Lunchtime in the COVID era?

[alr]

I carried the backpack yesterday, we had 1L of water (didn't use it because we just grabbed a pitcher inside when we went to eat). I packed 4 sandwiches in there for the whole family, wrapped in foil and then put in ziplock bags. They didn't get too squished, tasted great. We all had separate sandwiches which held up well, cranberry sauce (DD just loves it, lol), PB&J, dressing and cranberry sauce and turkey with lettuce. We will definitely have room to pack a little more next time if we need because the lodges are just so expensive, since it was our first day skiing I treated the kids to 2 chocolate chip cookies and chocolate milk and it came out to be just over $15, ugh!

Otherwise, additional thoughts were for us to pack hot chocolate in a thermos in the car for when we get back to the car at the end of the day.

We went skiing at Snowmass, ate indoors at Elk Camp, they have a pretty great system in place, you get entry tickets to get into the dining room, one way traffic to go through the "grab and go" section, order hot food at the checkout and they give you a buzzer to get it when it's ready. Tables are spaced far apart. Even though it is still early season I felt that their protocols might hold up with slightly higher numbers of people on the mountain, but with some longer wait times. They definitely thought about it and I felt safe today, we'll see what it looks like later in the season...

what backpack do you use and do you recommend it?

 

[COcanuck]

what backpack do you use and do you recommend it?

ooh, it's like a 10 year old Osprey, 10L hydration pack, very minimal, can't even remember the name. It has one larger compartment and a smaller one in addition to the hydration pocket. It's the biggest we would ever need for resort skiing. I can easily get 1.5L of water in there if I want, room for 4 sandwiches a few apples and some other small snacks if I need for the kids. I still put it to pretty good use after all these years!

One thing I do recommend if you are carrying water is an insulated tube, that was a nice feature last year when it was really cold and I was thirsty!

 

[badger]

For me, dining in the car for lunch will likely be the norm this season. If outdoor tables are available, I'd prefer that.
Next week my DH and my ski buddy Rob, are driving up to Wolf Creek, Colorado. Because I've never been a fan of people eating in my car, I have purchased some acrylic serving trays with 1.5 inch tall edges to give everyone a "table" . Hopefully all crumbs or any spillage will remain on the tray!!
I plan to store the trays in the gap created when one of the back seats is folded down.

 

[Blondeinabmw]

If weather permits, I will definitely eat outside. The walk back to the condo is a trek, and it requires we go all the way down to the base area too, which is a pain. If it is really windy or bitterly cold, perhaps we will skip lunch and end the day a bit earlier.

I love the single-serving sizes of hummus or guacamole with some carrots or pretzel chips. If I can't find single sizes, I will throw a couple tablespoons into a reusable baggie (they are thicker than single-use zip-lock bags). I found a reusable sandwich holder at The Container Store that keeps the obligatory PB&J from being smashed beyond recognition. I also really like a medium thickness sliced turkey breast from the deli rolled up around a slice of good swiss cheese - no condiments needed. Just meat and cheese. Fills me up without making me feel like a sloth. Trail mix is great, but with an 11 year old in tow, he eats all the chocolate or dried pineapple before anything else. I have to confess that too much trail mix too many days in a row can be a whole heck of a lot of fiber.

There are days when I'd give up a kidney to have something warm for lunch, or even a cup of hot cocoa but the resort prices are stupid. I did find a collapsible silicone bottle that works for hot or cold drinks, and have been known to pack an envelope of hot cocoa mix into a pocket to take advantage of the drink bar's hot water dispenser...

 

[Boston girl]

Free hot water you can always get in the lodge. Bring your own packets of soup, hot cocoa, tea and oatmeal or cream of wheat or even coffee. I love veggie chips dipped in plain yogurt or cottage cheese for another healthy lunch idea.

 

[tinymoose]

Anyone have a food thermos they'd like to rec that they just really love?

 

[Boston girl]

Yeti

 

[tinymoose]

Yeti

Which model? I was looking at them but they seem to be more aimed at drinks?

 

[ski diva]

Anyone have a food thermos they'd like to rec that they just really love?

Yes. Go here.

 

[Boston girl]

All of them are pretty good. Another tip to keep things hot is preheat the thermos with boiling water before you put your food in.

 

[Christy]

Free hot water you can always get in the lodge. .

Unfortunately not in the Covid area, since so many of us don't have lodge access (except for restrooms) much less any indoor food service.

 

[Boston girl]

Oh ok.. I didn’t even realize that. I haven’t skied yet this year. Thanks for letting me know.

 

[Jilly]

Free hot water you can always get in the lodge. .

Not around here either. Always charged a nominal fee for hot water and the cup. So like 10 cents, but...

 

[MissySki]

I will miss sticking tea bags in my pocket for use with free hot water this season.. Love to do that and get a huge cinnamon bun from the North Peak lodge at Sunday River.

I know some of the lodges will have inside access and seating, but I'm not doing anything like that this season.

 

[tinymoose]

I'm still waiting on word on how Montage is planning to handle the lodge this season. It's a pretty small lodge to begin with. I'm just assuming we'll have boot up and eat at our car.

 

[ski diva]

I will miss sticking tea bags in my pocket for use with free hot water this season..

ME TOO!

 

[snowski/swimmouse]

I brought my own cup, but always got the hot water at Okemo....

 

[altagirl]

All of them are pretty good. Another tip to keep things hot is preheat the thermos with boiling water before you put your food in.

I guess it depends on the thermos, but I have a few of those HydroFlasks and if I put in a hot beverage it's still too hot to drink many hours later so I've learned to add enough ice to make it a drinkable temperature because the tempurature inside the thermos will take an eternity to change.

Similarly, I do the opposite in summer - other containers I'd fill to the top with ice and then add water and it melts down over a couple hours. If I do that with my HydroFlask I still have a bottle of ice at the end of the day that hasn't melted down at all and I don't get enough water out of it.

Hah, know the efficiency of your thermos, I guess!

 

[fgor]

Yes. Go here.

Oh, I actually own that food thermos that's listed first on that page! I used it this winter, even pre-covid (because I hate paying resort prices for subpar food haha). I'd heat up my food at around 5:30-6am and then eat lunch around 11am - often pulse pastas and things. Have also used it for soup!! It was pretty decent

 

[Idahoskier]

Anyone have a food thermos they'd like to rec that they just really love?

This Stanley crock works well for soups and chili for the crew. Fill it with it with hot water to get it warm, then fill up with your soup or chili. We have a little container in the truck that will have bowls, utensils, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Adventure-St...eywords=stanley+thermos&qid=1608137639&sr=8-8

We also plan to take our backpack stoves to make hot water for individual soups and hot cocoa.