Food & Drink

The 11 Best Ski Town Burgers You’ll Ever Eat

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After a hard-fought day schussing the slopes, nothing replenishes the fuel tank like a good ol’ burger, with just the right blend of protein, carbs, and yes, grease. We combed America’s ski towns and adjacent mountain resorts for the tastiest—and weirdest—beef between two buns, bringing you our unequivocal list of where to hang your helmet for the best hamburgers worth your fully salivated après-ski time and attention.

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Mammoth Tavern, Mammoth Lakes, CA

If Mammoth Mountain is big at 3,500 acres, all serviced by 28 lifts, so is the beloved Tavern Burger at Mammoth Tavern. Piled high with white cheddar, smoked bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, grilled red onions, and Dijon mayo on a toasted bun, it comes with sweet potato fries to pack an even bigger punch. Rumor has it that it wasn’t ore that sparked the California gold rush, but the Tavern Burger. “It’s one of the few burgers I actually seek out,” says longtime local and avid outdoorsman Scott McGuire. “And the 270-degree view from the bar is one of the best of any ski town, especially at sunset.”

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The Pioneer Cocktail Club, Tahoe City, CA

You won’t be the first to explore the Pioneer Burger at The Pioneer Cocktail Club in Tahoe City; it’s one of the top-sellers in the entire Sierra Nevadas. Even with two 4-ounce smashed patties topped high with washed-rind, smear-ripened Italian Taleggio cheese, caramelized onions, and bacon, its biggest attribute is its “bacon secret sauce” melding it all together. Throw in a plateful of barbecue fries—and buns from a local bakery toasted with a garlic confit, parmesan butter—and it’s a gastronomical gimme. “It’s my total favorite in Tahoe City, and I eat a lot of burgers,” says local Daisy Barringer. Wash it down with a Sloppy Santa, a concoction of rum, bourbon, and cognac in a “clarified milk punch”—but then you might also want to order Brian’s Hangover Pozole.

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It's a blustery day! Come warm up at J Dub. 😊🍁 Pictured here: @coffee4kids J Dub blend, our original burger, and some homemade clam chowder! . . . #omnomnom #blusteryday #warmup #c4k #coffeeforkids #jdubbend #inbend #downtownbend #playhardeatwelldrinklocal

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J Dub, Mount Bachelor/Bend, OR

Serving up 100-percent ground chuck beef sourced sustainably in Oregon, J Dub’s Original weighs in at a quarter-pound and is its best-seller at just 10 bucks (complete with fries, sweet potato tots, clam chowder or fruit). Sure, some people add an egg or even crispy Spam for an extra two bucks, but it’s the simplicity that sells. “It’s definitely our super solid go-to burger,” says manager Jordan Lewis. For fancier fare, its second top-seller is the Texas Roadhouse, adding cheddar, candied bacon, sweet barbecue sauce, onion rings, lettuce, tomato, and pickle on a telera roll. Go hog wild and order the My Girlfriend’s Not Hungry (a side of fries) and add Spam as well. “Some people love adding spam,” says Lewis. “Others aren’t so crazy about it.”

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Coral Bar & Steakhouse, Big Sky, MT

Buffalo meat and blue cheese bump knuckles in Big Sky, with the Buffalo Bleu Burger at the 75-year-old Coral Bar & Steakhouse, just south of the resort in Gallatin Gateway. A perfect stop for those staying down-valley or heading back to Bozeman, the locally sourced, charbroiled buffalo burger comes with crispy bacon, bleu cheese, and a black pepper-garlic aioli. “This baby reeks of the Old West trail,” says owner Dave House. Just try not to stand too close to anyone on the tram to the top of Lone Peak the next day, or sit too close on the heated seats on the Ramcharger 8, the first eight-seat chairlift in North America.

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Michel's Christiania, Sun Valley, ID

For the most succulent burger in Sun Valley, head to Michel’s Christiania, a French restaurant frequented by Ernest Hemingway so often that he had his own table. Hailing from Burgundy, owner Michel Rudigoz and executive chef Laurent Loubot share a passion for classic French cuisine and it shows in their epic Le Burger Grille aux Truffes, made from prime cuts of beef with a truffle butter center and sautéed mushrooms (hint: Ask for a side of their outta-this-world morel sauce). “We’re really proud of it,” says Rudigoz, a former U.S. Olympic alpine ski coach whose medals adorn the restaurant’s Olympic bar. “We grind our own burger from our own filet ends, without adding any fat.” If for some reason, Siri can’t find it, just ask any local for “The Christy,” as it’s been known since 1959.

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The Bird, Jackson, WY

When its chefs “flip” the bird at The Bird in Jackson, it’s an act of Wyoming reverence, not rudeness. It means their Birdhouse Burger (two patties with bacon, grilled onions, American cheese, and pickles) is ready to refuel you after a hard-charging day at Jackson Hole, even if you didn’t huck Corbet’s Couloir. Just bring a good attitude, as its menu—highlighted by a logo of a cow-turned-rooster issuing the finger—proudly proclaims, “If you’re a fun-sucker (uptight, unhappy or demanding), try somewhere else that’s more geared to your sort” and invites its patrons to “cut loose, get raucous, and tell that joke you’re not sure is appropriate.” Hint: Don’t order your burger “WD,” which stands for Wrong Decision. A gluten-free bun is available for an extra two bucks ($3 if you’re drinking a beer), and “for the patchouli lover” comes the veggie, not-quite-PC Bushy Beaver.

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High West Distillery, Park City, UT

Come for the whiskey, stay for the burger. Billed as a “ski-in gastro-distillery,” High West in Park City, Utah, founded in 2006 by former biochemist David Perkins and his wife, Jane, is known for its bourbon more than its burgers. Utah’s first legal distillery since 1870, it’s been named “Distiller of the Year” by Whisky Advocate,  with its libations made in a traditional 1,600-gallon copper-pot still. But the whiskey just primes you for The Burger, featuring 8 ounces of proprietary blended beef with Gold Creek smoked cheddar and American cheese, American Prairie Bourbon onion and bacon jam, with house pickles on a caraway seed bun and house-cut parmesan rosemary fries. Bonus: Wash it down with a shot of Campfire whiskey.

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Back Door Grill, Steamboat Springs, CO

The hardest part at Back Door Grill in Steamboat Springs, is getting through the all-natural Colorado beef menu. Let’s see … the Mahalo with pineapple and Swiss cheese, the Twilight Zone with cheddar, bacon, creamy Sriracha, and peanut butter, or the How Ya Doin with cream cheese, jalapeno jelly, and bacon. And the Buzz Lightyear, with bacon, avocado, Swiss cheese, and a fried egg, is its best-seller, moving more than 20,000 a year. But then your eyes settle on the Dirty Harry, featuring peanut butter, a fried egg, hashbrowns, and cheddar cheese on, yes, a glazed doughnut with powdered sugar. “People order it because it’s different and a little funky,” says GM Gabriel Sanchez. “They say, ‘Wow what? It comes on a donut?’” Bonus: Take your eyes off the Dirty Harry for a second and try to count the dirty dollar bills tacked to the walls.

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Woody Creek Tavern, Aspen, CO

If its hamburger is good enough for the late Hunter S. Thompson, it’s good enough for the rest of us. Clean and simple (unlike Thompson), its burger—certified Angus beef, cooked medium rare with the usual trimmings, on a fresh multi-grain bun—is a far cry from the establishment’s ambiance, which is what appealed to Thompson, who lived just up-valley. Its walls are plastered with photos of customers—both celeb and normal Joes—as well as magazine covers, newspaper clippings, children’s drawings, license plates, artwork, memorials, and more. As its website proclaims, it’s “bizarre, strange, peculiar, odd, curious, funny, outlandish, abnormal, eccentric, unorthodox, queer, extraordinary, weird, wacky, kooky and freaky.” But its burger, libations, and camaraderie keep customers coming back—without any fear and loathing.

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1900’ Burger, Mount Snow, VT

With a menu full of mouth-watering burgers and thick milkshakes, 1900′ Burger in Mount Snow serves up some of the best ski town burgers east of the Mississippi. Our fave to recharge after skiing its 1,700 vert: the Mac Burger, featuring ground black angus beef on a fresh roll topped with Cabot mac and cheese and caramelized onions (ask for extra napkins). “You really can’t go wrong with it, especially when ordering it in the land of Cabot cheese,” says Mount Snow’s Jamie Storrs. “It warms you up and gets you ready to head back out on the slopes. Or pair it with a boozy milkshake and start après early.” Other options include the I’ve-Died-and-Gone-to-Heaven Burger with a cabernet reduction; the Houston We Have a Problem Burger, topped with barbecue brisket; or, heaven forbid, the Haute Dog.

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Thank you to @thatmainelife44 for one of the most delicious #tagthebag shots we’ve ever seen!!!! . . . OPEN TODAY 11-8 . . . @thebagandkettle @sugarloafmountain #thebagandkettle #bagburger #sugarloafmountain #theloaf

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Bag and Kettle, Sugarloaf, ME

Serving Sugarloaf for more than 50 years, Bag and Kettle bags top honors in the East for burger accolades. Its Original Bag Burger was voted Top 5 Worldwide by Skiing magazine, and little has changed since. While it’s simple—charbroiled ground beef with melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion on a toasted bun—the key lies in its house dressing, a secret mayo-based recipe developed by the original Bag owners in the late ’60s. Want to spice it up? Try the Gucci Pepperoni Cheeseburger, laced with strips of crispy, spicy pepperoni. “I don’t know if it’s the presentation, atmosphere or fact that it’s smoked in an open fire,” says owner J. Pierre Lamy. “We put the rolls in a wood-fired pizza oven and let the cheese melt into the roll. It’s developed quite the cult following.”

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