Searching for Shangri-La

mountains by day, dancing by night

Is there somewhere you can climb mountains by day—real mountains, the kind with rock on top, not just forested hills—and also go dancing at night?

You usually get one or the other: mountain towns without much dancing, or big cities without real mountains.

But Shangri-La may exist.

Yesterday morning I woke in Vienna, Austria. I hopped on the U-Bahn (light rail) at 8:30am and boarded two trains to Puchberg am Schneeberg, where a local bus deposited me at the base of a mountain.

Front door to trailhead: just over 2 hours.

I scrambled up a rocky ridge to a broad plateau, tagged Lower Austria’s highest peak (Schneeberg), and then ran down the other side, back to the train station.

Multiple mountain huts tempted me with food and drink along the way, but I saved my appetite for cheap chips and orange juice at the grocery store in town.

Total moving time: 4 hours. Resting time: 1 hour. Return to Vienna: 2 hours.

I’m in the shower by 5:30, eating leftovers at 6, and ready to dance by 6:30.

Summer fusion social at Votivkirche in Vienna

Vienna, like most large European cities, has a thriving partner dance scene, which includes salsa, swing, tango, contact improv, and more. If you’re open to anything, you can easily dance every night of the week.

My favorite scene is “fusion,” which creates a container for people with different dance backgrounds to playfully coexist. Just a few cities have regular fusion socials, and Vienna is one of them.

And that’s how I spent my night: dancing outside for three hours with a handful of other fun, playful, and talented dancers, before cycling 15 minutes back to my place and collapsing into bed.

If you adore the mountains but also crave dance (and similar culture), where can you go? Where is Shangri-La?

I lived in South Lake Tahoe for many summers. The mountains were amazing, but at night I craved alcohol-free social opportunities, namely dance. But accessing dance meant a long drive to Sacramento or Reno: one I’d have to repeat later that night.

I’ve also lived in many almost Shangri-Las: Portland (Oregon), Asheville (North Carolina), Boulder (Colorado), and Freiburg (Germany). Each was amazing, yet none offered a true combination of “big mountains at your doorstep” and “thriving dance scene.”

The reason for this is clear: thriving dance scenes (and most other forms of culture) require population density, which mountainous terrain doesn’t accommodate.

Yet I remain hopeful, as more potential Shangri-Las remain on my radar: Zürich (Switzerland) and Squamish (British Columbia).

Zürich is a major city, but you still see people walking through the train station with mountaineering gear (summer) and skis (winter), soon to be whisked away to the Alps by an utterly reliable (if terribly expensive) Swiss train. Just last month, I took a 2-day mountain adventure and then returned to dance the night away.

Squamish is a certified mountain town, but one with a surprising amount of dance (I’ve never been, but I’m told on good authority). Its proximity to Vancouver helps attract a critical mass, much as Boulder benefits from nearby Denver.

One final request: no driving required.

This is why Shangri-La is utopia: because now I’m just asking for too much.

What I loved about my Vienna adventure—and what Zürich and Squamish represent—are these rare, magical confluences of great mountains and great dance, without requiring a vehicle.

No late-night drives home. No battling traffic on congested highways. Just good nature and good people, a short walk, bike, bus, or train ride away.

This is what I seek. If you know where else I should look, do tell. 🌄