Tips for moving north

[dirk82]

I'm moving up to Yellowknife this fall and was just looking for some input on places to live up there. I know it's as expensive as sin, just looking for ideas on good places too look, half decent areas and any other fun facts. Prob just looking for a 1 bdroom suite to hang my hat at night.

Thanks, I know there's a whole lot of knowledge of the north on here so any tips would be great!

[oldncold]

have enough cash for 6 months rent at 1500 mth plus the hookups for hydro 500 deposit and phone 400 if no previous customer with the northern services . yes you can find a place for less but if your roomie all of a sudden get a job south of 60 north it will be easier to manage than the scramble of 'OH MY GOD must have roommate by friday cuz the rents due. bring as much non perishable food as possible to save money staples kd tuna pasta juice etc. don't become the town bike/male ho in order to fly your rep will follow you long after you leave .

if you don't land flying job right away take a course at the community college to stay involved and network volunteer at the stanton hospital its the pilot n nurse thing,common in the north . and get a hold of a microsoft flight sim program or equivilent to keep your ifr skills sharp while waiting.

get a good pair of sorel boots and a snow goose parka have the folks give you that as a going away present it ill save ya 600dollars and take 2 gerry cans of gas once past high level ab just in case on your way north. TUNEUP your vehicle


take time to enjoy the comradrie ofthe place the special pictures one takes about the thier own special time in the place . it will grow on you some never leave good luck and safe travels

[Beefitarian]

oldncold when did you buy sorels? I had a pair of Klondikes from around 1996 barely wore them and lost them to On Side the so called "restoration" company that threw them in the garbage because they were in our house when there was a fire. So they are gone and of course they have not been made in years since before Sorel quit making boots. Now that they're making boots again I have not seen a pair up close but I wonder if they are as spectacular as they used to be. Man, I miss those boots.

[dirk82]

Thanks, I'm from northern sask so I got the proper cloths to workin the cold. How is the non aviation work up there? Be nice to make some money while l look for a flying job. I'm really looking forward to getting up there, I've wanted to go north for alot of years.

[iflyforpie]

I got a pair of Sorels a couple years ago (never needed winter boots in the Okanagan or at the Coast) and they are way too hot for the Invermere climate, even with this cold winter. Should be awesome for up north.

[Hoov]

Good post Oldncold.

[Liquid Charlie]

While housing is expensive there are deals out there - I found a fully furnished one bedroom basement suit for $800 a month - and that was all inclusive - pay for an online subscription at News North and watch the adds -

Personally I never like sorrels -- brrrrr -- the acton wear boots -- available at Weaver & Devore -

YK is not the same city it was 20 years ago -- still expensive but all the creature comforts are there.

And yes your new hspa mobile phone will work there - bell/telus - no rogers

[Brocksby]

have enough cash for 6 months rent at 1500 mth plus the hookups for hydro 500 deposit and phone 400 if no previous customer with the northern services . yes you can find a place for less but if your roomie all of a sudden get a job south of 60 north it will be easier to manage than the scramble of 'OH MY GOD must have roommate by friday cuz the rents due. bring as much non perishable food as possible to save money staples kd tuna pasta juice etc. don't become the town bike/male ho in order to fly your rep will follow you long after you leave .

if you don't land flying job right away take a course at the community college to stay involved and network volunteer at the stanton hospital its the pilot n nurse thing,common in the north . and get a hold of a microsoft flight sim program or equivilent to keep your ifr skills sharp while waiting.

get a good pair of sorel boots and a snow goose parka have the folks give you that as a going away present it ill save ya 600dollars and take 2 gerry cans of gas once past high level ab just in case on your way north. TUNEUP your vehicle


take time to enjoy the comradrie ofthe place the special pictures one takes about the thier own special time in the place . it will grow on you some never leave good luck and safe travels

Thanks for sharing your experience of the north as I am also planning to spend some days this summer but didn't know where to go precisely. But now I have some idea about the place.

[co-joe]

That one about tune up your car is a really good one. Especially if it's an import! Trying to find VW parts up north can be brutal. Think stealership prices plus shipping plus... In fact it would be a good idea to find out what the out of province safety inspection in the NWT covers and get it all done before you leave. I got screwed on that one in Thompson. They made me replace my clutch pedal rubber cover because it had a rip in it, head light lense was chipped, I think the bill came to close to 2 grand...

[dcabrown]

I can only offer my opinion on the Sorels.

I bought a pair last winter and they were garbage. I wondered how that could be given their popularity, name etc. and found out after a certain year, they started making their boots overseas.

NOW - I an NOT one of those who automatically thinks all Chinese made goods are crap, I judge based on merit/performance not bias. But in the case or Sorel, I seriously think they have some quality issues now. My boots were leaking almost instantly after I bought them and they looked as though a 4 year old had stitched and glued them together. Thought maybe I had a lemon, but started reading some reviews online and apparently many other people had similar experiences.

My Conclusion: BE careful with the "new" Sorel's. I don't think they are the same quality as the ones your parents used to have.

If you go onto ebay - sellers of old Sorels go out of their way to point out they are the "original" (read: not overseas made) ones. I'd honestly go for a used pair and save $100 than the new ones. But just my opinion...

Goodluck.

[phillyfan]

Dump your girlfriend and say goodbye to your friends forever. You are Aviation's Bitch now.

[Beefitarian]

That's what I'm worried about dcabrown. Thanks for telling me though. It's actually wierd because there's somethings that have improved immensly. I bought a Chinese built fender strat and it's better than some American ones I've seen from the 1970s.

[NJ]

Nothing good happens at the dirty bird after last call

[Donald]

As for the car inspection, it used to only be required when insuring a vehicle 10 yrs old that was new to the territories. So if you show up with a 9.5 year old vehicle and get (and keep) insurance on it, it never requires an inspection.

For boots, I would recommend good quality Columbias. They keep you toasty,and the soles are small enough to keep from hitting the brakes at the same time as the rudder.

[dirk82]

Thanks guys, it's nice to have a bit of an idea of what to have and who to know before I get up there. Saves some cold days, I grew up on a farm In northern Saskatchewan so I've got the gear for the -40 days. Anyone have some advice on which operators like to hire low timers?

Thanks again

[Donald]

From right to left:

Summit Air, Buffalo Airways, Air Tindi, Arctic Sunwest.

[just curious]

Sorry Donald,
I thought you had that wrong then I realized that I was looking at YK from the north.