Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever...

[snoseek]

Am I the only one that goes to the car for lunch?

I'm ok with keeping the brown baggers separate as long as there's somewhere adequate. Usually those spaces are empty. Bonus for ski areas that provide a microwave. Double bonus for Loveland Colorado, they embrace us cheap bastards with grills, ovens, microwaves and hot water.

And yeah I agree overall ski area food has improved a bit. I don't buy lunch often but when I do I generally seek the best place around. The markup is in the end much more reasonable....Not cheap but better quality food. Cafeteria is a nono, food usually not great, mark up high.

I'll but their green chili, best thing going there, very good. Also the bar used to do select drafts for 2.50. Tuesday and Thursday was fat tire, great prices, not sure if they still do that. Plus Sarah.....

 

[thetrailboss]

What ski areas in the northeast relegate brown baggers to the "basement"? Maybe I don't go to fancy enough places but I've never had an issue.

Maybe we would have run into a problem at Deer Valley, but that's one place where even at ski area prices it's worth it to buy the food there IMO.

I honestly have not seen anyone at DV bring a bag lunch. If so there are places to enjoy it.

Burke began this (dumb) policy from what I understand.

 

[spring_mountain_high]

I really have zero qualms with this. I would also argue that by and large, the quality of the food available by the resort has vastly improved compared to ten years ago, so it is a better value proposition somewhat, and I don't blame them for not wanting bag lunches taking up valuable real estate in the lodge during lunch hour. Do you get upset that sports venues don't allow brown bag lunches? Or any other venue where this is par for the course?

fwiw, most sports venues allow you to bring in food

 

[thetrailboss]

fwiw, most sports venues allow you to bring in food

Not the ones I've seen.

 

[VTKilarney]

I believe that Burke enforces a no-brown-bag policy on the weekends. Burke is REALLY hurting when it comes to facilities for gearing up and eating lunch at the Sherburne base. The ski rental department took over the portable (tent-like) building, which means that there is just a small amount of space in the lower level near the ticket counter.

If they can get the Tamarack grill out of there, they could have a nice cafeteria and bar upstairs and have the ground floor level be a nice changing area and brown bag area.

 

[pcampbell]

i was at the sunrise cafe the other day at sugarbush, looking for a spot to sit down with my son, and noticed a family with their cooler spread out next to the sign that said "seating for customers only please" . just saying.

 

[VTKilarney]

As a free market fan, I suppose that I cannot object to such a policy. This does not mean, however, that I think it makes a lot of sense. Assuming that there is enough space for both cafeteria patrons and brown baggers, the policy is obviously designed to force food sales by penalizing people for not purchasing food. A more effective way to increase food sales would be to enhance quality and to find the proper price point.

For some people, not being able to brown bag it comfortably may make the difference in choosing a mountain. It seems unwise to risk giving up a family's lift ticket revenue because they didn't buy a couple of cheeseburgers.

 

[dlague]

I'll give you that. Unless it's Jay Peak, which as of the last time I was there (09) was terrible

Jay Peak's restaurants are awesome now. Alice's Table = good food, Tower Bar = good food, Foundry = good food. They also have several Cafes with good food. In fact, it is one of the ski resorts I buy food at because the prices are no different then if I went to nearby Newport. I have not eaten Stateside yet.

 

[dlague]

I have to say, I have been to some ski areas and they are missing the boat! Sled Pub at Pats Peak for example, alcohol can not leave the pub area, bagged lunches can not enter the pub area hence bag people cannot have a beer with their lunch. They are not the only ski are doing this. I would create a crossover zone so people can buy from the bar and eat their bagged lunches.

I have to say though, I have ordered from the Sled Pub and brought some bagged items in and did a hybrid and they had no problem with that.

I also have to point out - some people are getting carried away with the whole lunch thing and bringing in crock pots, sandwich makers etc. That shit takes up real estate and on busy days sucks!

 

[Domeskier]

I believe that Burke enforces a no-brown-bag policy on the weekends. Burke is REALLY hurting when it comes to facilities for gearing up and eating lunch at the Sherburne base. The ski rental department took over the portable (tent-like) building, which means that there is just a small amount of space in the lower level near the ticket counter.

Here's another brilliant money-maker for them - limit use of lifts to people renting their skis!

 

[Smellytele]

I also have to point out - some people are getting carried away with the whole lunch thing and bringing in crock pots, sandwich makers etc. That shit takes up real estate and on busy days sucks!

First time I saw people with crock pots was this year at Wolf Creek, CO in their brown bag lodge

 

[jimk]

Great topic and fun article. I'm a notorious brown bagger. In fact only time I bought lunch while skiing this season was March 16th. I brown bagged a day each at poshy Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Snowmass this season, each time at nice mid-mtn lodges. I bring my stuff up in a back pack first lift ride and throw it under a table in the lodge for later.
Quick memories:
Saddleback, ME has a small but cozy mid-mtn warming hut with a wood stove. Regulars bring their homemade ham and cheese sandwiches wrapped in tin foil and set them on the stovetop for a cheap and delicious hot meal. We didn't pick up on this practice until our cold sandwiches were mostly in our bellies, but we did reheat some of my daughter's big homemade chocolate chip cookies on the stove for a tasty dessert. Awesome views from this hut. Base lodge is also bagger friendly.
Brighton, UT has a stand-alone little chalet at the base of the mtn that IRRC was dedicated specifically for brown baggers.
Aspen Highlands, CO: cute and scenic Cloud Nine Resto looked perfect when I poked my head in there with back pack, but it's wait service only at meal times. Its deck, however, is super scenic and is brown bagger friendly. Nearby Merry-Go-Round Resto works fine too.
The MRG Basebox lodge wouldn't think of questioning brown baggers and if it's crowded on the main level there's a big picnic table area on top floor.
Loveland's mid-mtn E-Tow Cabin is super scenic and their base lodge is bagger friendly too.

Ski lunch photo dump

Seven Springs, PA, Tahoe Lodge - good on-hill place to brown bag. From here you can get to all their slopes.


Plattekill, NY, very brown bagger friendly.


Snowbasin, UT, worth skipping the brown bag and sampling their stuff here :razz:


Flachau, Austria, whenever possible I'll eat outside, great views and good comfort food here. Hard to resist not buying food while in the Alps, it's part of the fun of a different experience and they do it well. This is a local guy showing us how it's done.


photo attached below is Watson Shelter at Alta, UT.
to be continued...

 

[ceo]

I think it's perfectly reasonable to have separate areas for brown-baggers and lunch-buyers, but I wish Cannon's brown-bag area wasn't in the basement. Though that's an improvement from a few years ago, where you could only brown-bag in the Notchview lodge, which fills up really fast.

What I wish more areas had is a dedicated boot-up and gear storage room like Sugarbush. I swear half the space in base lodges is taken up by people's boot packs and street shoes.

 

[BenedictGomez]

As a free market fan, I suppose that I cannot object to such a policy. This does not mean, however, that I think it makes a lot of sense. Assuming that there is enough space for both cafeteria patrons and brown baggers, the policy is obviously designed to force food sales by penalizing people for not purchasing food. A more effective way to increase food sales would be to enhance quality and to find the proper price point.

For some people, not being able to brown bag it comfortably may make the difference in choosing a mountain. It seems unwise to risk giving up a family's lift ticket revenue because they didn't buy a couple of cheeseburgers.

While I agree in principal, the reality is your lift ticket purchase is to ride the lifts. Showing up at the ski resort's pub or restaurant, etc... with your own food is really no fundamentally different than walking into Red Lobster or Olive Garden and sitting down with your brown bag. The only difference is cultural acceptance and tradition.

First time I saw people with crock pots was this year at Wolf Creek, CO in their brown bag lodge

I've only been to Gore 4 times, all within the last year, but every time there I saw multiple crock pots. That's definitely caught on there.

 

[jimk]

Solitude, UT - light my fuze


Heavenly, CA - only bread, water, and cheese, but the waiter gave us a table with a good view.


Loveland, CO, this is my all time favorite brown bagger lunch spot, E-Tow Cabin, el ~11,500', great views. Base lodge there is brown bagger friendly too.

 

[4aprice]

Double bonus for Loveland Colorado,

Everything's better at Loveland. Probably the first ski area that comes to my mind when I start thinking about the Rockies. I could spend a lifetime there.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[Cornhead]

I think it's perfectly reasonable to have separate areas for brown-baggers and lunch-buyers, but I wish Cannon's brown-bag area wasn't in the basement. Though that's an improvement from a few years ago, where you could only brown-bag in the Notchview lodge, which fills up really fast.

What I wish more areas had is a dedicated boot-up and gear storage room like Sugarbush. I swear half the space in base lodges is taken up by people's boot packs and street shoes.

I was really impressed with the new lodge at Stowe on Spruce Peak. They have lockable cubbies with digital locks that you choose the four digit combination, no charge. They also have a bag check area for bags that are too large for the lockers. You'd have to have a pretty big bag not to fit in the lockers. The result is a secure, clutter free, changing area, nice, kudos to Stowe.

 

[steamboat1]

I was really impressed with the new lodge at Stowe on Spruce Peak. They have lockable cubbies with digital locks that you choose the four digit combination, no charge. They also have a bag check area for bags that are too large for the lockers. You'd have to have a pretty big bag not to fit in the lockers. The result is a secure, clutter free, changing area, nice, kudos to Stowe.

My problem is I've never been able to figure out how to program a combination into those lockers. Doesn't matter as I usually only have my old dirty sneakers anyway. Anyone that wants them can have them. If I remember correctly Whiteface also as a dedicated area with seating for boot-up & gear storage.

Killington has put metal racks in all their base lodges for storing gear. It helps a lot with keeping under tables & walkways free of gear. They also have free gear check in the K-1 lodge. The first area I saw with free gear check was Mt. Snow which started back in the ASC days.

edit: I'm not really a fan of the set up at Sugarbush (Gate House lodge) gear room. It's way to cramped on busy days. Better off booting up upstairs in the cafeteria area. There is a room on the side for storage up there that not many people use. You could also use the building where they sell lift tickets. There's a change area there also with lockers.

 

[makimono]

I usually do PB&R sandwiches. :beer:

 

[MidnightJester]

Brown baggie areas. Not some places, There are mountains that have signs saying no outside food and coolers. The problem is the People, Some groups worse then others. The more ethnic the groups the worse they are cause they like their food and not the mountain choices. They take over areas and leave all their belonging in place like it is their table for the Day. Sometimes 20% 1 in 5 tables is full of belongings and food with no or few people. Other times it is way worse then 1in5. That is the bullshit part. Mom or someone stays behind takes over area while whoever plays.