Discussion: the struggle is real

Tough to figure out where to raise a kid. I have no answers for you.

Wherever we all end up we should plan on Lukas and Inara running on the same 25manna team in 2027, presumably up against a team with the Gueorgiou/Billstam kid on it.

Truckee! Skiing and orienteering we can do! As long as you don't need jobs too...

I'm in...For somewhere.

If there is enough of us with complementary skills, we can just start a company together for the jobs part, right?

I'm in, too! Just convince Ed, ok?

having access to XC skiing and an associated XC skiing kids program is such a great opportunity for a family and especially for a kid. Here in Canada the jackrabbits program didn't exist when I was young but back then my O club also had a skiing group which was great. We get almost no snow in Hamilton now so the closest jackrabbits program to Hamilton is Guelph or Waterloo but really necessary to go farther north. I regret not signing Emma up in Jackrabbits and driving the extra distance in winter to give her that opp. Don't get me
wrong she loves skiing and we do it a lot but the social aspect and excellent training that exists in XC skiing is hard to beat. That's why we formed ARK instead but we are small compared to skiing in southern Ontario. Ski clubs have club houses that ARK doesn't have yet and you are probably wel aware of the value of that having been in Linne for so long.

Starr's and my decision to build a cottage (more like a retirement home) was in part to have access to skiing in winter and paddling in summer. We think it is so cool that the local higschool here in Parry Sound often wins medals at Ontario HS champs in skiing (especially coming from a town where hockey is king in winter given the link to the Boston Bruins living legend Bobby Orr).

In summer the ski club trains on our road with roller skiing. Dozens of kids roller skiing! I know all 3-5 people that roller skis in Hamilton. ;-)

It is hard to have 100% choice of where one can live but you are asking the right questions now. :-)

So location? Boston, upstate NY, NH. In Canada Ottawa is tops for sure Vancouver/Whistler or Calgary or interior BC also good. Southern Ontario has ARK but one needs to travel an hour north of big population centers for skiing - which reminds me I need to invite Ian Smith up north some weekend.

Having O programs link to XC ski clubs is a no brainer and Tarno and I are thinking that xc skiing jackrabbits programs might just be the best way to grow ARK and O for kids in Ontario - but that is a different topic for another time and thread or skype call.
;-)

And Canadians have such a good sense of .....humor!

@hammer: What fraction of ARK/ARX-ers XC ski?

@guy, very few in the Golden Horseshoe but a fair number in KW where they have a XC ski area with grooming and a kids program (some coaches are involved in both). But ARX organizes orienteering training with the Southern Ontario Division Jr XC ski team dryland training in summer and there is a ski-O practice with them today (organized by Mark Tarnopolsky). His daughter just raced at World Jr. Ski-O champs at age 16 (she started in jackrabbits and ARK).

Having kids in organized and family outdoor sports at an early age is awesome for their development and creating opportunities.

Bellingham, WA? O is tricky - with a few exceptions, vegetation W of the mtns is too thick to get off trail much. Still don't know what GVOC's maps are like other than sprint camp. Perhaps worth considering.

I vote for DC. Excellent choice.
(Ugh, everyone is deserting us ... Sad.)

If anywhere in Canada gets considered, surely Whitehorse deserves a mention - cross country skiing and orienteering galore, though maybe not the ideal balance between the length of the season for each one.

Vancouver has both Jackrabbits and orienteering. I coached my grandsons this year in the Hollyburn xc club and they loved it. The same
young families were bringing their 4-6-year olds to Jackbunnies that we see bringing their young ones orienteering. We'll try harder to recruit the Jackrabbits to our Junior orienteering group next year.