Day Trippers. What Do You Do With Your Boot Bag?

[SKI-3PO]

I agree with not putting stuff in a pay locker without paying - that is also a pet peeve of mine. I’m not a fan of putting stuff under the table - that’s probably my last choice - but if that seems to be established convention and no other good options are obviously available, I’ve done it.

 

[Bob Simpson]

It really depends which area I go to, and what day it is. At Bridger, I boot-up in the car, at Big Sky, I boot-up at my buddies ski shop and stash the bag there, at Red Lodge, I boot-up in the lodge and stash in the corner or off the hooks on the wall, and at Jackson Hole, it's the car boot-up because the shuttle is a short walk. Every area requires it's own technique!

 

[Sibhusky]

It's been decades (maybe 4) since I booted up at the car. No wonder my feet stay warm. When I used to go to races all over the state, I used a back pack style boot bag so that carrying skis and poles and boots all at once was possible. If there's one thing I want it's no cold air in my boots before I put them on!

 

[at_nyc]

If there's one thing I want it's no cold air in my boots before I put them on!

I put my boots under my feet (as a passenger), or under the passenger's feet. So it gets the air coming out of the car's heater. My boots are never cold.

That said, booting up the car is not as comfortable as booting up in the lodge. And if I have a long drive to the mountain, I would need to go into the lodge anyway (to pee, to change into ski pants...). That's when I boot up in the lodge. That's quite often the case. So I'm familiar with the various mode of "boot bag stashing".

But if I'm almost ready to ski, and get park close to the lift (or shuttle bus), I boot up in the car! That way, I don't have to carry all that stuff AND THEN try to find place to stash them.

 

[focker]

If I'm skiing solo I just boot up at the car and then don't have to worry about it, unless it's below 10 F, then I'll go inside.

If my wife is with she refuses to boot up at the car. She gets cold super easily and it can ruin her day pretty quickly to boot up at the car unless its like 40+ degrees out.

When the wife (or kids) are with we drop off our skis and poles up at the lodge and then park and carry our boots and other gear to the lodge. In the midwest this really isn't a big deal, it's almost always a short walk. One of my sons and my wife don't even have boot bags. They just carry their boots and helmet, and their gloves, goggles and neck warmer are inside their helmet. I did get a boot bag last year and use it, as I often have to help carry my wife's or sons gear a little bit and having a bag that can hold my boot, helmet, gloves, goggles, etc (I can even fit my snowpants in there) is nice.

I might bite the bullet and buy my wife and son a boot bag as well. I just stick it in a cubbie in the lodge after we boot up in there.

 

[crgildart]

There was almost a foot of snow all the way around the car when we arrived yesterday morning. Yes, I have a rug to put down for booting up at the car and a step stool to sit on and climb on to get to ski box easier. Deep snow on the ground, cold and windy= perfect opportunity to show my son how we roll when booting up at the lodge... Put transpack style bags on our backs and carried the skis to the base to boot up inside..

Here's what we did with the bags sans the ski boots and helmets..

Good thing it wasn't crowded. That's when it becomes time to poach race team room tables or whatever. They weren't allowing boot bags in the paid dining area.. I think that's new this season..

He's "soled" on hauling the boot bag to the lodge and booting up inside now. I'm not even sure I'd told him that was an option places where we don't have lodging or passholder room access.

 

[crgildart]

I really do think one of the many pain points about ski boots is the fact that no resort has ample space and non pay options if EVERYONE decided they didn't want to boot up at the car and wanted to have a boot bag inside the lodge. Losing out on food sales is probably one reason they don't make it easier for folks. Main reason is imagine the volume of space it would require if every single skier had an average size boot bag needing a place inside the lodge?? I don't see that ever happening but free bag checks sound awesome. I wish every resort started doing that... and that if they do they have sufficient staff so there is never a huge line to drop off or pick up the bag.

 

[Guy in Shorts]

Mule packed the load into the lodge for years until the wife said "Stop being such a wussy and boot up at the car like a real skier." I like to sit when putting on my boots so throwing a couple folding chairs in the truck solved the problem. Saved my back all that strain for years now.

 

[Slim]

Your poll is missing one option: free bag check

And multiple choices.

My 1st choice is a cubby. If I arrive late and the cubes are gone, I prefer to just leave it in the corner or under some table.

But a lot of mountains are now discouraging bags under the table. So bag check is my 3rd choice. In mountains the bag check is not free, I boot up in the car.

Or if the walk is long, AND no free bag check, I just leave my bag in the open and let them confiscate it. It's usually claimable at lost and found. Screwy system. But I refuse to pay for the storage of my sneakers.

+2 for those points.
I get that they don’t want the dining area cluttered up with bags, and I really don’t
Like the people who leave their stuff on tables and chairs “claiming” a table. On the other hand, I don’t need a locked spot for my smelly old shoes, so I don’t want to pay $5 to do so,
Lutsen is like that now. It’s a long walk from the car, your not supposed to leave stuff in the dining area but the lockers are expensive.

I have two kids, so it’s not just me and my wife, it’s their stuff too. It’s not just the issue of walking in ski boots, it’s having to change into snow pants etc in the car. And then there is the issue of bringing lunch. Just bring a big bag with outer layers, helmets and ski boots and food. Maybe some coloring stuff or card games for the kids too. So all in all, if it’s a longer drive, I find booting up in the lodge a nicer option.

Just make some plain cubbies. It’s not a swimming pool, I can take my valuables with me!

 

[crgildart]

Mule packed the load into the lodge for years until the wife said "Stop being such a wussy and boot up at the car like a real skier." I like to sit when putting on my boots so throwing a couple folding chairs in the truck solved the problem. Saved my back all that strain for years now.

We use the folding step stool to sit on that can also be used for better ski box access when we have a lot of stuff up there which needs to be carefully arranged before the lid will close.

 

[crgildart]

+2 for those points.

Just make some plain cubbies. It’s not a swimming pool, I can take my valuables with me!

Totally plausible if a lot of people still prefer to boot up at the car. If EVERYONE wants to boot up at the lodge they will monetize the demand best they can. More people wanting a place to store their bags, with or without valuables, more efforts to limit those options to ones which raise revenues for the resort.

 

[OldJeep]

I typically get all my gear on in the chalet and then put my bag back out in the truck. Not an option for mega resorts, but for your average MN ski area it isn't much of a walk.