Everything You Need To Know About The Hottest New Ski Lunch Trend

This article originally appeared on Ski Mag

The finer things in life: perfectly salted cured meats, creamy, yet refined cheeses, grapes plucked straight from the vine, and sitting in the snow in the middle of the woods eating off of a ski…? Enter the Charcuteski: a movement, a business, and most importantly, lunch.

The act of Charcuteski is exactly what you might assume, charcuterie on a ski. The simple, yet elevated way to enjoy a few midday noshes combines everyone’s favorite way of organizing cheese and meat and brings it outside. To participate skiers will bring in whatever goodies they want (cheese, cured meats, spreads, fruits, crackers, etc.), find a safe place on the mountain to stop for a bit to eat, and then use their skis (or whatever vessel used to traverse downhill) as a makeshift picnic table.

“Charcuteski was born when we took some meat and cheese that we brought on the mountain (not wanting to pay for an overpriced resort meal) and slapped them on some skis. Laughing in the woods as we ate our food, we thought of the perfect term for this ‘lifestyle’ --Charcuteski,” reads the official website.

While the act of bringing some charcuterie staples slopeside is nothing new, Charcuteski co-founder Kera Pezzuti says the movement was quick to gain a following on social media back in 2021, when COVID-19 restrictions made eating inside lodges logistically difficult, and at times unsafe. “We packed it all up and went to Deer Valley and did a little Charcuteski in the Centennial Trees, and we all took pictures and posted them to our individual Instagrams,” she recalls. After the initial posts, family and friends reached out to Pezzuti and suggested making the Charcuteski its own Instagram page, and the rest is, as they say, history.

“We made the Instagram account that night,” Pezzuti explained, “and that night we already had 100 followers, and within a week we had 1,000 and within two weeks we already had people submitting posts from across the country.”

With the rapid success of the movement, the Charcuteski team took to the internet and created a site for meat and cheese connoisseurs to submit their own photos to be featured. As the popularity grew, so did the name, and Pezzuti and her team spent this summer growing the brand, as well as the business. “We just added a map where we’re going to crowdsource Charcuteski locations from other people across the country so you can follow the latitude and longitude as well as share tips,” adding that the community is always looking for places in view. There are also collaboration options to help bring local vendors to the slopes.

And for those who don’t want their pack filled with food all day, Charcuteski offers catering options for any Colorado resort and Park City, with more resorts to come. Skiers can submit a form online for a “Chacture Pack” and a team member will reach out to discuss location, time, and custom offerings.

The brand also has a set of guidelines they recommend all who indulge to follow:

1. Set up in a visible, low-speed location. Ideally, somewhere you need to boot pack to

2. Pack it in. Pack it out.

3. Limit your plastics. Buy in bulk and choose reusable containers.

4. Keep it local! (Shop locally made goodies.)

Despite the deliciousness and ease of this lunch option, some skiers are still hesitant to eat off a ski. However, Pezzuti encourages those in doubt not to worry: “I carry Lysol wipes in my bag and just do quick wipe down,” she says. “We get a lot of people who talk about the dangers of ski wax, and it’s really only high-end race wax that is terrible.”

If you’re looking to switch out the burger and fries for some fine meat and cheese for your next day on snow be sure to tag them, and DM your photo to Charcuteski for a chance to be featured.

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