If you love skiing, the chances are that you think about it all the time and often can’t wait until you’re back on those slopes. But, unfortunately, most of us don’t live in an area where we can enjoy skiing as often as we want to. To fix that: many decide to move to ski communities the moment they retire.
These are the top places to retire if skiing is the sport that calls to you and why they’re awesome year-round.
Why Retire In A Skiing Community?
Some worry that if they retire in a skiing community, they’ll lose their excitement for the sport. They miss that just because you live in the community doesn’t mean you need to ski every day!
Most of the cities on this list have an off-season of five to seven months every year. This gives you the time to focus on other parts of your life and enjoy hiking or swimming while you can hop back onto the slopes the moment the first snowfalls.
Banff, Alberta
Banff is Canada’s oldest national park, but it’s also an incredible skiing destination. From the gorgeous powdery snow that covers the slopes to the fantastic range of mountains you can pick from, Banff understands why we love to ski and puts a lot of attention into ensuring that your visit here is awesome.
So what’s it like to live here? Banff is a fantastic tourist-destination town that’s even gorgeous in its off-season. When the snow melts away, the mountains turn emerald green, and those lakes and rivers that were once frozen over becoming bright blue from the glaciers they spring from. You can enjoy hiking, biking, and even rock climbing here in the summer, with the large range of options offering the chance for locals to create any life they want to.
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is another icy city many people consider the moment they decide to retire in a skiing capital. This Olympic town is the best-known skiing destination in the country and understands why people love to visit. From gorgeous peaks to plenty of perks for anyone who skis, you may think this is paradise: but it comes with a large price to match.
Real estate for sale in Whistler is highly prized and extremely expensive for anyone who wants a life here. Before it’s hard to expand and add new properties, those that are available sell for millions of dollars, and buying a home that’s already built is prohibitively expensive. So if you can afford it, this is heaven on earth. Otherwise, it’s a big bill to swallow.
St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Québec
If you know some French and want to find the most affordable mountain to live on, St-Ferréol-les-Neiges in Québec could be perfect for you.
This beautiful town has just under three thousand residents that are lucky enough to enjoy its slopes and nature year-round. Unfortunately, almost sixty percent of the mountains are deemed difficult: so this is the place to go if you love a challenge!