jossie

It's not as expensive as you might think. Especially night skiing, for example all equipment & rentals plus the lift pass for a Friday night is $15 all in. We have some spare mens skis + bindings. If you manage to plan a ski trip I would be happy to ship them to you for free. Not the whole package but it would be a start.

Shard

I'm guessing $15 ain't Whistler...

rivingtonpike

I think you can get a very real sense of claustrophobia without being in a confined space physically. We decided against settling in the Okanagan for that very reason. It was that notion of it being such a long way to anywhere or anything else. Undeniably a beautiful region, but just not for us.

I hope you can find a happy solution.

dbd33

Er no. Seattle's quite a lot like Toronto but neither are like a snow covered field in the back of beyond.

Moses2013

I think it's great if people enjoy Canada, but I wouldn't say that British people think someone is boasting, because he/she is showing a salmon. Maybe people in the area you come from, but not somewhere in Scotland, so to be fair, people should stop talking about the whole of the UK when they really only mean one small area.

jossie

Fair point, I should have said England. Shall I take it you voted for independence then?

Moses2013

Not Scottish and no offence. We sometimes just forget that the UK isn't that small

snoopdawg

Whilst not agreeing with some of Jossie's chosen activities ( I prefer shooting photos of wildlife) it would appear that she/he are being picked on by the "usual" crowd.
Whilst it's commendable the certain people wish to protect the feelings of the OP, unless they wish to dig deep and help out financially, this thread is maybe useful for those searching for advice about the Okanagan in the future.
There are several people who are insulting/rude of an area they know nothing about, it is right that those comments are counterbalanced by someone who actually lives here.
My knowledge of Toronto is limited to the airport and the internet, would I comment on living in it- no, it's not my place!
Equally I have lived in London and despised every minute, but I recognize millions love it.

The Okanagan is not for everyone, but it's an incredibly beautiful place with a lot to offer. Plenty of "normal' people live here. People on low incomes, disability, unemployed and yes, people with good jobs, retirees from elsewhere. Jobs are difficult for locals and even tighter for incomers.Connections help.
I know very few hunters- no friends just acquaintances . Most people I know are armed only with cameras.
Yes you can ski/golf etc but as Jossie says hiking, swimming in lakes, bird watching, lazing on beaches etc, etc are all free.
Kelowna airport is the nicest airport I've been to- it's 30mins drive away, I park yards from check in, it has tiny queues for security and the CBSA officers are unfailingly pleasant. Flights are rarely cancelled. It is NOT out in the sticks at all, I would think that many BE posters live in far more rural areas. Vancouver can be reached in 4-5 hours on a good day ( I admit longer in winter), a short drive to most Canadians. I live a very civilized life in a "normal" house on a "normal" road as do most people here! I even have mains water, electricity and actual sewers that don't need to call a man to drain- unlike my last few houses in the UK!!! I could have cable TV, but chose not to, but to cater for our internet needs have an internet speed of around 100Mbps on a good day.
We are surrounded by beautiful wildlife which is alive and well- I just have to steer my old nag and cart around them on our mud roads
Housing is cheaper than Toronto/Vancouver so why the unpleasant comments about wealth here from those living in more prosperous places. I'll have to assume a certain amount of hidden jealousy !!
From my knowledge of Canada gleaned whilst living here, the only place in Canada I would move to outside of the Okanagan at the present time is Victoria and surrounding area.
For anyone thinking about living in the Okanagan, they should come and visit and talk to the people that live here.

jossie

Some useful links for people that haven't heard of or been to the Okanagan: Kelowna: 'The Next Big Thing' - Kelowna News - Castanet.net

Penticton, B.C. named top 10 world travel destination in Facebook survey

Thompson Okanagan | Destination BC - Official Site

Stinkypup

Useful links for those interested in moving from elsewhere in Canada or emigrating from the UK but as for the self professed experts clearly exhibiting their ignorance of the area, they will stick their fingers in their ears shouting la-la-la, I'm not listening-

jossie

That's ok with me. It's good to help the genuine ones that are interested in living in an awesome place. We don't want the self professed ones to come here and spoil the fun anyway.

dbd33

Yes. The jossies depict the Okanagan as a place where legions of Hyancinth Buckets live in the manner of the Beverley Hillbillies. As they're murderous barbarians one would think they'd be aware that that's making an easy target.

snoopdawg

So in another infantile attempt at cleverness/humour , you admit that you are "targeting"/picking on Jossie. I hope the mods are reading!

Your posts add nothing to the debate as to whether the Okanagan is a place where immigrants can happily live and helps the OP and future immigrants far less than Jossie. I find it odd that expats express their unhappiness with towns/cities all over Canada and often return to the UK, with little criticism of their chosen area. But mention the Okanagan, and there are several pages of posts from people 1000's of miles away who seem to have an opinion on living here! Truthfully, on a beautiful Okanagan day, everyone I meet may mention how lucky they feel to be living here- that includes those on minimum wage, disabled, unemployed! Sorry! I know because I live here and through my job, I get to know people's social situation intimately.

Everything Jossie says is truthful, I may not agree or join in, but all activities are indeed available and most people will do one or more depending on their abilities/bank balance.
I see nothing to suggest a "Beverly Hillbilly" lifestyle. Wine tours, skiing, golf, boating, hiking, swimming, beaches, birding,photography sound extremely civilized to me. Hunting/fishing are an activities which Canadians from all over Canada seem to "enjoy", not unique to here!!
Equally I see nothing in her posts that suggest that "Hyacinth Bucket" lives here. IF you lived here, you would know that the most Canadians who live in the Okanagan along with the overwhelming majority of immigrants are hard working, pretty modest people who just make the most of their surroundings. Flash houses, cars, boats seen here tend to be owned by Canadians from outside this area.

dbd33

Now the Okanagan sounds like Nova Scotia. I'm glad you're all so blissfully happy all of the time.

AlliF

hehe reminds me of a Ross noble concert - he was talking about riding his motorbike round Australia and in WA he was looking at the SatNav for directions.
He reckoned it was a pretty boring trip when the directions were drive for 2 days then turn left...(and then missed the turn cos he was in a zombie state by that time)