Food in High Places

by Amanda Faison
skier, ski mom, lover of slopeside cuisine

SOMEWHERE IN COLORADO SKI COUNTRY USA – Growing up in Aspen, my provided ski-school lunch consisted of a very sad hot dog and a small soda on a tray. (Of course, I always bolstered this with a pocket roll of Mentos for chairlift snacks.) Hot dogs might still make an appearance on the occasional resort menu, but on-mountain dining has evolved to include more finely crafted options. See below for some of CSCUSA’s top picks, plus an uphill bonus.

Not only does Arapahoe Basin’s Il Rifugio sit at 12,456 feet and carry the distinction of the highest restaurant in North America, the bistro also serves excellent antipasto and charcuterie boards along with panini and salads. For stunning views of the Continental Divide, dine on a bluebird day and see if you can nab a table by the window or sit on the deck. The vistas pair perfectly with a glass of bubbly. Open for pastries and coffee at 9:00 am and lunch starting at 10:30 am; no reservations.

Fun fact: Before Il Rifugio opened in 2019, Telluride’s Alpino Vino (at 11,966 feet) boasted the title of North America’s highest restaurant. But don’t let the difference of 490 feet discourage you from dining at this gorgeous chalet. Perched on the side of the aptly-named See Forever run, you really can see for-evah! The views only enhance the already terrific menu of pastas, antipasti, and panini. Swirling a glass of Italian wine by the fireplace, you might momentarily think you’re in the Dolomites. Open for lunch and dinner; reservations strongly recommended.

Over the years, the Tennessee Pass Cookhouse, a yurt with nightly dinner service, has become a destination. The structure, which sits at 1,080 feet and is accessed from Ski Cooper’s nordic center, is only reachable by snowshoeing, skinning, or (for an upcharge) snowmobile. For a different kind of high-altitude dining, Katie O’Rourke’s Irish Pub holds the title of North America’s highest elevation Irish pub. Stop by for Fish and Chips, Johnny McCulley’s Irish Pot Pie, a Reuben, or Katie’s gourmet Wagyu Burger.

Skiers and riders take note: Loveland Ski Area is doing something all its own. Thanks to its secret weapon, kitchen supervisor and head baker Audra Alviso, the mountain has established a fantastic pastry program. Alviso, a Denver native who worked as head baker at Whole Foods for six years and as a chocolatier in Idaho Springs, has taken Loveland’s morning nosh up a serious notch. She specializes in doughnuts, French pastries, and petit fours, and even if you’re not hitting the hill (ummm, whyever not?!), Alviso’s treats are worth pulling off I-70 for.

This season, Aspen Snowmass set out with a mission to bring the best of the best in burgers to its on-mountain guests. The resort rolled out seven signature burgers across its four mountains. From classic to seriously over-the-top, each $21 sandwich features local, grass-fed beef patties from Nieslanik Ranch in Carbondale. The chosen restaurants—Sundeck at Aspen Mountain; Elk Camp, High Alpine, and Ullrhof at Snowmass; Buttermilk Mountain Lodge and Cliffhouse at Buttermilk Mountain; and Merry-Go-Round at Aspen Highlands—all added their own flair. For example, in keeping with High Alpine’s Bavarian spin, the burger is topped with pastrami and kraut and bookended by a pretzel bun. Over at Merry-Go-Round at Highlands, the mountain’s come-as-you-are vibe translated to a burger with a little bit of everything: pastrami bacon, onion rings, pepper jack, barbecue sauce, lettuce, onion, tomato, and grilled cheese sandwiches standing in for a bun. If only there were a burger passport, where you could get a stamp for trying each—and a prize (a shot of Pepto? A free beer?) at the end!

And speaking of Aspen…With small exception, most every CSCUSA resort permits uphilling with an arm band and mindful awareness of the rules. But Buttermilk takes the experience to the next level with the Friday Morning Uphill Breakfast Club. On Friday mornings throughout the season, Cliffhouse, the restaurant at the summit, opens early for those earning their turns. For the 2023–2024 season, the Aspen Chamber Resort Association sponsored the breakfasts, meaning that uphillers could nosh on items from a DIY yogurt and oatmeal station or breakfast fried rice with a farm egg for just $7.50 per person.

Photo courtesy of Arapahoe Basin

Eating at Elevation Is Twice as Tasty

by Amanda Faison
skier, ski mom, lover of slopeside cuisine

SOMEWHERE IN COLORADO SKI COUNTRY USA – Maybe there’s something in the water? Maybe it’s the crisp mountain air? Maybe it’s both? Whatever it is, we’re convinced that food on the slopes just tastes better.

Think about it: how often do you order a sky-high pile of nachos and finish every chip on the platter? Or destroy a massive, smothered breakfast burrito? Instead of getting all science-y on you, we tapped Purgatory‘s Executive Chef John Feeley, CSCUSA’s 2023 Double Diamond Award winner for food and beverage, to give us his thoughts on the high-altitude phenomenon.

CSCUSA: Why does food taste better after a day on the slopes?
John Feeley: I’ve never thought of it like that, but a lot of it has to do with working up an appetite and not just that it’s lunch time. The fresh air, all that exercise, it makes you extra hungry. Does that draw you to particular foods? I think so, especially chilis and soups when it’s cold out. Chicken tenders are a best seller at every resort in the U.S. They’re a safe choice versus getting something like a pulled pork sandwich and wondering if it might be dry.

CSCUSA: What are some of Purgatory’s biggest sellers?
JF: Chicken fingers, burgers, the chilis. At The Powderhouse, which is more of our local spot, there’s comfort food like chicken pot pie, homemade lasagna, and something we call Purg Pockets, which are like Hot Pockets. We do a Cuban one, a pizza one, and other flavors.

CSCUSA: How about for those folks who are looking for higher-end items?
JF: We just did a snowcat dinner on the full moon. It was a five-course wine dinner. You ride to the top of the mountain and stop to get pictures of the alpenglow on the Needle Mountains—I haven’t been everywhere, but I think it’s one of the best views in Colorado. The experience is so quiet, and it’s such a different vibe at night. It’s special and unique, and we stuff guests full of gourmet food and really good wine.

We also have the Bistro at Dante’s, which this year has a traditional alpine menu. There are charcuterie boards, wiener schnitzel, a sausage sampler plate (we work with a meat provider to get fresh sausages), different smoked salmons, French onion soup, jäger schnitzel, and alpine sides like sautéed apples and cabbage. It’s not traditional American comfort food, but it’s still comfort food, and it’s caught on. We just did the mid-season financial analysis of what’s selling and what’s not. The building upstairs is fine dining (Dante’s), and the cafeteria is downstairs. We learned that fine dining is doing more volume, which is mind blowing.

CSCUSA: What do you attribute that to?
JF: When I started five years ago, everything was pre-cooked and pre-prepared—just heated up. I looked at the head chef, who had also just started, and said, We need to talk. Within a year, we had moved to a scratch kitchen with fresh ingredients. We truly cook. We were smoking brisket, making pulled pork in house instead of buying product, and we got immediate, positive feedback. Guest satisfaction has gone through the roof.

Skiing or riding this weekend?
Seek out these Colorado eats

Nachos at Sixth Alley Bar & Grill, Arapahoe Basin
This cheesy pile of layered goodness starts with a tangle of Colorado’s own Raquelitas tortilla chips. From there, you choose shredded chicken, beef, or plant-based chorizo, along with black bean and corn salsa, scallions, cheddar jack cheese, pickled jalapeños, olives, and sides of sour cream and salsa. These nachos feed a crowd, so don’t go at it alone. Bonus: if you’re part of the Mug Club (there are only 473 available each season), you get $1 off of draft beer, Bloody Marys, and Moscow mules all season long.

Lifty Chili at The Lookout, Eldora Mountain
In addition to serving up views of the Continental Divide and James Peak Wilderness, The Lookout dishes up its Lifty Chili, which is a favorite of—you guessed it—Eldora’s lift operators. The bison chili is hearty and filling, and it comes with a story: the recipe originates from Tocabe, a restaurant in Denver specializing in contemporary American Indian cuisine. The ingredients are carefully sourced and inspired by Osage family recipes.

Waffle Fries at Brother’s Grille, Echo Mountain
Why order regular fries when you can have waffle fries! Echo Mountain’s signature snack has more surface area, more crunch, more everything. The fries are so popular, they’ve even been called “life changing” on the customer feedback survey. If you really want to take it up a notch, pair the fries with a bowl of tomato soup. It might become your new favorite combo.

Whatever’s on draft at Todd’s Tavern, Sunlight Mountain Resort
It’s not just food that tastes better on the slopes, it’s a frosty microbrew too. And how better to enjoy it than at Sunlight’s creaky floored, dollar-bill decorated Todd’s Tavern? This season, Todd’s collaborated with Glenwood Canyon Brewpub to create an easy-drinking, crushable lager. If you’ve got a mug, save $1, but even without, you’ll be saying cheers!

Photo courtesy of Purgatory