There is something about having a few beers after a day on the slopes that ties the whole experience together. Skiing or snowboarding is a social thing and getting together with a group of friends (or perhaps a bunch of people you don't know) adds to the enjoyment of the day.
Almost every ski area has a "ski bar" of some kind. Some are at the mountain while others are a little removed. Off-the-mountain establishments such as The Wobbly Barn at Killington, Vt. and The Loft at Okemo have been around for years. Others like the Matterhorn Ski Bar at Sunday River, Maine have hopped on the road to "legendary" more recently.
Many skiers and riders take day trips and just return home after a day on the slopes. Others stay locked up in condos and never venture into these ski bars that rock from the time the lifts close until everyone is thrown out.
The Matterhorn is the creation of Holyoke native Roger Beaudoin. As a graduate student doing an internship in Europe in 1988, he took time off to ski the glaciers at Zermatt, Switzerland. It was there that he found the North Wall Bar. He recalled, "It was a cool apres-ski hangout with a big screen TV and ski movies. People were clinking beer steins together and singing German drinking songs."
That's what happens over there. I was amazed when I went to the Krazy Kanguruh (correct spelling) in St. Anton, Austria. Their slogan is "Ski in&slide out." It's about 800 feet up the mountain and they have a happy hour from 3:30 to six. Taxis line up on a service road to bring down those happy skiers that can't make it on their own.
When Beaudoin moved to Sunday River there were very few restaurants and bars. The idea came to him that if he were to recreate the North Wall, it would just rock out. In 1995 the original Matterhorn opened in downtown Bethel. It was an instant hit, with lines out the door.
Two years later, Beaudoin opened the Great Grizzly Bar and Steakhouse. Shortly after that he moved the Matterhorn into the same building, which is much closer to the mountain. What happened early on is like an episode of Fawlty Towers.
Beaudoin explained, "It was the opening year of the new building, a couple of weeks into the very first season. About five or six catastrophic things happened on the same night. The computer system crashed for a couple of hours and sent the place into chaos."
It gets worse.
"We have a moose head that somebody donated to us," he added. "It's a pretty good size, with a good rack on it. It was situated right over one of our banquet-style tables seating about 14 people. It somehow unsecured itself. It just let go and landed on top of the table while people were eating and drinking."
The moose head didn't hit anyone, but it caused quit a stir as it landed right on the tabletop in the middle of five or six peoples' dinners. Dishes smashed and bottles crashed.
Beaudoin continued, "The same night we had a guy who had drunk too much and locked his keys in his car. When the tow truck came they refused to slim jim his door because he had side air bags. He got so mad that he picked up a beer bottle and threw it. He ended up smashing the windshield of another car. They were really upset." He said they also had three bar fights that night: "All these things happened in a three-hour period."
Things got better. That same year Roger fulfilled a dream. He climbed the bar's namesake, the Matterhorn. And the bar and restaurant have become a huge success.
Beaudoin used to work at Mt. Tom, the defunct ski area in Holyoke, and he has some Mt. Tom memorabilia on the walls. My old Hart Javelin skis are up there, too. Returning customers give him things. Beaudoin said, "I've got people who go to Switzerland every year and they bring me back stuff from there. They are starting their own little 'Swiss corner' with stuff they have brought back. We've got old boots and old helmets hanging from the ceiling."
The moose incident is a distant nightmare. Roger says in the afternoon the place fills up and by five you can't move. The Matterhorn has live acoustic entertainment on weekends, with 300 people in the bar watching ski movies and talking about what happened on the hill that day. He added, "We have been doing a huge business with a concert series every Saturday night."
The Wobbly Barn has been on Killington's access road for 45 years. It opened five years after the ski area was developed. Parts of barns were brought in from all over New England to create the rickety structure.
The Wobbly Barn, too is a steakhouse and music venue. It regularly wins awards on the ski and snowboarding magazines' "best" lists. It books national acts. Dickey Betts and Great Southern will be there March 7.
When you drive up the access road to Okemo, you pass a red barn on the right. It sticks out like a sore thumb against the modern base buildings of the ski area. It used to be called Dad's, but a guy named Tom bought it in 1996 and now it's called Tom's Loft. It's a 50-seat, two-story bar and restaurant. A sign outside says "Home of Warm Beer, Lousy Food, Grumpy Owner." If you are willing to enter a joint like that, it's got to be better than what you expect.
There is no music other than an Internet juke box. It is a friendly place and is great for food after skiing. The Loft serves generous portions, most of which cost less than $10. Beers run around $4.50. There are numerous TVs with sports—mostly New York games for the New York/New Jersey clientele.
You are bound to see more pickup trucks than Cadillacs outside these ski bars. However, I did see the former owner of Sunday River and part owner of the Red Sox, Les Otten, shooting pool at the Matterhorn one afternoon. The atmosphere inside all these bars is funky, youthful, crowded but friendly.
Just a note of caution: you might not want to go into these places after skiing if you are on a day trip. You could end up staying until closing.
