Skiers Breakfast of Champions with Chef Nathan

Words and photos by Nathan Allen l STE Contributing Chef

My home mountain of Killington stopped turning the lifts over a month ago. Killington is also my employer and every spring I get laid off for a month and I am faced with no job and no skiing. Such a situation is unfortunate in the extreme, and many years ago, I started going to Tuckerman Ravine on Mount Washington to fill the void. The snow stays there longer than anywhere else on the east coast. A lot longer in fact, in some years you can ski into July. 

The best time to go, in my experience, is sometime in late April. The sun softens the snow throughout the day but cold temperatures at night are perfect for creating the beloved corn snow. The Ravine is fully covered with snow at that time of year and all the legendary runs are available. On Mount Washington in April you will find some of the steepest skiing anywhere, but you will have to hike to get it. 

Normally, the reward at the end of the day is a nice long ski run back to your car. After hiking and skiing gnarly terrain all day; all you have to do is ski and think about the beer in your trunk. If I go at the end of May however, I don’t get to ski to the bottom of the mountain where my car is. There is not enough snow for that luxury any more. No, I get to take my boots and skis off, strap them to my aching back once again and hike down. My leg muscles are screaming, my shoulders and back burn with fatigue.  

That downhill trudge leaves a lot of time for careful consideration. “Next year I will go in April”, I promise myself. Somehow, year after year I break that promise and I end up going even later in the year. I condemn myself to even more hiking, in higher temperatures, with less skiing. 

I guess the problem is that I don’t start thinking about the Ravine until after the resorts close. I like lift accessible, soft, moguls. Preferably with a bar at the bottom of the trail.  Because I work as a Chef for a ski resort I don’t get laid off until the end of the season and next thing you know I’m hiking down a 6,000 foot rock pile with 50 pounds of gear on my back.

I have given some thought to what we as skiers should eat to get the most energy for a day on the hill. My annual jaunt up and down Mount Washington is my most strenuous day of exercise, so I thought it would be interesting to explore the nutritional and caloric needs for such an exertion. You want to start the day with a breakfast that will give you the most long-lasting energy possible. You don’t want to carry anything unnecessary up that hill so start the day with as much fuel as possible. 

Eating a breakfast of at least 500 calories will be enough to raise blood sugar levels and get you going without a full and sluggish feeling. Eating simple and complex carbohydrates, a high quality protein and limited amounts of healthy fat is ideal. I like Oatmeal which is a complex carbohydrate source with maple syrup, a beautiful simple carb. Add nuts for healthy monounsaturated fats and protein. Eggs are often touted as good breakfast food and they do provide 6 grams of protein each. However, each egg provides only 80 calories on average and you get fat and cholesterol.  Consider that skim milk has about 8 grams of protein per cup. 

Fruit juice is a great way to get some calories from carbs. The highest protein sources are lean meat, beans, cheese, fish and seeds/nuts. Incorporating these foods into an early meal will provide long lasting energy. Coffee is much maligned but is healthier than energy drinks and coffee provides antioxidants. Be careful about consuming too much caffeine as the drug is a diuretic (makes you pee) and it can lead to dehydration. 

When you consider what food to carry up the hill with you, choose carefully.  Any hiker will soon second guess all the gear and food in their bag as the lug it up the hill.  Choose granola or energy bars that are low in sugar, high in calories and low in fat. Trail mix earned its reputation by consisting of protein rich peanuts and healthy sugars from dried fruits that take a while for the body to break down.  

Fresh fruit is easy to carry, and have natural, biodegradable wrappers. Fruits are rich in vitamins and minerals that will make you feel full and energized. Most fruit is pretty low in calories though, so think about if a ton of fruit will make it worth it, calorie wise.  

When I take a break for lunch, I’m not trying to have a big meal. The idea is to keep eating for much of the day to keep energy levels up. I take a sandwich with meat and cheese to boost protein and carbohydrates. When I start down the hill at the end of the day I should be just about out of food. I certainly don’t want to carry the stuff back out and a little hunger will allow me to daydream about what I’m going to eat for dinner.

Dinner will probably be a high calorie affair and remember to choose variety for that end of the day meal. You have been burning a lot of calories and with the tank on empty, it is important to replenish. Load up on veggies and meats like fish and lean beef. Doing this will help your body recover and feel less sore and tired the next day. 

Personally, I tended to eat pretty poorly after a big day of exertion. I figured I had earned some candy, fast food, or whatever. In my experience, continuing to eat healthy after a big day was far more rewarding the next day. My body was vulnerable after expending so much energy and loading it up with fat and sugar made me feel like crap the next day.