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Ski Picnic Lunches

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Looking for packed lunch ideas for on the slopes PLEASE .....

After years of paying for lunches on the slopes, I’m finally saying ENOUGH!!! It’s costing at least €100 per day (and I can think of a lot better things to spend that money on)

So we’re a family of six and all kids are now young adults and teenagers with very healthy appetites, who are not big fans of eating the same ham and cheese rolls every day. And while I could say ‘Lump It’ to them, it makes for a much more enjoyable holiday when everyone is happy

Going along the lines of wraps and baguettes with different fillings each day, but looking for inspiration for those fillings, unusual, tasty, last reasonably well in their backpack/pocket when someone falls on it….

Also, one of my sons is a major Spanish tortilla fan and I often see rolls with this as a filling. Whereas I like tortilla, cold tortilla doesn’t do anything for me. Can anyone vouch for it as a tasty filling?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
If you have a kitchen consider flasks with warm pasta inside and/or flasks of hot chocolate.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Will have full kitchen facilities, so flasks of warm food would definitely be an option
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Make it their responsibility not yours to come up with tasty options. Pasta and rice salads, hot dogs in a flask etc. My general rule is hearty cooked breakfast where possibly then leftovers on baguette for lunch - Jalfrezi or Cottage Pie Baguette is excellent particularly if you can poach the microwave in a self service.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Fmpc, +1 for flask with hot dogs, if you can stock up on sachets of ketchup, salt and pepper, mustard etc from various food outlets to take with you.

a few years ago, we went with another family for our first ever family ski holiday, he was an ex-army officer who used to be responsible for organising inter-service ski trips before he left the army, and he showed me the hot dog/flask hack, he also used the left-over hot dog juice for cup-a-soup at the same time!!

just make sure you don't confuse the hotdog flask with hot choc flask the following day Very Happy Very Happy
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Hot dogs in flasks are popular, but you can also buy small insulated lunch boxes, that you could load up with hot chilli or stew etc. (cook extra in the evening).
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Fmpc,
Which resort?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Will be skiing in Grandvalira, Andorra
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Also worth pointing out to them that at busy times, or when, say a bunch of ski schools hit the café simultaneously, it can be a lot faster and less hassle to go down to the pique-nique room and tuck into your own stuff. Avoiding long queues, a complex multi-faceted adaptable strategic plan for bagging some tables, and the cost of catered food.

There is also a 'hybrid' approach, where you just buy something like a bowl of soup/goulash and then surreptitiously eat your provisions. This is perhaps more feasible in the big mass-catering places rather than a bijou on-piste buvette.
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we like (as do the niblings):

- coronation chicken

- smoked trout and cream cheese

We have paper plates and cutlery, little pepper and salt things with lids, bottle of lemon juice, metal flasks for wines and prosecco, ...
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
My only issue with flasks is that you will be carrying around several solid metal lumps in your backpack. Should you take a tumble, your spine might not thank you.

If it was me, everyone should be loaded up with their own protein bars/chocolate bars then one person with baguettes neatly packed into a small rucksack.

I'm also a fan of a boiled egg in your pocket in the morning. It's an amazing mid morning snack when you're on a chairlift. Apologies to anyone that I've dropped egg shell on in the past Laughing

Also, chairlift, not gondola! People tend to not like smelling egg in a gondola.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
When it comes to hungry teenagers, who aren't paying the bills, you'll struggle to satisfy them.
Quote:

Make it their responsibility not yours to come up with tasty options.
DoTM has the right idea

We used to give our kids spending money for the holiday. Not a huge amount, certainly not enough to buy a good lunch on the slopes every day. They could find the cheapest place for a plate of chips, or stuff some mini choc bars in their pocket (I always took plenty of those as they're v expensive on the slopes) or buy a sandwich, or whatever. It's astonishing how much more careful they become when the opportunity cost of their spending is immediately apparent. This ploy also magically dissolved their wish to go and drink expensively in bars. A bottle of Old Lady Gin doesn't cost much, even in a ski resort supermarket. If you have your own apartment, I suggest you stock the fridge with some not-too-expensive options and let them decide whether to make themselves a roll or sandwich or pay for their own lunch out. Take your sails out of their wind.

When we had our own place it was easy to get into the warm and make something simple for lunch.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
pam w wrote:
When it comes to hungry teenagers, who aren't paying the bills, you'll struggle to satisfy them.
Quote:

Make it their responsibility not yours to come up with tasty options.
DoTM has the right idea

We used to give our kids spending money for the holiday. Not a huge amount, certainly not enough to buy a good lunch on the slopes every day. They could find the cheapest place for a plate of chips, or stuff some mini choc bars in their pocket (I always took plenty of those as they're v expensive on the slopes) or buy a sandwich, or whatever. It's astonishing how much more careful they become when the opportunity cost of their spending is immediately apparent. This ploy also magically dissolved their wish to go and drink expensively in bars. A bottle of Old Lady Gin doesn't cost much, even in a ski resort supermarket. If you have your own apartment, I suggest you stock the fridge with some not-too-expensive options and let them decide whether to make themselves a roll or sandwich or pay for their own lunch out. Take your sails out of their wind.

When we had our own place it was easy to get into the warm and make something simple for lunch.


This is generally what I do now. There's a cafe in my favourite resort where the baguettes are about the length of my arm. For 6 of us we buy 3 baguettes, 3 lots of chips and a round of orangina for the kids, a vin chaud for the missus, and a beer for me and FIL. Comes to under €50 and I'm more than happy paying that for the convenience of not lugging stuff about all day. Then, as you say, pockets stuffed with chocolate bars (and boiled eggs!) do the rest of the day.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@Fmpc, Rota for who runs out early to get them - Supermarket bakery quality pre-made ham saled/ cheese salad/ chicken etc rolls 4-5€ each, and pasta salads, plastic forks from the deli, take fun size snickers and mars, small bags of crisps and drink water from lightweight thermos, 10-12€ pppd, or go all DIY and make them up and wrap in foil etc but the former would be my preference if I had a large team with me who wanted feeding, it's a holiday for all, get them in the loop and going out for it too early doors. All carry their own too.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
We make and take 'cheesy bites'. Puff pastry squares (you can buy it on a roll in France), with a same ratio mix of mash, grated cheese and chopped onion. Spoon in some mix, pinch em together, cook for 25 mins on gas 5. Ish. They freeze great, will thaw whilst skiing in the am, and taste great.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
We have tortilla ‘barra’ - you need a slice of tomato or onion and alioli or garlic mayo to stop it being dry.

Jambon Beurre is a thing of beauty
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Might not be the healthiest option but Nutella baguette always goes down well with our teens
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@Charliegolf, ooooh yes please
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Pitta bread stuffed with falafel, hummus, and chopped pepper/red cabbage or whatever other veggies you fancy. Easy to pack down flat, don’t fall apart, and pretty healthy with plenty of protein and carbs.

If in Austria you can also just troop into the Spar - at the cheese/meat counter they make up semmels (bread rolls) to order with your choice of fillings for ~€2
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@clarky999, +1 even better the MPreis chicken schnizel semmels with Mayo, food of the Gods that!
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@Fmpc,
Suggest you take out wine in a plastic bottle. Then you can do any boring buttie
'If you don't eat your buttie then no wine for you'. snowHead
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Fmpc, why not go back to your apartment for lunch, especially if the weather is grim ?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@Nadenoodlee, Ha! Her indoors cooks virtually nothing in our house, that's my thing. But having been demo'd these, she's the cheesy bite queen. Very Happy
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Will you have a car?

Our approach is to load up a couple of rucsacs and leave them in the car. We agree where we will meet and two ski down to the car for the bags and back up the lifts. One favourite spot is about 50m from the top of a run reached in two lifts from the carpark. Takes about 30 minutes round trip.

For a group of 6 on the lads' trip it is then 3 baguettes, tube of mustard/mayo, ham, saucisson, cornichons, couple of cheeses, small packet of crisps each, 6 small beers, litre plastic bottle topped up with Cotes du Rhone, two litres of water, 6 stacking plastic cups. Once lunch is finished we can ditch the bottles and rubbish and the bags are then pretty light.

Needless to say this works best on a good weather day.
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We'll definitely be looking at leaving stuff in the car any day that this suits, so those could become flask (warm food) days.

We're actually based halfway between Soldeu and El Tartar, so going back to the apartment at lunchtime is a bit of a pain, as in having to take ski boots off/on and load us all in/out of the car

I'm thinking that the carpark behind the Nordic in El Tartar and the new paved area near the bottom of the lifts in Soldeu (so only a few minutes to/from the carpark) would be good places for a picnic and at least give us a few days we can avoid carting food around and I've seen that there's two indoor picnic areas near the top of both gondolas, so quite handy. Gather there's also another one up by Grau Roig.

I like the idea of most of the packaging being light/disposable, so that we can bin it the remains once we've finished lunch

Can guarantee that Nutella would go down well with all of ours too and must add remember to add pitta to the bread selection
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Hotdogs, warmed up before leaving accommodation then into a wide mothed flask filled with boiling water. Couple of baguettes and a small squirty bottle of ketchup/mayo/mustard etc. Job done.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
midgetbiker wrote:
Hotdogs, warmed up before leaving accommodation then into a wide mothed flask filled with boiling water. Couple of baguettes and a small squirty bottle each of ketchup/mayo/mustard/siracha/bbq sauce etc. Job done.


FIFY- it's always a treat when @condimentking brings out his quiver on the slope.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
A pitta bread that doesnt get soggy? Hmmmmm
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@midgetbiker, plastic sausages?

Thats us in the car park at Cairngorm in the early 70s … Shocked
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Not sure about leaving stuff in the car. We'd have to walk past our apartment to get to the car.

Years ago when I was younger I would take a sandwich to eat for lunch, usually eating it on a chairlift to maximise sliding time. Now I stop for lunch. 13 or 14 euros for a plat du jour or a burger, no wine, beer, oragina or coffee just a carafe of water. I cannot even be bothered to go back to the apartment since taking boots, jackets etc off adds to the non skiing time.

13€ still adds up for 6 of you though.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Those that do take lunch out on the slopes, how do you avoid it freezing? It's bad enough when my chocolate is too hard Very Happy
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I used to enjoy going back to the apartment for lunch, get the boots off, relax, spend nothing. And if it was a bit cold and grotty, a short lie down after lunch, which could turn into a three hour siesta.......
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I carry a little jet boil stash and knock up miso and noodles or hot dogs. Also sometimes throw a wacaco coffee press in the pack if it’s an early start and make an espresso.

Obviously a full range of dehydrated or vacuum packed meals also becomes possible then, some of which are really good. Tend to only bother with those if it’s an overnighter though.

The jetboil weighs about 200g and is tiny.

Necessity and all that. Limited catering options anyway at my local hills, and there’s not much worse than squashed half frozen sandwich all round the inside of a pack.

My spend on ski field dining was less than $10 last season Very Happy
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Also going to give a very important tip on squeezy bottles of ketchup/mayo/etc at altitude - treat them like loaded firearms and either point them at someone you don’t like or away from everyone.

Opening one of those when there’s a pressure differential is like the money shot on a porn movie.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I find lunching on the mountain everyday gets boring and "what shall I have again now". All though I do enjoy the Sherpa at Le lac, in and out no faff
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@hang11, hahaha that's an extremely good point. Also valid when they've been lying unopened in a restaurant for some time in the heat - I managed to take out two whole tables with that once, sadly one was mine.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Had to google both the Jetboil and the Wacaco, what a great setup! I'm afraid I'm in the squashed half-frozen sandwich group, or ski through lunch and eat properly back home. Plus a couple of death-by-cheese mountain restaurant blow-outs during the season Madeye-Smiley
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
under a new name wrote:
@midgetbiker, plastic sausages?

Thats us in the car park at Cairngorm in the early 70s … Shocked


Admittedly it's more something we did when the kids were younger. Have you seen the price of a hot dog at Le Spot or Plan Joran?
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@midgetbiker, we don't eat in Serac restaurants both on principle and because the bank won't give us another mortgage.
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
cold pizza
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