Aldee
I am going to ask the folks of Snow Journal for information based on your personal observation or experience – not just hearsay.
When I go to a ski area, I like to quietly sit down in the base lodge, carefully put on my boots so they feel just right (always an effort for my cranky old feet and legs), use the restroom to put in my contact lenses etc. Then I like to put my street boots, boot bag etc. in a cubby, coin locker, or bag check (paid or free – I don’t care). I don’t think that is an unreasonable ask, since I have paid big $$$ for the mountain specific lift ticket, or EPIC, IKON or Indy pass to allow me to ski there.
Booting up in the car, or putting in my contacts there is very inconvenient and uncomfortable for me. The COVID situation in the 20-21 season proved that.
Now the ski areas in Northern Vermont (where I do most of my skiing) still have cubbies, small coin or free lockers, or shelves for day storage. However, I understand that is beginning to become the exception, rather than the rule, in other places in New England. Last year I found that Bretton Woods NH allowed you to boot up in the lodge, but then you had to put your boot bag and street boots and regular gloves, etc. in an outside cubby, where they became nice and cold by the time you put them back on at the end of the day. No more cubbies inside the lodge. In Cannon, people put their stuff in vestibules, although there was also a bag check for a small fee.
What have you observed in other base lodges? I.e., what other day lodges no longer have inside storage (free or paid)?
I am specifically interested in the following:
Stratton, VT
Magic, VT
Loon, NH
Waterville, NH
Mt. Sunapee, NH
But if you know of other mountains in New England or Quebec that feel that good customer service does not include reasonable day storage, let us know.
Aldee
obienick
Sunapee — if you’re in the main lodge you have to store your bag in the basement cubbies. If you’re in the Spruce lodge there is a self-service bag storage room. Get there early, get a spot along the “beech” and you can boot up and ski down to the North Peak Triple then traverse back to the main HSQ or head over to Sunbowl.
Waterville — you have to store your bag outside. They have a nice wooden & sheltered cubbies to put them in. Find them out of the exit to the snow by the six pack. Or you can pay mucho money and they have pay-for bag lockers on the ground floor just to the right of the main entrance.
A.S.kier
It seems like most places in NH that I've been to since Covid only have outside storage for free but places elsewhere in New England still have free indoor cubbies. As stated Waterville and cannon only have outdoor storage for free. It is the same case at Pats Peak but the racks aren't as well protected as at Waterville. Black Mountain NH still has free storage in the downstairs area though. Magic still has free cubbies in the base lodge.
NewEnglandSkier13
This, and not allowing outside food, are two of my biggest turn-offs that ski areas have recently started implementing. Luckily, Sunday River and Sugarloaf are the only two ski areas in Maine, that I know of, which have adopted these unfriendly practices. I'm not sure about Pheasant Mountain, now that they're owned by Boyne. It's just another case of paying more for a lesser experience.
TomWhite
This is an important issue for me. I have Raynaud’s Syndrome, poor circulation in the extremities.
My first day (w 2 friends) of the season was yesterday at Sunday River. Upon arriving at Barker Lodge, I walked past scores of cubbies on the concrete walkway once up the stairs from the drop off area. This wall was higher than I could reach. I was last in after parking the car. I saw no signs but my buddies said, after we dress they want us to put our bags in the cubbies.
Cubby storage certainly makes it easier getting around the lodge. Of course, weekday early season doesn’t matter. I have an older (style) boot bag that is long n rectangular. It would only fit it these cubbies once mostly empty. I just put mine on the patio against the building w many others.
I always take my boots off at lunch. My travel boots were so cold I just went w/o footwear during (bagged) lunch. Dressing n eating in the lodge is certainly better than the parking lot.
Generally it is an ok system. I first used it at Okemo a decade ago. I think inside self-storage is best. Gunstock is inside but it has an attendant. There are often lines waiting to drop in the morning and pickup n drop back at lunch, but rare in the afternoon (that’s all midweek).
woodcore
Stratton - Paid storage cubbies at the Activity Hub building (next to the gondola) or free storage outside on the racks.
NewEnglandSkier13
I'm at Sunday River today and the lack of bag storage in the lodge seems like a really dumb decision. They haven't added anything in the lodge where the cubbies used to be, it's just empty space now.
DrJeff
Booting up inside is great. People who leave their boot bags, even when cubbies and/or bag checks is/are available all over the place and under tables, thus making it basically impossible for you to get your feet under the table while sitting there, is/are the main problem, and why many resorts have adopted different strategies for keeping a plethora of bags out from under the tables in a lodge. Unfortunately, some people who refuse to use the storage areas, and bring in bags that look big enough for a family of 4 to go on a 1 week trip, create issues for the folks who just want to sit down, warm up, and grab a bite to eat without having to move a bunch of bags out of the way.
It's like so many things, often it's 10% of the population doing something (either out of entitlement or ignorance) that create the problem for the other 90% of folks
skelley19
Saddleback still has plenty of free cubbies in the lodge but it can be tough to find one on a Saturday. Wachusett also still has plenty of free cubbies and bag hooks as well as paid lockers. If I remember correctly they also converted the old ski watch area into outdoor bag storage during covid and that is still available.
Even prior to Covid I generally boot up at my truck. Being a snowboarder that is a bit easier than walking around in ski boots.
rickbolger
Free cubbies experienced personally since the plague:
** Mad River Glen **
Rams Head at Killington, also has free check. Sometimes.
Middlebury Snow Bowl
Black Mountain of Maine
Black Mountain NH
Bolton Valley
West Mountain NY
As mentioned above by skelley19, Saddleback too.
Mt. Abram is in a class by itself....over the past couple seasons the free cubbies mysteriously disappear, appear, then they're covered up with sheets stapled across the frames, then the sheets are gone, then the cubbies are gone, then they appear again, current status unknown.
I never understood how someone could get covid from a boot bag, nor how a ventilated pay locker would make that same bag safe somehow. But it's the new normal, we're all in this together, and in two weeks we'll flatten the curve. Maybe then the cubbies will return at more resorts. ;)
ceo
This, and not allowing outside food, are two of my biggest turn-offs that ski areas have recently started implementing. Luckily, Sunday River and Sugarloaf are the only two ski areas in Maine, that I know of, which have adopted these unfriendly practices.
Wait, Sugarloaf doesn't allow outside food? Not even in a separate brown bag room?
NewEnglandSkier13
This, and not allowing outside food, are two of my biggest turn-offs that ski areas have recently started implementing. Luckily, Sunday River and Sugarloaf are the only two ski areas in Maine, that I know of, which have adopted these unfriendly practices.
Wait, Sugarloaf doesn't allow outside food? Not even in a separate brown bag room?
They didn't two seasons ago, but I haven't been there since. Maybe they changed that policy. Today at Sunday River, I haven't seen any signage saying you can't, so it very well may no longer be a rule.
snowphoenix
This season, Sunday River has a building called "The Bag" that is explicitly for taking boots on/off and storing bags (for free). It is a short distance to looker's right of the South Ridge lodge; I overheard it was the former ski school building. When I visited on Dec. 3rd, I found it to be a convenient, uncrowded location for booting up. It has a few empty rooms which I hope they will add more benches and shelves/cubbies to, but the one room that did have them was spacious and I had no problem storing my bag. If you bring a bag lunch, you may want to store it in The Bag (get it?) and then take it into the lodge to eat it. I have not gotten in trouble both times I have eaten a brown bag lunch at Sunday River in the South Ridge lodge.
Also, to answer part of the question in the original post: The following is from Loon's website.
"Small bags only. Backpacks are OK; large bags stay out. If you were traveling on an airline, would your bag be considered a carry-on or luggage? If the answer is luggage, leave it in your car or at home. We are happy to welcome you back inside to boot up – but keep it to your boots. Simplifying your bag choice will reduce congestion inside.
Bag checks and cubbies are available in the Octagon Lodge and Governor Adams Lodge."
From my experience, the cubbies tend to be pretty full on weekends in the Governor Adams lodge. I believe Loon allows brown bag lunches as well.
Dougmccarthy
Stratton had a "free" indoor area to store your bags at last year by the Gondola (think they call it "The Hub". This year, it is a $5 fee in the same location. Unfortunately for me, It was not open during Thanksgiving week this year. I did notice Stratton returned the rental lockers downstairs in the base lodge this year, which I believe were missing last year. However, most people kept their bags in various parts of the base lodge or, as I did, outside on or around the ski racks up against the base lodge.
tedede
I'd rather visit the Bag at Sugarloaf.
Crotched's cubbies remain free and indoors. Some have been moved into the rentals area.
They also have lockers which appear to require a phone/credit card. I saw these at Sunapee too.
TomWhite
They didn't two seasons ago, but I haven't been there since. Maybe they changed that policy. Today at Sunday River, I haven't seen any signage saying you can't, so it very well may no longer be a rule.
You missed my post above. No signs but staff ask you not to leave bags.
NewEnglandSkier13
They didn't two seasons ago, but I haven't been there since. Maybe they changed that policy. Today at Sunday River, I haven't seen any signage saying you can't, so it very well may no longer be a rule.
You missed my post above. No signs but staff ask you not to leave bags.
There are signs saying that you can't leave bags. We were talking about food.
TomWhite
There are signs saying that you can't leave bags. We were talking about food.
Oops, that's "there were no signs".
NewEnglandSkier13
There are signs saying that you can't leave bags. We were talking about food.
Oops, that's "there were no signs".
No, there are signs in the Barker Lodge saying you cannot leave bags.
TomWhite
Hum, I'm blind. My friends, who came in while I parked the car, said not bags. I thought a staff person told them. I never saw a sign.
