lotsoskiing
Yet another of the myriad reasons to avoid the Megaplex ski areas and stick to the small ones that are not trying to soak you at every turn.
If I do go to the Disneyland places, I boot up in the lot after firing up the electric socks. So be it.
obienick
Snowshed has racks in the larger room on the 2nd floor (across the bridge from the cafeteria).
Aldee
Thanks for all of the helpful information, everyone! I’m going to do a “Joshua Segal” and make a summary that I hope will be useful. The list below will be for INSIDE storage only. As I noted in my original post, I do not outside storage to be appropriate service to skiers, even if it’s free. No one should be compelled to put on cold clothing at the end of a cold day. This list is based on my own observations and all of your comments. If your favorite mountain in not listed…… Je suis tres desole!
Quebec
Owl’s Head
I have not been there in the last several years, but there used to be pegs on the posts in the cafeteria.
Sutton
Limited storage in both the upper and lower portions of the lodge. I have not been there in the last several years.
North-eastern New York.
Gore
I have not been there in several years, but there used to be a lot of pegs in a storage room next to the cafeteria.
Titus
Large shelves in several places throughout the lodge
West
Free cubbies
Whiteface
Free cubbies or shelves in the ground floor. Large racks in the cafeteria on the third floor.
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island
One of the posts said that Wachusett has plenty of free cubbies, bag hooks, as well as paid lockers.
Sorry, folks, I don’t ski this far south. Aren’t these states part of Dixie?
Maine
Saddleback
Lots of free cubbies throughout the lodge.
Sugarloaf
I have not been there in the past several years. There ought to be some free spaces throughout that sprawling base lodge.
Sunday River
A new “The Bag” building for free storage next to the South Ridge Lodge?
Pleasant Mtn. (formerly Shawnee)
I have not been there in recent years. There used to be cubbies and racks throughout the sprawling base lodge. Still the case?
Mt. Abram
According to Rick Bolger, this place changes like a chameleon.
Black Mtn of Maine
Free cubbies
New Hampshire
Attitash
Limited cubbies and lockers at the Bear Mtn lodge. I haven’t been to the main Attitash lodge in years, but there used to be a lot of free cubbies there.
Black Mtn of NH
Limited number of cubbies and shelves in the basement.
Cannon
Paid but inexpensive bag check in the Notchview Lodge. People just put their stuff in vestibules.
Cranmore
Anyone know what the new lodge offers?
Crotched
Cubbies and shelves in the basement. Also paid lockers.
Dartmouth
Cubbies in the cafeteria.
Loon
Bag checks and cubbies in the Octagon Lodge and Gov Adams Lodge.
Mt. Sunapee
Cubbies in the basement of the main (upper) lodge. Bag storage room in the Spruce Lodge.
Pats Peak
Their website says that there is free inside bag check and paid lockers.
Tenney
I have not been there in years. There used to be free shelves.
Waterville
Paid bag check in the main lodge.
Wildcat
Shelves in the cafeteria on the second floor. More shelves on the third floor.
Vermont
Bolton
Limited shelves by the cafeteria. Lockers in the basement.
Bromley
I haven’t been there in years, but there used to be free cubbies and shelves in the cafeteria.
Burke
Shelves next to the ticket office in the Shelburne Lodge, lots of cubbies in the cafeteria at the Burke Hotel (mid-mountain). I’m not sure about the old Mid Mountain Lodge, but there used to be a lot of cubbies there.
Jay Peak
Pegs in the Tram Lodge, shelves in the Stateside Lodge
Killington
Free bag check at Rams Head. Racks at Snowshed. I have not been to the K-2 Lodge since its renovation. There used to be lots of cubbies there.
Mad River
Free cubbies and shelves throughout the lodge.
Magic
Free cubbies
Middlebury
Limited cubbies in the base lodge. People just leave their stuff along the wall when the cubbies are filled.
Mt Ellen at Sugarbush
Shelves in the bag storage room in the basement
Mt. Snow
Free bag check (it used to be!) in the base lodge.
Okemo
I have not been to the main base lodge in years, but there used to be a lot of cubbies there. At the Jackson Gore Lodge, there are a lot of paid lockers in the base, and a bag storage room off to the side of the cafeteria. People also leave their stuff along the side of the cafeteria wall
Pico
Cubbies and shelves in the basement.
Saskadena Six
The last time I was there it was still Suicide Six. There were free shelves in the cafeteria.
Smugglers Notch
Limited cubbies but a bunch of free lockers at the Madonna Lodge
Stowe
Lots of cubbies in the Mansfield Lodge and the Mid-mountain lodge (just above the gondola base). Big shelves in the basement of the Spruce Lodge.
Stratton
Paid bag check in “The Hub” next to the gondola.
Sugarbush (Main Slope)
Shelves or cubbies in the ticket/ customer service building. Shelves in the bag storage room in the basement of the main lodge.
NewEnglandSkier13
Every ski area in Maine, except maybe Sunday River, Sugarloaf, and Pleasant Mountain has free indoor bag storage.
ciscokid
Wow Aldee, that’s one heck of a first time summary!
What did take you, like 3 hours? Whew
As far as shelves/ storage, if it stops at 7 -8 ft for Joe I just put my stuff on top but I usually leave all in vehicle
Aldee
Ciscokid --
What do the ski areas do in Michigan? Is there ample free or paid inside storage?
Shoes, street boots and regular gloves will get almost as cold in a parked car as they would in an outside rack or cubby.
ciscokid
This is my grandson from six years back at Caberfae with I think it’s Ted( Michiganskier) in the background.Free cubbies.
As for the “bigger” areas like Boyne, Nubs, Crystal etc I really don’t have have a clue.
I have wore a pair of Columbia Buggaboos forever and generally am sweating by the time I’m done skiing.I remember placing those boots on the top of lockers at Crotched and Camelback but 90% of the time or more they stay in the vehicle. Hands don’t get cold too fast. As long as I have a winter hat on my bald head after taking off helmet/ gator I’m good.
I generally go in a lodge to use restroom if there’s not enough trees/ glades and to grab a Bloody Mary w Ted.
A.S.kier
In Mass. Berkshire East has a separate little room with shelves for storage. Bolton also has a good number shelves in the basement and pegs on the wall in the main area, although the day lodge part of the building is way to small for the traffic they get these days.
TomWhite
When I first saw Cisco's photo, I thought it was Mt. Abram. The lodge is a nice tent but the setup is/was the same. It hasn't open yet, as Rick suggests we'll see what they do.
Treilly
TomWhite
Yes, that is a huge number of cubbies. And they even have different sizes, including ones that my long bag will fit it. I'll be there next week!
I see the double exit doors no wind/weather isolation inside or outside. Black Mt. Maine does have such isolation but they also have a wall of cubbies that blocks any cold air that blows through.
ciscokid
Man I’m glad they saved and upgraded Skyview Ted
Haven’t been there now in almost two years but it look’s totally regutted and the steel beams even redone.
Treilly
Man I’m glad they saved and upgraded Skyview Ted
Haven’t been there now in almost two years but it look’s totally regutted and the steel beams even redone.
It was do what they did or it was coming down. One of the reason the peaks were made smaller was the wood was used inside to fix the support beams that were rotted due to the roof leaking. Pete said the cost of getting wood that size would have made the project just too costly.
ciscokid
I’m glad they retained a similar design.
Never will forget spring carnival of ‘17
‘17
Aldee
Now that is what I would call "ample storage"! Looks like it could accomodate just about every skier in Michigan. :D
By the way --
Go Wolverines!!
Go Nittany Lions!!
Aldee
JimK
I have lived and skied in places (mid-Atlantic and Utah) where I am always willing and able to boot up at my car because the weather is generally friendly and the lots are close to skiing. Also, I'm highly disinclined to pay for a locker and on the rare occasion if I leave a boot bag inside the corner of a lodge I don't leave anything valuable in my boot bag. However, I've skied enough in New England to appreciate why so many of you place high value on an indoor place to boot up due to widely varying northeastern weather like subzero temps or piss warm rain.
Just for kicks, here's the situation at a few places I ski in Utah:
Snowbird has several places inside main lodge where you can leave your boot bag. They are not formal cubies, but common spaces with lots of nooks and crannies. They also have a pay locker area in basement of lodge.
Solitude is more challenging. They have a small pay locker area, but discontinued a free common space I used to stash my boot bag. Now if not booting up at my car, I'll boot up indoors then take my empty boot bag on a chairlift to a mid-mtn lodge and stash it in an empty space there. Kind of a hassle, but works for me.
Brighton has several places inside main lodge where you can leave your boot bag. They are not formal cubies, but common spaces with lots of nooks and crannies. They also have a pay locker area in basement of lodge.
Alta, don't ski there much, usually always boot up at car. Have used the lodge once or twice and left bag in a corner nook.
joshua_segal
I, like JimK, have always booted up at my car for much the same reasons he cites. When my daughter became a teenager she said to me, "Dad, I just learned of this marvelous invention: it's called a boot bag!"
Aldee
For those of you who do not mind booting up in their cars, that's fine and dandy, and that is your choice, of course. But you are missing the point of this thread. There are those of us who find it very difficult to boot up in the car because of cranky feet, need to put in contact lenses, and other stuff. For example, diabetics cannot allow their insulin kits to get frozen.
Even using the car as a storage device is not a solution. That means that you go from the parking lot to the lodge, boot up, than return to the car to put the regular stuff away, and then go back to the base to start skiing. Then at the end of the day, you repeat that process. Very inconvenient if your parking space is some distance away.
For paying customers of a ski area, and as part of good customer service, I believe that ski areas should provide inside storage for personal stuff, either for free or for a small fee, for those folks who choose and prefer such an amenity. That is all that I meant when I started this thread.
Aldee
JimK
For those of you who do not mind booting up in their cars, that's fine and dandy, and that is your choice, of course. But you are missing the point of this thread. There are those of us who find it very difficult to boot up in the car because of cranky feet, need to put in contact lenses, and other stuff. For example, diabetics cannot allow their insulin kits to get frozen.
Even using the car as a storage device is not a solution. That means that you go from the parking lot to the lodge, boot up, than return to the car to put the regular stuff away, and then go back to the base to start skiing. Then at the end of the day, you repeat that process. Very inconvenient if your parking space is some distance away.
For paying customers of a ski area, and as part of good customer service, I believe that ski areas should provide inside storage for personal stuff, either for free or for a small fee, for those folks who choose and prefer such an amenity. That is all that I meant when I started this thread.
Aldee
All completely valid comments Aldee. Hadn't thought of the medical reasons for indoor storage. Also, now I can better appreciate why you tabulated such a detailed list of boot-up friendly resorts.
ski_it
I’ve done both but I’d much more prefer the lodge these days. So much easier to navigate the base area sans boots.
Walking across unsnowy mega or many parking lots will ruin your boots / binding release. Unless you have those boots with replaceable toe and heel pieces and the foresight to buy some when you got your boots. “No, sorry they don’t make them anymore for that model.”
Then there’s the days with the 1-3” of pow on top of black ice that result in a parking lot split or worse.
If there’s a convenient shuttle bus, I’d probably boot up and bring street duds with me.
