Skiing helps work up an appetite for some delicious dining

One of the things I like most about skiing is eating.

I’m no double-black-diamond daredevil by any means, but barreling down the mountain run after run (for me, that’s mostly blues, some blacks) still burns quite a few calories. A day on the slopes means a day of digging into whatever I want.

I started 2010 off in an awesome way, spending Saturday at Squaw Valley USA and Sunday at Sugar Bowl. Between the two days on two different mountains, I had plenty of time to sample each resort’s menu options.

The Arc, one of Squaw’s mid-mountain spots (we got there by riding up the Gold Coast Funitel), makes a mean chipotle steak burrito, which has just the right amount of smoky heat. This burrito is quite filling and is best enjoyed on the porch, where we devoured lunch on the gorgeous Saturday.

We headed down the hill for dinner at Twenty Two Bistro & Bar, one of the many dining options nestled into the Village at Squaw Valley. Perhaps I was craving comfort food, because I ordered the beer can chicken, which was served with macaroni and cheese, along with some nicely seasoned vegetables. It was heavenly.

Sunday, like Saturday, was a beautiful blue-sky day, perfect for testing out runs for the first time at Sugar Bowl. I split my day between the Mt. Lincoln Express and the Disney Express lifts, stopping for lunch on the Village Lodge patio.

One of my absolute favorite snow-day indulgences is a chicken finger basket, and Nob Hill Café’s grab-and-go tenders hit the spot. There’s nothing better than unsnapping your ski boots, taking off the helmet and goggles and digging into a basket packed with chicken strips and French fries. That is, except for when lunch is over and you know you’ve got the rest of the afternoon to burn off more calories having a blast on the mountain, of course.