Snowboarding Forum - Snowboard Enthusiast Forums banner

How do you eat your food?

6K views 41 replies 33 participants last post by  16gkid 
#1 ·
I used to be like everyone else, when it come to lunch time we all flock to the food court, wait 20 minutes to order and wait 40 more minutes to get your food, eat for another half hour with your friends and get bloated and tired, and don't snowboard so well afterwards. Now I just make my own lunch, sandwich mostly and pack them in different ziplock bags, and eat while I'm on the long lift.

When it come to water I used to carry 3-4 bottle around in my backpack and as a result, I don't do very well because its so heavy, I get tired and loses balance while I snowboard. Now what I do is that I still carry 3-4 bottle, but when I get off the lift chair I only keep 1 bottle with me and hide the rest of them somewhere, when I finish the bottle I have, I go back to my spot and take the next bottle.

What are you systems when it come to food and water?
 
#2 · (Edited)
depends on the type of resort, if there are only restaurants at the various bases then pack lunch each day. if there are shops around it would depend on the type of riding i'm doing : resort = buy a large carrot and something like salmon/tuna pate tub (usually pretty cheap); back country = pack lunch as before. rarely do i have the sitdown meal or takeaway (except in japan where the food was cheap, delicious and really fast). sometimes i have trailmix or salted nuts in my pockets and just snack throughout the day.

water is always in my bottle and i fill it up wherever i can.
 
#5 ·
Yep. Protein bar, granola bar, and some mixed dried fruits. Stop 2-3 times for water and to use the toilet, then fix a huge meal once I'm home. I like any excuse I can find to completely pig out, and snowboarding is by far the most fun excuse I get :grin:
 
#6 ·
I tend to eat a big breakfast and skip lunch. The crowd just isn't worth it. Plus, the mountain I normally ride is expensive ~$12+ so I'll be dammed if I'm not going to eat it all. Also, I'm not going to eat something healthy like a salad, so it's going to be a burger / sandwich and fries. Both of which are energy robbing foods. So I tend to bring a protein bar, trail mix, granola bar etc. Just a couple small snacks to keep me from being starving. As far as water, I can't stress the importance of staying hydrated while riding, so I'll drink at least 23.7 oz before (the water bottles I have are that, weird how they aren't 24 oz) + some beers, and since there are 6 to 7 spots on the mountain that offer 9 oz cups for water near fountains, I'll stop at those throughout the day and make sure I drink 3 cups (27oz) before heading back out. I hate riding with a water bottle or a backpack, so this is my solution.
 
#10 ·
(the water bottles I have are that, weird how they aren't 24 oz)
23.7 oz is exactly 700ml, so they are probably metric water bottles
Alcohol is also a dehydrator, so i keep that activity for after my day ends.

I also take protein bars and since i am in Japan, a rice ball (onigiri). Its usually squashed flat by the time i eat it (i like to 'send it' a lot, so i tend to fall a fair bit), but carbs is carbs and my body needs carbs after spending all morning sending it.

Does anyone know if there is anyone who makes a back protector/camelpak? This would be the ultimate combo for snowboarding. Protection + hydration. Though i guess if you hit your back hard enough, there might be leakage problems!

Someone should kickstarter that.
 
#7 ·
Yeah, similar, i like a decent breakfast (usually some cereal followed by eggs/toast) but then i go most of the day (say 8am until 1-2 pm) on chocolate/cake and a quick coffee here and there. Anytime i've tried to take a significant break to eat a burger or something heavy and it's game over for me. Prefer to keep moving, then eat and rest as much as i can in the evenings - repeat the next day (and the day after that....if i'm lucky).
 
#9 ·
Got an old camel back sleeve that just fits the bladder...and maybe a sandwich/burrito.

If riding by myself

I don't eat breakfast...but eat on the lifts at about 10:30 am. Sometimes, will get a mtn breakfast burrito (cheaper than anything on the lunch menu), wrap it up in foil/plastic and it goes in my pocket til eat it on the lift. Ride all day and then eat a pile when I get back home.

Riding with others...generally do the same...but eat the homemade sammy/burrito with others...but I don't like to stop more than 15-20 minutes cause then it takes a while to get warmed up and ripping again.

However, I think the best, is to eat a banana on the way up the hill, then eat a hand full of nuts and some dried fruit through out the day while riding the lifts...that way you don't have to stop and keep a level energy burn going.
 
#13 ·
I settled for multiple small meals/snacks every 2 hours or so and small sips of water every 15min or so, that seems to work best for me. I'll never have huge full meals as that will waste energy on digestion, can make you cold and/or feel crappy when your stomach is really overly full.
So: proper breakfast and in quieter resorts (i.e. no waiting lines) I'll usually buy something small at noon, pasta is always a win. For the rest it's all about the backpack with hydration bladder, box with variety of nuts and berries, some fruit possibly.
From the group I usually go with I'm always the last one standing and while I have no hard proof it could very well be because of the hydration (and bits of food to a lesser extent): I see the others drinking/eating large amounts in one go when thirsty/hungry, but that is basically 'too late' already and they'll have to pee again an hour later because they drank too much. Such a wast of time :p. Anyway, that's just some unproven theory of mine, also it's definitely different ffrom person to person. Sounds lame but 'listen to your body' is probably good advice here :)
 
#16 ·
For me it varies. If we are going from home we will often pack a lunch, but we still typically eat it in the lodge. It is not ideal because riding after sitting for lunch is rarely as good. If we are away from home we will usually eat at a restaurant/cafeteria on the mountain.

On our Austria trip last year the on-mountain food was especially expensive so we picked up a loaf of baguette and a dish of Nutella. We just ate out on the mountain. That was an awesome lunch.

Either my wife or I will usually ride with a camelback because getting some regular water is far more beneficial than the food.
 
#22 ·
Hardboiled eggs are always good too but I'm usually trying to balance sleeping as long as possible with trying to get out as fast as possible so I can be the guy tracking out all the powder. The reality is I'm more likely to stop at McShits for breaky and have no water or snacks for my day of riding most of the time. I'll just munch snow if I'm thirsty.

The wife and I used to bring instant oatmeal packs and use the cafeterias coffee cups, hot water, milk or cream packs and spoons to have a quick, free and semi enjoyable warm snack and get back out there.
 
#24 ·
I'll make a sandwich and store it in my jacket. For water, I use a 16oz platypus sleeve that fits in my pocket. If by myself, I'll eat on a long lift or sit on a hard snow block on the side of an uncrowded run. With others, it's more than likely the food court.

I try not to buy lunch at the food court, because the line is long and I always grab the burger fries, bbq or whatever is bad for me hahaha. End up with food coma and takes some time get back in the game again.
 
#25 ·
i snack on the lift. Kashi bars, granola, dry fruit are my choices. I also have a small bottle of poland spring mixed in with an electrolyte tablet (NUUN.) I take a bite or two every few runs and almost always sip the water (even if you dont feel thirsty) every other lift. The goal is not to wait till you feel hunger/ thirst to deal with them by providing a constant supply of water and energy.

pretty much all endurance sports are the same, i use this method when i do 50+ miles cycling.
 
#26 ·
Pow day (i.e. no breaks till everything is tracked out): Oatmeal musli breakfast; camelback with water and granola bars on the lift

Cold pow day: add a thermos with hot tea to warm up

Non pow day: Ride the mornings till the masses stuff the groomers, then call it a day and have après at the snow bar :)
 
#27 ·
Hate riding with packs or stuffed pockets, so we ditch the pack first run in our little hiding spot (above a sweet powder run) then ride non stop til about 11, then head back to the spot for jerky, cheese, crackers, h2o/red bull, trail mix and puff then hit that powder run we're sitting above.

Weekly routine for the last 30+ yrs
 
#29 ·
so, I really did find the solution!

I don't like taking a lunch break. So often it seems to land right at a time the snow is great. Enter the greatest meal to fuel a snowboard day. The local "Los Albertos" has an unconventional burrito. Behold the "carne asada y french fries" burrito. that thing is about 2 lbs of culinary genius. I snag one on the way up and it keeps me good until about 2, when a couple of spicy sasquatch beef sticks hold me until dinner. Makes riding a pleasure!!

i haven't got the hydration down yet. I get dehydrated almost every riding day. I don't like packing any water around...but I guess I should. I'll usually take a break to get a drink of water or powerade sometime....but am still dehydrated by the end of the day.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Guess I'm the only one who enjoys sitting down to a giant pile of chili cheese fries and a cold beer in the lodge mid-day? Usually don't have to wait for them as there is always a large pot of chili and fries being made constantly. I still eat like a teenager, and it's going to catch up to me one of these days, though. If I'm eating in the lodge (chili cheese fries or otherwise), I usually eat a smaller breakfast and break for lunch before it gets super crowded. Sometimes, I'll bring some ramen and use hot water from the coffee stand. I've also started bringing a couple of those energy gel packets with me. Can't really tell how much good they do though. My wife rides with a camelbak, but I usually try to drink plenty of water on the drive up and also whenever I take a break.
 
#33 ·
At Tremblant in Quebec everyone (mostly ski school kids but others too) leaves their backpacks at the top of the hill in a giant mound. People are much more respectful of other people's property there, much like in Europe.

Here in Ontario those packs would be crushed, destroyed or stolen by end of day sadly :( But Tremblant does have staff at the top all day too.


Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk
 
#34 · (Edited)
Bring a friend with a backpack..

I hate carrying a backpack and can often go from 9 am to close without food but I scoot inside for water (it's free and gotta stay hydrated) periodically. If we have a rider in the group that has a backpack, they'll often take our food and carry it for us in exchange for dinner at the end of the day on the drive home. I'll sometimes bring a Cliff bar or gummy bears that I can shove into my pant pocket but I won't carry a large stash because I hate that feeling of being weighted down. We often eat while on the chair lift so it doesn't interfere with our riding. The night before I'll buy some of those small dinner roll buns from the grocery store and make sandwiches (shaved turkey breast, hot mustard, regular mustard, salt & pepper, swiss cheese). I'll cut them in half and wrap 'em in Saran wrap so that throughout the day, we can eat small portions and it doesn't cause stomach issues. Beer doesn't do me good when I'm riding because it causes me to feel tired. I guess I enjoy snowboarding more than I do eating but realize if I don't fuel myself, my performance suffers. :grin:

Forgot to add that I eat breakfast before driving out to the resort: 2 eggs, 2 slices toast with jam, 2 slices bacon or sausages, yogurt & fruit. I find that this keeps me well fuelled before I start my day of riding.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top