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Your car is your Baselodge

johnnyvw

Out on the slopes
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near RDU
I recall when I was traveling in Switzerland that I saw people walking around the train station in Bern in ski boots and clothes. Gotta love a transportation system that puts you right at the ski area
 

AtleB

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I am lucky enough now that I live very close to my local ski area. I just gear up in comfort at home and walk up to the lifts. Before I moved this close and whenever I travel somewhere else to ski, booting up in the lot is the norm.
 

dbostedo

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I am lucky enough now that I live very close to my local ski area. I just gear up in comfort at home and walk up to the lifts. Before I moved this close and whenever I travel somewhere else to ski, booting up in the lot is the norm.
Personally, I hate walking in my ski boots, and always prefer to boot up inside, in relative comfort, someplace closer to the lifts. Many resorts have a good place to boot up and stash my boot bag. Just about every place in the east that I've been has shelves or cubbies for boot bags. And I've booted up inside several places out west, including Alta, Big Sky, Copper, Loveland, Aspen Mountain, Taos, and Jackson Hole. This is especially true if you're there early, when things are pretty quiet... it's a nice way to start the morning or meet up with folks you'll be skiing with.
 

AaronFM

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Probably not as much as we're making it sound like. Think most people boot up in the lot anyway. Some of us just got spoiled, especially at areas where it's a shorter walk to the lodge than the lift.

I wonder if there is a bias of Eastern vs Western for normally booting up in the lodge. Many of my western trips I see people already booted up in the lot or on the shuttle, while out east I usually see more people booting up in the lodge or carrying their boots with them on the parking lot bus.
 

AtleB

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Personally, I hate walking in my ski boots, and always prefer to boot up inside, in relative comfort, someplace closer to the lifts. Many resorts have a good place to boot up and stash my boot bag. Just about every place in the east that I've been has shelves or cubbies for boot bags. And I've booted up inside several places out west, including Alta, Big Sky, Copper, Loveland, Aspen Mountain, Taos, and Jackson Hole. This is especially true if you're there early, when things are pretty quiet... it's a nice way to start the morning or meet up with folks you'll be skiing with.
Sure sounds more comfortable than booting up in the lot But I guess it will depend on the distance from the lot to the lifts too. When one gets to park close to the lift it just sounds more efficient to boot up right there.
 

TheArchitect

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Probably not as much as we're making it sound like. Think most people boot up in the lot anyway. Some of us just got spoiled, especially at areas where it's a shorter walk to the lodge than the lift.

Booting up in the lodge is far more common in the east, IMO. More people here boot up in the lot than in the past, though. During the 80's and 90's the vast majority used the lodge.
 

TheArchitect

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Once again, we get a photo of ideal boot-up circumstances! Now add some wet snow, swirling wind, and mud to this scenario.
Still feeling grouchy about the whole experience and can't wait to get my wimpy, old, fat ass back in the lodges....:nono:

I'm totally with you. I want my warm lodge back.
 

cantunamunch

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Sure sounds more comfortable than booting up in the lot But I guess it will depend on the distance from the lot to the lifts too. When one gets to park close to the lift it just sounds more efficient to boot up right there.

At top-down mountains the lifts don't even matter - the lot is at worst 100 yards from the slopes but all it takes is one boot-up in wind-driven ice at the top of Snowshoe or Blue Knob to make several thousand lodge converts.
 

Noodler

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I ordered the 3M tape.

From the top of the rear top of the boot, down the spine and along the full length of the boot board (in my case on top of the insole shims?)

Small strips on heel and toe -- about how long and in what orientation?

For the rear spine piece, I removed the bootboards so that the tape could extend below the surface of the bootboard (so that there was no tape edge to possibly catch). That piece extends the full length of the rear boot spine, top to bottom (right over the rear bolts).

I added the piece down the length of the bootboard when I realized just how much friction the liner toe was creating along the bootboard. I just put a 1" strip from heel to toe, but I guess you could potentially cover the entire bootboard (I just don't think it would improve things all that much). The tape I have is so thin, that a piece down the bootboard is imperceptible.

The pieces on my Zips are probably only 2" long; just enough to cover the "turn" on the heel and toe. I will say that the toe piece is kinda sketch... That one may go soon as the tape doesn't stick real well to neoprene, but the heel piece has been solid on the leather patch and over onto the sole.
 

Noodler

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Today I ran into a real problem at my "base lodge" and had to deal with a not-so friendly fellow. I was trying to de-boot in the parking lot, but the guy next to me was running his truck and the tail pipe was feeding its exhaust right into my car and all over me. I asked him if he could turn off his truck for 5 minutes while I got my stuff off and he "declined". I couldn't believe it. I pointed out that his exhaust was literally filling my car, but he was just a total a$$hole.

So I had to go to the other side where there was a bit more protection and take off my boots and crawl back across to my stuff that was inside the car. Even on the other side of my car I was sucking fumes.

I still don't quite understand why the guy wouldn't comply, but I hope that never happens to me again.
 

Andy Mink

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Today I ran into a real problem at my "base lodge" and had to deal with a not-so friendly fellow. I was trying to de-boot in the parking lot, but the guy next to me was running his truck and the tail pipe was feeding its exhaust right into my car and all over me. I asked him if he could turn off his truck for 5 minutes while I got my stuff off and he "declined". I couldn't believe it. I pointed out that his exhaust was literally filling my car, but he was just a total a$$hole.

So I had to go to the other side where there was a bit more protection and take off my boots and crawl back across to my stuff that was inside the car. Even on the other side of my car I was sucking fumes.

I still don't quite understand why the guy wouldn't comply, but I hope that never happens to me again.
Some people are a$$holes as a hobby, others are professionals. You met the professional :poo:head.
 

Steve

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wow
 

wooglin

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Vis a vis chairs, I loaned mine to Bernie the other day and just got it back. Folds flat on top of the boot tray.

20210124_160336.jpg
 

Brad J

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I had my first cold snow day and it worked out, eat lunch in car with it running , full defroster going drying Buff, mittens , goggles, eating my lunch warming my boots up the best I could with them on . All and all not as uncomfortable as I thought it would be.
 

Jenny

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I'm totally with you. I want my warm lodge back.
Agreed. I like to be able to spread out my stuff and have time to make sure I have everything situated juuusssst right. And I also like packing my bag up at the end of the day better inside - now it just feels like I’m taking stuff off and throwing it all in a big ball in the center hole of the bag.
 

jseeski

Skiing a little BC powder
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Mar 16, 2018
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Salmo, British Columbia, Canada
Any hints for back seat base lodging when it’s dumping snow? Even the couple minutes it takes to pull off ski boots/gear and put on stuff to drive has everything getting full of snow again. Maybe some type of tarp that could attach between the open barn doors.
View attachment 121903
This year, I've seen the rather simple solution of an umbrella sheltering the space between the body of the car (or truck) and the open passenger-side door. Just park the umbrella on top of the body and the top of the door. It was snowing with enthusiasm, but things were fairly dry in resulting sheltered space.

Sorry, I should have taken a picture.

A number of people have shown up with canopies and propane heaters. This works if you have a van or a pickup to carry all the stuff. Not so much for a sedan. Setting up the canopy seems like a hassle, too, but it all works well for a leisurely luncheon experience.
 

Ogg

Skiing the powder
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Long Island, NY
Today I ran into a real problem at my "base lodge" and had to deal with a not-so friendly fellow. I was trying to de-boot in the parking lot, but the guy next to me was running his truck and the tail pipe was feeding its exhaust right into my car and all over me. I asked him if he could turn off his truck for 5 minutes while I got my stuff off and he "declined". I couldn't believe it. I pointed out that his exhaust was literally filling my car, but he was just a total a$$hole.

So I had to go to the other side where there was a bit more protection and take off my boots and crawl back across to my stuff that was inside the car. Even on the other side of my car I was sucking fumes.

I still don't quite understand why the guy wouldn't comply, but I hope that never happens to me again.
Carry a couple of potatoes or couple 2"- 3" rubber stoppers and a mallet in case this happens again. ;)
 

teejaywhy

Retired Eccentric
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The whole concept of going to a lodge to boot up is very unfamiliar to me and definitely not common in Norway. Is this standard practice all over North America?

I don't see it as standard practice. Some do, some don't.
 

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