You need a Ski Butler...

January 25, 2012|Heather Burke, Globe Staff

Wouldn't it be grand to have your own ski butler? Hauling your heavy ski gear to the airport, paying extra bag fees to the apathetic attendant who provides zero assurance your skis will arrive at your alpine destination, takes some of the joy out of your ski trip. If your skis do make it, they are typically the last bags loaded off the plane, placed in a remote baggage claim area, like a secret door for golf clubs, strollers and skis. You could instead ship your skis with FedEx, box them up a week in advance, pay big bucks for that tracking number, and repeat the cumbersome packaging at the end of your ski trip.

Wouldn't you rather have your own Jeeves of Skis, a ski butler who delivers freshly tuned, fitted skis upon your arrival at your ski hotel, perhaps even fat powder boards instead of your Eastern shaped carvers?

For about $50 a day, you can have a Ski Butler deliver the skis or snowboard you selected online to your lodging property upon your arrival. In Jackson Hole, my ski butler arrived promptly at 7am, as I had requested, with the exact length of Rossignols I had selected, along with ski poles, from their extensive fleet. My butler quickly adjusted my skis to my boots inside the comfortable lobby, gave me the local ski report, and confirmed the day I would be departing when he would retrieve the skis. Oh, and if I had any issues, my butler was a cell call away to tune or swap out the skis during my trip. This sure beats waiting in line at a rental shop with the rest of the SPORES (code: special people on rental equipment).

Interestingly, Ski Butlers was started by a Sugarloafer in 2004. Bryn Carey of Kingfield, Maine, launched Ski Butlers during his senior year at UNH, where he was captain of the ski team, before moving out west. Carey's fleet has expanded to thousands of skis and snowboards, with butler service at over 30 ski resort in North America: Heavenly and Squaw Valley in California; Aspen, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Copper, Keystone, Snowmass, Steamboat, Telluride, and Vail in Colorado; Deer Valley, Park City and The Canyons in Utah; Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Whistler/Blackcomb in British Columbia.

Batman had a Butler who set him up with cool gadgets. Don't you want a ski butler who will slide you into top gear? Check out SkiButlers.com for your next ski trip. And "like" Ski Butlers on facebook for your chance to win one of six free pair of skis.

Photos by Greg Burke