Bozeman vs. Whitefish

[vailcat]

What say you? I'm going to buy a house at one of these places. What's the pro's and con's of each? Better snow? Better bc access? Better terrain? Loosest sluts? Lowest incidence of std's? All the important shit.

[AsheanMT]

hmmm. I'm out the door to go ski right now but I'll come back to answer.

[tone capone]

Bozeman = long dry spells most winters.

[acostiga]

i'll get the ball rolling here...

one huge issue, i think, is that bozeman is a university town and whitefish certainly isn't. this detail influences many of the human factors in which you might be interested. also think that bozeman is much, much larger than whitefish.

having stated the above, i should disclose that i've never been to bozeman and have only lived in whitefish/flathead valley for a few years.

do you have a job already lined up? the job market around the flathead valley is getting pretty tight for most types of people, which might also influence your decision. a year or two ago there were "help wanted" signs in almost every storefront... which isn't the case now that some of the major employers in the area have either downsized or halted production.

[vailcat]

Job thing is covered. Not an issue. I am a farmer so winters are for nothing more than just getting a job for a ski pass and to stay out of trouble.

Do realize one is a college town and the other is not. Was at whitefish last winter for first time and thought it was pretty cool. Haven't done much bozeman action but I grew up skiing big sky and shit back in the day but it was well before I was the conissuer(?)Of snow and things steep I am today

Tone was that srcastic. I'm super hungover this am and my sarcastic meter is shot along with my liver. I have only been watching the snow there for bout year and a half and well its obviously sucked this year. I do remember my first ever pow day was at bridger bout 1989 I believe but really haven't been there since except a drive up this past fall when I was also super hungover.

[montanaskier]

Bozeman has access to some pretty good bc as does Whitefish. Bozeman is easy access to Yellowstone, Big Sky, Bridger. Whitefish is easy access to Big Mtn, Glacier, and Canada.

Bozeman has way more sun in the winter....snowfall is similar however. I would pick Bozeman. Both kick lots o ass.

[Aussie_ripper]

How important are women to you? I don't know about Whitefish, but it really helps to be gay if you're in Bozeman.

[vailcat]

I got a rightand a left hand to go with my photographic memory so the women thing is like most ski towns. A fukkin fantasy played out in the shower.

[Yonder_River]

Kind of depends on what you're into. Whitefish probably has a tighter scene, Bozeman has more options. Weather in b-town is nicer, more things to do. wfish is probably a little cheaper housing wise. Skiing is def better in bozeman along with ice climbing and kayaking. ALL of Montana goes through winter drought periods, especially in the last 15 years, it aint Utah. I dated four different girls while living there so the woman factor probably depends more on your game than anything. If you're not in college or don't put yourself out there, then ya, you probably won't be hooking up.

[easyrdr]

I've spent quite a bit of time at both and both have their advantages/disadvantages etc. Really it comes down to whats most important to you (outside of skiing). Both have whatever type of skiing you do it's just a matter of how much effort you want to put in. For lift served steeps you can't beat the Bozeman area. From a crowd perspective you can't beat Big Mtn. For backcountry both have the goods. Personally I like the options that come with a university town, variety of food/females/music etc. Really you can't go wrong with either place.

[acostiga]

ok, more on the topic at hand.

whitefish is close to british columbia, which is cool. it's nice to be able to get away and head north into canada. it's like being in another country or something! i'm a big fan of tim horton's. i also went to nelson a few times last season, and the ainsworth hot springs. good times. other than that, the place can seem a bit isolated from the rest of the world.

back on our side of the border there are also a few natural features about the flathead valley that are worth mentioning maybe not for the OP but for others who are reading... the first is probably glacier national park. growing up back east, i have to admit that i didn't know very much about this particular national park. it's simply amazing. going-to-the-sun road is open during the summer/fall, and is a two-lane road that snakes through the park. it's easy access to awesome hiking, summer skiing, etc. rafting on the north fork/middle fork is pretty rad as far as possibilities go, even if they're not supre-extremo. the water is so amazingly clear and clean! gnp is only 30-45 minutes east of whitefish.

flathead lake also doesn't get much mention, i feel. but it's huge, clean and pretty underappreciated. the lake itself is something like 26 miles long. there are plenty of smaller lakes around the area, but this is the big one. there's also whitefish lake that's right in town, with a public "beach". like i mentioned before, i don't know much about bozeman but i imagine that it's a much more crowded and busy place (with more people accessing the goods) than whitefish.

women? it's not such a good scene, but you probably already knew that. but they are around, so long as you're sort of easy-going about certain things...

ok, need to go back to work. more commentary later, i suppose.

[easyrdr]

women? it's not such a good scene, but you probably already knew that. but they are around, so long as you're sort of easy-going about certain things...

Like having teeth for example

[toast2266]

Bozeman has "bigger" skiing for sure. It seems like Bozeman also has a lot more people that are into skiing, which has its ups and downs. Bozeman is also fucking expensive.

Whitefish is small, and Kalispell is full of white trash, and their more well-off brethren, uber Christians. The upside to this is that there's less people competing for the snow (since, from what I've seen, most uber Christians suck at skiing). Whitefish also gets crazy foggy a lot of the time, to the point where legitimate skiing is reaaally hard. You'll also have a much easier time scoring meth around Whitefish.

Whitefish also has close access to Glacier NP - more of a summer thing, but Glacier is a far superior park to Yellowstone. Also, as has been mentioned, Fernie is just a little over an hour from Whitefish, and theres some fun stuff up there. Banff is also within relatively easy reach too.

Its a tough call I guess; depends on what you're looking for. Lack of people - go whitefish. More people but (potentially) better skiing - go Bozeman.

[corn dog]

I dated four different girls while living there

So by my math they each dated ten different guys ....

[Eluder]

wfish is probably a little cheaper housing wise.

hahaha....

As an 8 year Bozeman resident, the only other place in Montana i would live is whitefish

The flathead valley is prime in the summers. lakes and rivers with mountains climbing right out of them. Being a Minnesotan originally the water up there really appeals to me. Though it sounds like you'd mainly be there in the winter.Big mountain is pretty good, there snow is totally different than what we get down here.... mainly not people ridding it. Its not to uncommon for bridger to tracked by noon on a powder day. There is good BC both places, but i feel its easier to access in WF. Plus glacier is about as cool as it gets.

either way it should be fun.

[nbt]

Not even a debate if all you want to do is ski. Bozeman has way way better skiing. Bridger is 15 minutes away and is one of the 10 best ski hills in North America. Big Sky is 45 minutes away and is one of the 10 best ski hills in NA. Whitefish is 15 mins to Whitefish which is a fun resort but not on the level of Bridger/Big Sky. Bozeman has chicks as well because of the college. Better yet stay in Vail and ski East Vail, that's pretty much the best sidecountry in the states. I made the mistake of moving from Bozeman to Vail and East Vail saved my life. It's funny how Vail is one of the weakest most Overrated resorts I've ever skied but then East Vail is one of the best most Underrated sidecountries I've ever skied. If you like chutes, cliffs and exposed terrain, Bozeman is the only choice in Montana.

[vailcat]

Its funny how Ive talked to a lot of folks who have left vail for montana but not really any the other way. You would be one of the first nbt. Most it seems dont miss the vail thing one bit. Sounds like the snow hangs around longer at big sky because of fewer people and colder temps.

decisions decisions

[HaoXianJhao]

Nothing to see in Bozeman....move along

[DeeAre]

Mantana sucks, so does Vail.

[RootSkier]

Not even a debate if all you want to do is ski. Bozeman has way way better skiing.

Truth. If this is a "ski house" it has to be Bozeman.

That said, I'm happy to live in Missoula. Worse skiing than either Bozeman or Whitefish but way better whitewater options and a cooler town in general. But really, the skiing here sucks.

[AsheanMT]

What say you? I'm going to buy a house at one of these places. What's the pro's and con's of each? Better snow? Better bc access? Better terrain? Loosest sluts? Lowest incidence of std's? All the important shit.

Better snow= Tough call. Bridger gets their legendary cold smoke but you never know when its gonna hit. Big Mtn in Whitefish generally gets an inch or two a night (most seasons) with big dumps here and there (currently puking outside with an estimated foot due by tomorrow morning) I know for sure that winter holds on up here a little bit longer than it does in the rest of the state.

Better BC access- Both have awesome BC terrain only a short drive away but I think that the open boundary policy at Big Mtn is the best. The gates tell you when you've reached the boundary and nobody will stop you from going out of it. Lots of slackcountry available here. Glacier Park is a twenty five minute drive away where you can get yourself into some VERY gnarly ski mountaineering terrain. Lots of sled accessed everywhere up here, the whitefish range, the jewel basin, the bob marshall wilderness. The canadian border is an hour drive and you can make it to ferny in about two and a half. Keep on going and its not too hard to have a long weekend to get to revie, kicking horse, lake Louis, rogers pass, and Banf. (banf is about six hours) Of course, Bozeman has fairly close access to the Crazy Mountains, Cooke City, Yellowstone.

Loosest Sluts- I'm gonna say Whitefish. Plenty of young college girls to be had in Bozeman but tons of canadian cougars on vacation that believe "What happens in Whitefish stays in Whitefish". I've been attacked by cougars here more times than I could count.

The bar scene here is really hoppin. Tiny town with seven bars and a brewery within three blocks
Lots of loose slutty tourists to be had.

If you're looking to save money than the snow bus goes to the Mtn every 30min for free and runs till ten or so at night so you don't have to drive drunk down the road to get to town.

Our mountain closes early. First weekend in April regardless of the snowpack due to their forest service lease. However all the locals continue skinning through may and then its off to the Jewel, and logan pass in Glacier.

Made my last turns of the year on July 28th. My buddy got his first turns this season in the Park back in September (powder turns none the less).

I obviously know more about Whitefish than Bozeman but I have been to bozone a bunch. Alot busier down there and way too many people for my liking. I love skiing midweek here at whitefish because you never ever ever have to wait to get onto the chairlift. We let the tourists have the mountain on weekends and holidays and have it to ourselves the rest of the time.

House prices are dropping around here but are still pretty spendy. I would imagine that you could get more house for your money in Bozeman than in Whitefish. The rest of the flathead valley has some very cheap homes but its nothing like living in whitefish. The rest of the valley has a tenancy to be very conservative with strong religious points of view and a "good ole boy" mentality.

[fez]

yep, Ashean nailed it. Whitefish no question.

[myBALLSareSOhuge]

Lots of loose slutty tourists to be had.

Big difference between a married guy getting winked at by a touron vs a single guy sealing the deal. Just sayin.

[CountryFunk]

Job thing is covered. Not an issue. I am a farmer so winters are for nothing more than just getting a job for a ski pass and to stay out of trouble.

Farmer?!! Medical marijuana????? Can you hook a brother up?

You have enough dough to buy a "ski house" in two of the most spendy towns in the state and you get a job for the free pass? WTF?

Whitefish. Just be sure to wear a beavertail at the bars to reduce the chances of an std.

Root - you're not trying to steal my schtick are you?

[AsheanMT]

Big difference between a married guy getting winked at by a touron vs a single guy sealing the deal. Just sayin.

Well, if by "winked at" you mean flashed the freshly shaven meat trap from across the bar (and I swear she made it wink at me). Then ya, winked at for sure.


Cougars on leave man, they attack. Very dangerous place here in Whitefish. Serious cougar problems.