To a skier on vacation, luxury means not having to leave your hotel to take on the snowy roads, be it to get to the slopes or to find a great restaurant at the end of a long day. We recently experienced one of the best ski trips we’ve ever taken, thanks to Moving Mountains’ (MM) catered chalet package. Based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, MM offers luxury vacation lodging and hospitality services.
They do just about everything save for holding your hand down the mountain. Upon arrival, they picked us up at the airport in their four-wheel drive shuttle, and brought us directly to one of their 50+ high-end chalets that run near the mountain. And each day, we were transported to the nearby ski lifts.
But it was the “catered chalet” concept that really blew our minds and made us decide we’d never ski again unless Moving Mountains handled the trip. According to Moving Mountains’ President and CEO Robin Craigen, catered chalets are well-known and loved by European skiers. But for some reason, American skiers are just beginning to understand how wonderful it is.
When it comes to dining, guests are treated to a gourmet breakfast, afternoon tea and four-course dinner at their chalet courtesy of MM. Everything is prepared to your specifications then served, before the staff take care of the cleaning for you. They can do this service for any age group, any can customize meals based on food desires, needs and allergies. Boxed lunches can also be prepared upon request to take with you up the mountain.
We challenged Moving Mountains’ president Robin Craigen with our family which consisted of two carnivores, one vegan, one 15-month-old baby and a grandmother who eats everything (but is always hoping to lose weight). Craigen, a former professional yachtsman, mountain bike racer and charter captain in the British Virgin Islands noted that our family was the “perfect poster child” for a catered chalet experience. He sent us two excellent chefs one night: Renee Kerstens of Australia, who formerly led and managed catered ski chalets in France, and Scott Watermeyer of South Africa, who grew up on his family apple and wine farm outside Cape Town.
Appetizers included cherry tomatoes with caramelized onions on a potato rosti with vegan cheese made from nuts, and a corn cake with blackened roast spiced duck for us non-vegan eaters. The baby’s dinner consisted of her favorite vegetables including steamed carrots, zucchini, peas, sweet potato and mashed potatoes, which she loved. We also discovered that she enjoyed the new-to-her taste of caramelized onion as well.
For dinner, Kerstens prepared the most tender beef in a lingonberry sauce with a tomato confit, olive oil, thyme, garlic and peppercorns baked in Moving Mountains’ oven (prior to arriving in our kitchen). Our vegan diner enjoyed an aubergine roulade and cashew farce while grandma worked her way through a smaller version of the same beef dinner. Ending our meal, we were treated to a beetroot chocolate cake with chocolate mousse, fresh berries and melted chocolate on top.
The Luxury Catered Chalet experience starts at around $150 per person per day on top of your lodging price. But as a bonus, you can eat all your meals in your après-ski jammies!
