Food and lodge atmosphere at your most frequented hill

[Goose]

How good or bad is the food at your ski place? And whether its good or not, is it too expensive or fair priced?
What about the lodge in general on weekends? Much too crowded and fighting for tables an issue? Are you over paying for terrible food and then also have to struggle to find a place to sit and eat it? Are people using tables as their personal lockers? Perhaps you got it pretty good where you ski both food and lodge wise.

Ive got to the point (at least for our most skied place and on the weekend) where we stop at the store on the way up and get breakfast and then also lunch. Keep lunch in the cooler in the car and don't even bother with the expensive yet somewhat poor food in an overcrowded lodge.

Other than bathroom usage , the occasional drink and/or snack in between (if we stop skiing again) other than that we just go sit in the car and eat our lunch. Unless its a nice day weather wise where there are tables outside.

I just cant deal with paying a small fortune for mostly what is poor food and then have to fight to find a place to sit and eat the poor food. The stress just puts too much a damper in the day. So unless its a nice day where outdoor seating is available Ive come to the conclusion that simply avoiding the whole thing is the most pleasurable way to go about it.

 

[MikeS]

My most recent home mountain, Stowe, has many cafeterias and food places. There's the Mansfield Base Lodge, which is mediocre and expensive. There's Midway Lodge, which is below average and still expensive. There's the Octagon, which is decent, and expensive. There's Spruce Camp, which is really good and really expensive. Then there's Cliff House, which is excellent, and suprisingly not as expensive as one may have thought considering what you get and what the comps on the mountain are.

Then again, that was pre-Vail. I'm sure a hamburger at Mansfield Base now costs $32 or something.

 

[Philpug]

A-Basin's Black Mountain Lodge is very good..and somewhat reasoanble. SnowBasin is not what it used to be for food, the signature prime sandwhich was gone the last time we were there and now the food seems like any other resort cafateria.

 

[Drahtguy Kevin]

A-Basin's Black Mountain Lodge is very good..and somewhat reasoanble. SnowBasin is not what it used to be for food, the signature prime sandwhich was gone the last time we were there and now the food seems like any other resort cafateria.

I didn’t look at the prices in Black Mountain, but the price of food in the A-Frame went up quite a bit since last season. Doubt I’ll buy a meal in the lodge and damn sure I won’t in 6th Alley.

 

[mikel]

Well there are changes regarding food at Copper. A couple of new places added. A couple of places getting a make over and name change. I'm going to cut 10 Mile Tavern a.k.a. Endo's some slack. Not back up 100% and operating on a full menu yet. Plus it's never been known to have the cheapest prices around. Ambience is a bit different. Now very bright and very loud.

Jack's in center village. Turkey sandwich on wheat with cheddar, lettuce, and a pear spread. $15.25 for just the sandwich.

 

[KingGrump]

Food wise, Sun Valley probably takes the cake. Reasonable prices also.
Deer valley runs a decent spread at their "cafeterias." Prices are decent.

 

[Dwight]

Fortunately at my small bump, the food is decent, the beer is great and the prices I can live with. Midwest for the win.

 

[Goose]

I suppose we should expect trap food prices like we get just about anywhere we might go. I don't think that makes it ok but its one thing to be on the expensive side vs outright killing the pocket all together especially if its not much good. I would live with moderate price gouge providing food was pretty good and battling for a place to eat it wasn't so ridiculous.
Ive had different experiences at different places. Some ok and even (relatively speaking) somewhat enjoyable while others just bad all the way around.

 

[crgildart]

We have a 1200 vert and an 800 vert option above 5K elevation but I keep gravitating to the little 400 foot vert lift served mountain simply because it reminds me of Minnesota. Their claim to fame is Jean Claude Killy was their ski school director for a minute or two early 70s. I usually start and end my season at the small place but most of the mid season days are higher up with bigger terrain.

 

[Tom K.]

Food wise, Sun Valley probably takes the cake. Reasonable prices also.

Agreed. On the rare days that my wife and I eat lunch at the SV lodge and go out somewhere in town for dinner, we often find that lunch was the better of the two meals.

And far cheaper.

But not really "cheap".

 

[Goose]

We have a 1200 vert and an 800 vert option above 5K elevation but I keep gravitating to the little 400 foot vert lift served mountain simply because it reminds me of Minnesota. Their claim to fame is Jean Claude Killy was their ski school director for a minute or two early 70s. I usually start and end my season at the small place but most of the mid season days are higher up with bigger terrain.

not sure where this fits in with the topic but perhaps you meant this for a different thread.

 

[Goose]

I'll usually live if they make a good cup/bowl of chili. But paying 9 or 10 bucks for only that is imo ridiculous price gouge. I think I did that last time I was at Killington. I mean feed a family of 4 at a given (expensive food) ski lodge with a decent rounded lunch and there can be a real hefty price tag on that. I mean how much does it cost to make a pot of chili?

 

[DoryBreaux]

Northstar revamped the mid lodge food setup this year. They added an ahi blta that's quite good but expensive if you aren't an employee. The grille at the summit still cranks out awesome food and is "reasonably"priced for the amount of food you get.
But Mt Baker wins easily for quality to quantity in my book.

 

[RuleMiHa]

Loveland's $5.95 Chili is wonderful. It's amazing how much better chili tastes when it's reasonably priced.

 

[Goose]

Loveland's $5.95 Chili is wonderful. It's amazing how much better chili tastes when it's reasonably priced.

hahaha....I here ya, but I dont know about that. Bad chili is bad regardless. But chili is usually one thing you can count on for being at least "ok" tasting. It may not be great but usually its at least ok. That doesn't mean I havnt occasionally had my share of bad ones. But its amazing what fresh chopped onions can do to fix just about anything...lol

 

[jmeb]

Loveland is place I know best. Typical cafeteria fare, but it tends towards large portions and reasonably priced. Pasta bar is a good bet if you need lots of calories, or the chili dog in the Rat (downstairs bar) if your stomach can handle it. I'd prefer mediocore but filling food at cheaper prices to good food at more expensive -- cause that's what I can afford.

The best food and atmosphere part of Loveland though are in the on-hill warming huts. Each have a wood burning stove you can warm up a cheese sandwich on, and all are equipped with free-to-use propane grills if you want to bring up some brats in your pack.

 

[Michael Kane]

Fried platter (chicken strips, cheese balls and french fries).

 

[Drahtguy Kevin]

Loveland's $5.95 Chili is wonderful. It's amazing how much better chili tastes when it's reasonably priced.

I had a $5.95 bowl of Creamy Bacon and Brat soup at the Luv on Tuesday. Spectacular. The Tomato Florentine soup is good as well. Often I’ll get a cup of soup and 1/2 sandwich for $8.95. Bonus is getting a discount for being a pass holder.

 

[HardDaysNight]

I'll usually live if they make a good cup/bowl of chili. But paying 9 or 10 bucks for only that is imo ridiculous price gouge. I think I did that last time I was at Killington. I mean feed a family of 4 at a given (expensive food) ski lodge with a decent rounded lunch and there can be a real hefty price tag on that. I mean how much does it cost to make a pot of chili?

You’d really enjoy the bowl of chili at Park City then. A steal at $11.50! Best comment on the PCMR Facebook page last season was a suggestion that the new Miner’s Camp restaurant establish facilities to enable guests to take out a home equity line of credit to pay for lunch.

 

[Sibhusky]

When I first started skiing here, I grabbed a slice of pizza and a hot chocolate everyday, mostly because there was no waiting for pizza. I also didn't fully appreciate my comedown in economic circumstances after working a good job for 20-odd years. At the end of the winter, I started adding it up and cut out the hot chocolate the next year. By that time I had discovered how broke I was and got a part time job. So, continued doing that for four years until they started increasing the price of the pizza. Once it got to $3 for a slice of plain, I was done. Around about that time I didn't get rehired after breaking my knee cap, and got more ski days in, but less available cash. Graduated to carrying chunks of cheese and a snack bar, along with a collapsible cup and a tea bag (hot water is free if you don't take one of their cups). That was my routine for many years (the goal was not to give them a dime after I paid for the pass and the locker). Then last year I started skipping a lot of lunch stops entirely and just eating on the chair. It's not a hard and fast rule, I'm just not skiing Bell to Bell anymore, more compressing the day and eliminating stops. Sometimes all I can think of is food when I get back to my locker, sometimes I munch on the chair, and then there are days I eat at home. But I don't eat ski area food. I sit at ski area tables if I stop, but for free. So, since it's been ten years roughly since I bought anything, I have no clue how the food is in the winter. If I eat, it's by 11:30 so that table space is not an issue. They have IMO ruined the Summit House with the current layout, which is also a factor when it comes to me eating on the chair.