Anyone in Seattle area?

[TalleyHo]

There is a slight chance that I'll be relocating to the Seattle Washington area in the near future. I was curious if anyone is up there - how the water is, how long I can ski w/o my dry suit, and other various tidbits about the area. I know there are a bazillion lakes in the NW. Plus, with gas being a premium on the west coast, is it even feasible to get on the water w/o sacrificing our first born.

[AirJunky]

Depends on what your idea of expensive is, Talleyho. I lived & skied in the Seattle area since the early 1980s & moved to Spokane about 2 yrs ago. Real estate values & the IT job market drove me to the move.
If you look for shared waterfront, you should be able to find an average 3 or 4 bedroom home for around $300k or $400k in the burbs on a lake like Tapps, American, Goodman, or Stevens. Up a notch & you might find something on Sammamish or Washington. Primary waterfront is spendy, inexcess of $700k - a million depending on how far out of Seattle your looking.
I still have loads of ski friends in the area. Go check out shops like Wiley's & Adrenaline Watersports. They both make drysuits that will allow you to ski for 8 or 9 months out of the year comfortably. Westuits will get you thru about 6 months. No suit at all in late July, August, maybe early Sept.
And a 2 - 4 hr drive to the east & there are tons of places to ski & camp where it's guarenteed sunshine & hot weather, Columbia Gorge, No Wake Lake, Snake river or Lake Roosevelt.
Good luck & drop me a line anytime...... bill@airjunky.com

[redmike]

tallyho, I live there, and agree with airjunky, the prices are getting worse for lake/waterfront, but you can still find values. The weather is not really as bad as everyone makes it out to be....