Boot Up Areas: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Don't Forget the Nonexistent)

[dbostedo]

The space outside my truck doesn't seem to change much from resort to resort.

What's with everyone changing into boots at the lodge? I seriously thought that most people only did that if you had rental gear that you had just gotten that day. Not judging, I've just never ever skied with anyone who said, "Hey, let's carry extra stuff with us and change at the lodge"

I do it every time I ski. I hate walking in my ski boots. Much nicer to just carry my backpack and skis on the walk to someplace warm where I can sit and put on my boots. Doing it in the cold standing by my trunk then walking in boots to the lifts is a pain in the butt.

 

[Sibhusky]

The space outside my truck doesn't seem to change much from resort to resort.

What's with everyone changing into boots at the lodge? I seriously thought that most people only did that if you had rental gear that you had just gotten that day. Not judging, I've just never ever skied with anyone who said, "Hey, let's carry extra stuff with us and change at the lodge"

The "extra stuff" is just your boots and you get to put them on warm, which means you'll be warmer all day. Plus you won't be trashing your boot soles. I did the CatTrax routine for a couple decades. Would much rather be warm while I put my boots on.

 

[crgildart]

I do it every time I ski. I hate walking in my ski boots. Much nicer to just carry my backpack and skis on the walk to someplace warm where I can sit and put on my boots. Doing it in the cold standing by my trunk then walking in boots to the lifts is a pain in the butt.

I'm going to dissent on that perspective. The crappier the parking spot, the longer the walk, especially in shuttle bus land, the less I want to be carrying from the car to the lodge. Getting on a school bus with little kid sized seats schlepping a boot bag is a nightmare. Carrying a boot bag and skis more than a quarter mile or just booting up at the car and using my rockered Ski Trax over the boot soles is a no brainer for me... sitting on the rear cargo bumper or folding step stool over a roll of carpet to boot up and leaving the bag at the car..

 

[DanoT]

This old guy needs to be sitting down to buckle his boots and hanging with my butt on a car seat and feet on the ground doesn't work for me.

 

[noncrazycanuck]

I'm strictly a parking lot guy, if not ski in ski out.
rarely carry boots further than 3 feet outside the vehicle door - I need to put them on while they are still warm

In PNW quite often you start skiing adjacent the vehicle and you always ski back close to vehicle at end of the day,
So walking far in ski boots isn't a normal event.. Even my parking spot at Whister to lift is only around 200 steps,
when I take a pack my cubby usually is a tree, nothing goes missing

By the time the soles wear out pretty sure it will be time to replace them anyway.

 

[David Chaus]

Stevens Pass and Crystal have some long walks from parking lots to the base. Crystal at least has the shuttle (open air wagons with maybe 6 rows of bench seating, pulled by a truck/tractor/I forget what kind of vehicle it is). That said, most people seem to walk in their ski boots. I have done it plenty of times in Ski Trax or Cat Tracks; I prefer walking in my insulated hiking boots and wearing my boot bag, booting up inside where it’s warm and I can take time to buckle and adjust my Booster straps, without getting my fingers cold. With my circulation issues (due to Type 1 diabetes), it takes a long time for my hands to warm up, even with heated gloves.

Whistler is kind of different; I have booted up in the Creekside Parkade at my vehicle, where it’s warm, then walk across the pedestrian bridge to the Creekside gondola. If I’m staying in the village, I can either boot up in my room and take the bus, or walk to the Carlton Lodge and use the locker room, toss my gear on top of the paid lockers and walk outside a few steps to get one of two Gondi lines, or take the Fitzsimmons chair. Lots of choices.

 

[Carl Kuck]

Is the picture on the home page for this thread Deer Valley? Almost looks like one of the cafeterias. In any event, the locker room at Snow Park Lodge at DV is pretty nice. Complimentary boot warmers, nice restrooms, and I seem to remember you can basket check your stuff overnight for free. Very close to the lifts is also a plus. And nice and close to the complimentary ski storage as well.

 

[ADKmel]

We boot up in our condo and ride the shuttle bus to Snowshed, but there is plenty of space and free bag check, also at Ramshead for the family crowd. Do need those Yak Tracks to protect my boots, but that was its own thread.

Mt Snow is a little crowded, cheek-to-cheek.

How is Okemo?

Main old lodge has downstairs locker rooms w/racks, Jackson Gore boot up in round house and stash bags in room over by food court, there are small lockers down stairs at JG too.

 

[Ski&ride]

By myself, I drive up to the unloading area, drop both skis and boot bag. Go park, walk back without the gear. Boot up in the lodge.

If there’s no bench at base lodge? There’s always benches in the rental area.

But if I’m with others and they prefer to boot up in the car? No problem from me.

In short, I’m not too fussy. I can’t even remember which mountain has boot up area and which one doesn’t.

 

[ADKmel]

I don't like booting up at the car, hate doing the 1 foot hop, really dislike if it's snowing and gets in my boots! I rarely pay to lock my boot bag
it has my name in magic marker all over it, would be hard to take by mistake. I have used the basket check vs stuffing in lockers. lockers are usually just too small for street boots and bag.

My adventures in booting up at these Mts:
Copper booted up at the car, hop bus to lifts.
Keystone- I70 was a parking lot so we rode public transport bus then took internal MT bus to Peru lift- small lodge w/baskets ($9)
Tremblant- stayed slopeside at Sonnet des Neiges walk out, Back side of Mt has a day lodge w/tables/lockers and places to stash bags and parking.
Vail-$50/day parking close to clock tower, booted up in car/underground parking, was long walk to lift- ugh.
Snowmass- Locker room tucked in across from ticket window at main base,stash bags on top of lockers.or park at two creeks.
Highland- parked in parking garage, entered and used benches and lockers-stashed bags on top of lockers
Mammoth-not many places to stash stuff that we could find so we stay slopeside, summer boot up at car, parked at Mill.
Banff- Sunshine has small bag room w/racks next to gondola upstairs above restaurant
Lake Louise-locker room/racks down stairs and also hooks and racks up w/lots of tables.
Norquay- lots of room and racks in lodge.
Deer valley- nice locker room w/bathrooms and low cost baskets Snow park.
Alta- big room by GMD w/lockers or racks
Sugarbush, bag room w/racks by cafeteria
Killington- Bear lots of racks, by Gondola- we use the Bar area, racks and bathroom in back corner
Okemo- main lodge is down stairs lockers and racks, JGore- Round house has room w/hooks/benches by cafeteria, often bags left along the wall, lockers on ground floor but they are small size.
Gore- Lots of tables/rooms to change and stash/hang bags
Whiteface- Lots of tables, racks and hooks to hang bags on main floor
Taos- Locker room has basket check, I left mine on top of lockers
Telluride- stayed close to lift so we could walk. there is a rental lodge by Porcupine lift could probably stash bags there, limited parking most is for condos
Alpine Meadows, booted up in lodge, hung bag on hooks
Sun Valley, beautiful lodge, free cubbies (w/doors) to stash bags
Snowbasin- just like Sun Valley
Powder Mt. Booted up in lodge, hung bag on hooks- we took the UTA Bus.
Stowe- have parked at Spruce and the midway day lodge and left bags at each

 

[Tony S]

The space outside my truck doesn't seem to change much from resort to resort.

What's with everyone changing into boots at the lodge? I seriously thought that most people only did that if you had rental gear that you had just gotten that day. Not judging, I've just never ever skied with anyone who said, "Hey, let's carry extra stuff with us and change at the lodge"

Probably you've never skied with easterners over 30.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

When I first met my SO I booted up in the car/parking lot but this was a habit I developed after years skiing/boarding in mammoth and southern California mountains. Now that I've been back here 10 years I've am now a full on lodge princess. I boot up in the shed at bromley, locker room at magic or the lodge of killington. Only time I boot up at the car/outside these days is spring time at Killington when I'm tailgating with our friends and don't even go in the lodge.

 

[AltaFan]

Alta Albion is my fav (obviously)

Squaw is terrible.

Stayed at Whistler Four Seasons one time for 2 nights and that was the best!

 

[jmills115]

The best and worst this season were the day my hike ended and a tree was the option. An inviting tree well close to the top of High Rustler was the only way to boot up.
Wearing Verts snowshoes with my skis and boots on my back the hike won that day. I was struggling and not feeling great looking around at what my options were.
To think that early in the season at the car I had many days that felt like my Zipfits weren't in my boots properly and buckles were a struggle.
The tree well changed that.

 

[Philpug]

I will occasionaly boot up at the car. in my case, with a heated @KULKEA bootbag, that is the easy part, I am slipping my foot into a warm soft sell. It is a the end of the day, daking the boot off is sometimes that hard part, LOL. There have been a few ways where I jsut could not get the shell off of my foot and fortunately, there was someone else driving. At Mt. Rose in the early season, we tend to boot up at the car in the upper lot because it is actually closer to the lift than the lodge is LOL. Once the Slide side opens, we tend to park and boot up in that lodge.

 

[David Chaus]

^^^^ Whether booting up in a lodge or at the car, I have found it a much easier process by removing the liners (I use Intuition FX Race liners) and putting those on first, then sliding into the shell. Reverse process when removing the boots. My Tecnica boots make this easier since they have a softer flexing material right at the instep where it needs to bend to get the shell on or off.

 

[mdf]

During Gatherings, booting up in the boot room is a social occaision. Don't miss it!

 

[Ross Biff]

Here's my thoughts on this boot up thing.

I have never ever and never will ever decide which ski area to ski based on whether or not it has a nice booty space. Snow, yes. Terrain, yes. Lifts, possibly, Booty space - nope.

I hadn't given this a lot of thought but I came to the conclusion that I would gladly boot up in the lot ( as it seems I almost always have) with guaranteed good snow rather than in a cosy space inside but poor snow outside. I do love the feel of my boots which have been warmed up in the passenger side foot well with the heater blowing as I drive up the hill. I do usually park early enough that any limited indoor boot up space is still empty enough to work though but this isn't a deal make or breaker.

 

[clong83]

Probably you've never skied with easterners over 30.

Ha, maybe that's it then. I and all of my ski buddies are well over 30, but none of us are easterners. I've never really been out east.

 

[clong83]

The "extra stuff" is just your boots and you get to put them on warm, which means you'll be warmer all day. Plus you won't be trashing your boot soles. I did the CatTrax routine for a couple decades. Would much rather be warm while I put my boots on.

Fair enough, different strokes, etc.

I honestly find that carrying my boots and skis/poles is much more difficult than just wearing the boots and only carrying the skis/poles. But I never found walking in ski boots all that hard. I usually walk faster in my ski boots than a lot of winded tourists do in their street shoes through the parking lot. Maybe it's just my gait.