Just different. One thing I preferred about them is wee towns like Crusty Butt rather than concrete ski towns.
that certainly isn’t the case for 99% of settlements in the Alps. Maybe you only see concrete ski towns because you go to concrete ski towns because that is where the lifts are.
i find the Alps an awesome place to live and play. you needn’t ride far to get away from the crowds and there are so many little, almost unexplored valleys that you may never see a soul for a day or more. i also like the fact that the Alps are full of people, and therefore rescue people. if anything does go wrong in the Alps the chances are you’ll be found and picked up off a mountain a lot quicker than in the massive expanse of the Rockies.
also the large number of people living in and using the Alps means that there is a plethora of trails.
i’ve never been to the Rockies, but my sister has. what struck me in her pictures was how wide the valleys were and how much bigger the sky seemed.
the Alps take up a much smaller area, but cram in a lot more fun, culture and ultimately trails per square km.