Living at high altitude?

[Hoodone]

DH and I are seriously considering building a house at fairly high elevtion (~8500-8800'). For some reason that just seems so much higher than the 7500' elevations of which I am pretty familiar. I know it will snow more at the higher elevation, but does anyone have personal experience to relate and any information that I may not have thought of that we should factor into our decision? Any insight would be appreciated, like will I need to get a pressure cooker because otherwise no food will ever get done?!!?

[Kay Henderson]

I live at 6200 feet, but have camped in motorhomes with cooking capability quite a bit at the elevations you describe. The only thing I feel qualified to comment on is the cooking. I think a pressure cooker would be helpful for some items, such as beans, but most things cook by routine methods if you just give them longer. I have rarely baked at the very high elevations, so I can't speak to this from personal experience. (There are books, such as Chocolate Snowball, written by a chef at a very high ski resort in Utah, which do address this topic.)

Good luck as you explore your options!

Kay

[jenniferW]

Dh and I lived at 10,800 ft in Colorado. When we first moved in, it was pretty tough getting things moved upstairs. I'd say it took about a month for us to feel normal again. There were some things that were very different;We were never able to get our beans to cook through :( , company always complained of headaches, it was really, really windy in the winter. The Aspen wouldn't begin to leaf out until the middle of June and then the leaves would fall the first part of September :eek:. On the plus side, company didn't stay long ;) , and I lost 8 pounds without trying, and kept it off :D. We loved it!

For some reason we just felt healthier, I would do it again. Where are you thinking of moving?

[jenniferW]

I forgot to mention, as long as I made the usually high altitude adjustments, baking was never really a problem. Colorado Cache is a great cookbook.

[jimjimmerjim]

I lived in Bogotá, and it is 2,640 meters / ~8,600 feet, and I agree pretty much with what Jennifer said. The elevation takes some getting used to, but you do get used to it.

Whenever I go back to Colombia, I feel terrible for the first few days, but get used to the lack of air, etc., after a few.

[Laura]

I have lived at 6200 feet or above for the past 9 years. I have never found it to be too much of a problem except for exercising when I first come back from sea level. When I go to higher elevations from here it does take some time to adjust, but I think if you were to live there, you would. I thought I heard once that it takes 1 day for each 1000 foot increase in elevation for your body to adjust, but that could just be folklore.

[Hoodone]

We're thinking about building a home in a new subdivision which is on Floyd Hill, along I-70 between Evergreen and Idaho Springs (that's in Colorado). The funny thing is, the most difficult thing about Canada is the long winter, now we're thinking about basically recreating our own little Canadian winter situation in Colorado! Of course, 8500' is a lot different than 10,800. Was that Leadville?

[Robyn1007]

Hoodone,

That's the exact area that I spent 45 minutes at a dead stop due to a rollover accident trying to head up the mountain Saturday. I live in Denver but frequently spend time in the mountains and at my family's vacation home in Vail. The biggest thing I notice is it's tougher to go up stairs or hike and such but I'm sure you'd adjust to it. I've never had a problem with baking here in Denver and the only thing I've baked in Vail was a pudding cake so that's not a good representation.

Definitely let us know if you decide to build here, we'll organize another Colorado Klatch.

Robyn

[jenniferW]

Hoodone, We lived in South Park, halfway between Alma and Fairplay. We both worked for the Town of Breckenridge. I hope you'll let us know what you decide. I wish we were still close enough to go to the Beau Jo's in Idaho Spring. I still have cravings.

[Hoodone]

We're definitely going to move to Colorado within 1-2 year time frame. Sooner if DH finds a great job before then. We'll either choose Evergreen or this Floyd Hill location. Evergreen is "only" 7500' so I'm not too worried about that. For some reason the 8000+ elevation seems so much higher! I'd absolutely love to meet some other BB'ers. I feel quite isolated up here in Calgary!

[Robyn1007]

Hoodone, We lived in South Park, halfway between Alma and Fairplay. We both worked for the Town of Breckenridge. I hope you'll let us know what you decide. I wish we were still close enough to go to the Beau Jo's in Idaho Spring. I still have cravings.

I'm almost embarrassed to say that I've never eaten at Beau Jo's! I've passed it more than a hundred times but I'm usually in such a hurry to get down the mountain that I don't stop. I might have to make a point of it now that I've heard a fellow foodie's rave reviews.

Hoodone, what field is your DH in? I can keep my ears open for something...

[Hoodone]

I've eaten at Beau Jo's, but I'm embarrassed to say how long ago it was!

DH is in oil and gas accounting which is a fairly specialized field, but he is hooked up with the major accounting headhunting firm there in Denver. We've had a few leads, but so far no one wants to move us from Canada! :rolleyes: I know he'll be able to get something once we're there if we end up having to move ourselves...

[mcgeiger]

I'm almost embarrassed to say that I've never eaten at Beau Jo's!

:eek: :eek: :eek:

[Robyn1007]

DH is in oil and gas accounting which is a fairly specialized field, but he is hooked up with the major accounting headhunting firm there in Denver. We've had a few leads, but so far no one wants to move us from Canada! :rolleyes: I know he'll be able to get something once we're there if we end up having to move ourselves...

Would you believe my step-dad is an oil and gas landman? He is in Texas but his contacts in the business are pretty extensive so I'll put those feelers out. :)

ETA: Yes, Kelly, I've never had Beau Jo's. Maybe we need to change that when we both have some time.