to the Taranase (sp) Valley and Veribier Zermatt Crans Montana for variery
Briancon. Skiing in the winter, kayaking as the snow melts, biking once the water has gone lasting right the way through til late in the season before the snow starts again.
Plenty to be going at in the Durance valley apart from work to do.
I'm having Andalusia. I can forgive the trails being a bit less gnar than morzine, simply because winter doesn't arrive really.
Anyone dreaming of "alpine" riding in Vancouver are going to be very disappointed! The local mountains are only around ~1600-1700m elevation and densely covered in trees...