Managing Gear to / From Hill

[Andy Mink]

At our home area I usually leave the bag in the car on the Mt. Rose side (we park at an area where it's hop on/hop off the slope. On the Slide side I've booted up at that car but mostly go into the lodge to boot up during the week. It's usually pretty slow and I put my lesser pack next to @Philpug's Thermal Trekker. Find a bag nicer than yours and leave your bag near! On the busy days I'll boot at the car since it's still a really close walk.

 

[Uncle-A]

^^^
Sometimes I will do bag check or locker.

When I ski Hunter NY I check my bag because they do have a good place to check your stuff. Other ski locations do not, I wish they did have good, safe bag check.

 

[Choucas]

Always bring my boot/gear bag into the base lodge and change into/out of boots and get dressed there. Never lock anything. Nothing ever went missing in 50+ years of skiing. Always keep keys and wallet on me. I must not ski in high crime areas.

 

[RuleMiHa]

Always bring my boot/gear bag into the base lodge and change into/out of boots and get dressed there. Never lock anything. Nothing ever went missing in 50+ years of skiing. Always keep keys and wallet on me. I must not ski in high crime areas.

You know you just set yourself up to get got this year.

 

[Gatopescado]

I guess I'm weird, because I don't understand a word of this.

 

[jmeb]

I'm with Phil, an AWD gear locker in the front row is the ticket. Though I realize it isn't a possible solution for most.

Arriving in my long johns, sliding into the back seat to gear up. Listening to podcasts, drinking the remainder of my coffee, booting up, and enjoying my own little living room is pretty fabulous.

 

[Bad Bob]

Boot at the car. It's about 100 yards to the base lodge and snow so no biggie. At the end of the day if somebody wants to see me in my base layer changing at the car, they are welcome, but they can't have one of my beers.

I keep a Dollar Store rug in the vehicle to stand on and keeps the socks dry while changing or booting. If somebody gets stuck on ice they make a great traction device too.

 

[Don in Morrison]

Arrive early, so as to be able to park close in. Boot up in the car and walk the rest of the gear to the base area. Back to the car for homemade lunch and off again for the afternoon. Haul everything back to the car at the end of the day, change into shoes and head home.

 

[HDSkiing]

What I will miss most is having a big-ass locker that can accommodate three pairs of skis, boots, all my essentials, etc. Rolling up to the hill every day with just a soft sided lunch cooler is awesome...

Yup, it’s a perk for sure.

Pretty much anywhere I ski outside of work at my home area I’m usually overnighting and I always just stay slope side. Before I was teaching tho and had the locker space I’d use a backpack, not a ski boot back pack but like a day pack that was big enough to cram my boots into (one on top of the other) my ski pants, gloves, goggle etc. helmet strapped to the outside. I’d wear thin sneakers or something on the walk to the lodge. I’d change and then just wear the backpack skiing with my shoes inside and maybe an extra layer, a bottle of water and some snacks.

Not everyone likes to ski with a pack, but with just light shoes and a layer of clothing it hardly weighs anything and you hardly notice it. Then all your stuff is with you, you don’t need to worry about a locker or trudge to and from the car in ski boots etc.

 

[Dave Petersen]

Local Midwest skiing -- I'm pretty tall so I put my gear bag on top of the lockers where most can't reach it. In Breck I have an assigned ski locker at the base.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I have a large ski boot backpack bag so everything I need and them some is in there. If I'm at the mountain where I work I keep it in the locker room or the shed. If I'm not working that day and skiing a different mountain I'll use bag check if available. Otherwise I'll just put it in a cubby. Bag comes home with me every night. As far as my skis go, I'll carry them in the am to the mountain. If I'm at the mountain where I work I leave the skis there in the shed. When I'm at other mountains I transport my skis back and forth and either use a ski check or lock them up unless I drop them off for a tune overnight or pay for overnight storage.

 

[wallyk]

We're, or as a Dad I'm, pretty regimented and meticulous when it comes to managing our gear. We have attire/outerware/gloves that is specifically for non-skiing activities and attire for skiing activities so we change at the local. We're pretty fortunate that the race team has a dedicated area of the lodge that is separated by a large "barn" door door and parents who do a pretty good job of being "Minnesota nice" with strangers trying to "use" the area and are not part of the race program. I'm slightly jealous of @Uncle-A new Spyder bag as it must be a well deserved beauty!!!!

11 year old has a Transport boot bag and my 5 year old and I have a three piece system. Big LL bean canvass bag for boots and daughters ski clothes. Small LL Bean bag that goes inside the big bag which contains goggles, mittens/gloves, neck gaiters, etc.....Those LL Bean bags are bomb proof!!!! Also use an old Patagonia back pack which has a zillion pockets for lunch, snacks, drinks, passes, my pants.....After skiing with kids for 7 years no problems yet. I do get nervous about someone stealing the backpack b/c but so far the "system" has survived years of skiing at Camelback, Campgaw and Welch Village!!!!

 

[focker]

Locally I don't even think about it. I haul my stuff in a big Tranpack and leave it at my table in the lodge.

Out west I've only booted up at my car or done ski in/ski out. I hate booting up at the car but sometimes it's just easier than worrying about your crap all day

 

[David]

Locally I don't even think about it. I haul my stuff in a big Tranpack and leave it at my table in the lodge.

Your table? Those are there for everyone!

 

[focker]

Your table? Those are there for everyone!

We have a team room at our hill that is exclusive to the Alpine ski racing families that are there. It's amazing.

 

[Mendieta]

At our home area I usually leave the bag in the car on the Mt. Rose side (we park at an area where it's hop on/hop off the slope. On the Slide side I've booted up at that car but mostly go into the lodge to boot up during the week. It's usually pretty slow and I put my lesser pack next to @Philpug's Thermal Trekker. Find a bag nicer than yours and leave your bag near! On the busy days I'll boot at the car since it's still a really close walk.

Similar here except that I always boot up in the car. On trips, we stay either at (Deer Valley) or close to the mountain (Rose), so kids boot up before living the place we are staying, and I am almost ready except for boot and jacket/helmet.

For my long day-trip commute: I start really early. I wear shorts under my ski pants. It keeps you warm in winter, and you can open the vents of the ski pants in spring. Once done, as I un-boot on the car (SUV, super comfy to do so in the back), all I do is take my ski pants and leave the shorts on. Put on sneakers and I am ready to head back.

 

[Mike Rogers]

Unless I am meeting people in the Lodge, I boot up at the car. Booting up in the lodge gives me something to do while I wait....

I don't carry much though. I wear old approach shoes that are pretty beat up, and fragrant ( ). I tuck them away in the lodge, but I am sure nobody would want them.

Other stuff (sandwich etc). goes in pockets, or if I am skiing out of bounds, a small bag (with avy gear). If I have more than one pair of skis out, the ones that aren't in use are left in the car.

I've had poles stolen, nothing else.

 

[Gentry]

Locally I don't even think about it. I haul my stuff in a big Tranpack and leave it at my table in the lodge.

Out west I've only booted up at my car or done ski in/ski out. I hate booting up at the car but sometimes it's just easier than worrying about your crap all day

Same. Locally, I boot up in lodge and stuff my non-descript High Sierra boot bag underneath the tables. If someone wants to steal it all they are really getting is some winter hiking boots I just changed out of, an extra pair of goggles and maybe some gloves or baselayers. Doesn't seem worth the risk for a thief so I'm not to worried about it.

 

[graham418]

It all depends where I am , of course, but I have pretty much given up on booting up in the parking lot. Maybe I’m getting old! The warmth of doing it inside, while I have a coffee, is too appealing. I have a gear backpack, which holds everything. I stash it on top of te lockers, or under the windows depending on the accepted protocols of the resort. Touch wood, I have never had an issue. I like being able to get out of my gear at the end of the day / start of the beer. Just like my cycling clothes in summer, I can’t get them off fast enough.
At some resorts, ie JH, I take advantage of the big locker room with the big lockers.. They are expensive, but big enough for 3 to share. No dragging gear back and forth to the hill, it’s all warm and dry, etc.

 

[firebanex]

I'm blessed, I got an entire aid room to stash my gear in. Perks of patrolling, I also get front row parking because we all get there prior to any public arriving and if I'm running late, the patrol saves a spot or two near our aid room for patrollers.

The only times I have to worry about gear stashing is when I go to the other ski area in town, the parking lot is tiny so you gotta show up early to even get a spot, but the lodge is super close to the parking lot. They have zero storage inside but plenty of tables and chairs I can take over while I get all my gear on. I then take all my stuff back out to my car and lock it up, since I only really go there in the spring after my home area closes, its super nice to drop the tailgate and eat lunch in the spring sunshine. Any other skiing I do is destination resort skiing so I am in a hotel near the slopes and don't have to bring anything out with me but a day pack, if I wear a pack at all that day.

I never understood why people boot up in the parking lot where I live, its cold out there! besides we have a super local vibe and pretty much everyone knows each other on the hill so theft has not been a problem at either of the ski areas in town. Lift ticket forgery on the other hand...