A cozy weekend in Snowshoe, WV
Everything but hitting the slopes
Earlier this month, J and I joined our friends for a long weekend up in Snowshoe, West Virginia — a place just as snowy and quaint as the name sounds.
It was only about a 6 hour drive from Durham, North Carolina. We headed up Thursday night with the snowboards strapped on top of the car for two full days of hitting the slopes on Friday and Saturday, before coming back on Super Bowl Sunday.
Car ride topics included gossiping about the Luka Dončić trade (seriously, how do I know so much about this? J has gotten me fully *in* on the NBA drama) and dissecting our predictions for Kendrick Lamar’s half-time performance at the Super Bowl. Will he play Not Like Us? I mean, he has to play Not Like Us, right? (He did.) Will Taylor Swift join him? I mean, they DO have a song together. (She didn’t.)
Not much longer, and we checked into our AirBnb at Snowshoe Mountain Lodge and made ourselves at home.
In this post, I’ll cover:
Gluten-free meal options on the mountain
Easy gluten-free meals we made in the condo
Things to do in Snowshoe
P.S. One quick ground rule before we dive in: I’m new here 👋 and want to make sure it’s clear that everything I share is based on my personal experience. I’ll be sharing my experiences at the time of my visit, but kitchen practices and recipes can change, so always double-check for your safety.
Gluten-free meal options on the mountain
When it comes to dining out, Snowshoe Mountain does not offer much variety. There’s just a select few restaurants and one Starbucks that gets crazy busy right before the ski lifts open at 9 AM.
We made most of our meals at the condo, but here are the spots we checked out:
Starbucks
A Starbucks is a Starbucks. Nothing new here. Per usual for Starbucks, there were some pre-packaged gluten-free snacks in the grab and go section.
I didn’t eat anything here, but it could’ve been good for a mid-day snack on the slopes if I was in a pinch (or if I was skiing, which by the way, I was not. Just hanging out for the vibes this weekend!)
Village Pub
While the boys snowboarded, us girls roamed around the village and stayed indoors reading. All the cozy vibes for me, please and thank you. We impromptu decided to grab a drink at the Village Pub while wondering around.
I was able to get a Coyote Hole cider - delicious! While we didn’t eat here, I did glance at the menu. Sadly, they had no allergens marked on their menu and have no reviews on Find Me Gluten Free, so I probably wouldn’t have felt safe eating there anyways.
Junction Ale House
Junction Ale House was by far the most promising place for gluten-free options according to their menu online. We met the boys after their morning runs on the slope for a late lunch on Saturday. I was pretty hungry at this point.
I was hoping to order the salmon (marked gluten-free on the menu!), but misread the fine print that it is only served for dinner.
My backup was the chili (also marked gluten-free on the menu), but the waitress checked with the kitchen and confirmed it had risk for cross-contact. I both deeply appreciate her due diligence, and was also so sad that they had something marked “gluten-free” on their menu that I couldn’t safely eat.
At this point my only option was a burger with a gluten-free bun from. French fries are made in a shared fryer, so a side salad was my only option. Big sad girl vibes commenced. Expectations are everything, and I was feeling very let down at this point.
My feelings started to compound — This was not the aprés ski vibe I wanted (can a girl not have french fries?) / Am I a burden (no) / Can everyone tell I’m sad (yes).
Big feelings! I still feel so new in my celiac disease diagnosis at times (October 2023), and sometimes the feelings are so hard. It’s challenging not to feel deflated, but I have to remind myself that even if it’s not always perfect, I’m getting better at navigating these moments.
Shortly my burger arrived, gluten-free bun straight from a plastic bag and all, and I was happy to have a safe option to eat. And like most cases, I feel better after a little food in my stomach.
If I were to go here again, I would try to come for dinner when there seemed to be more gluten-free options available.
The Village Scoop
In hopes that a little sweet treat would spike my spirits after Junction Ale House, we tried the ice cream place next door, The Village Scoop. The staff were so friendly and knowledgable about allergens, but unfortunately the only flavor that was gluten-free was the cotton candy.
I’m not about the cotton candy ice cream life, so I passed.
I had a bowl of the white cheddar Cheetos back at the condo for a snack instead.
If rule number one of the blog is “phone eats first”, then rule number two is: always pack snacks.
Easy gluten-free meals we made in the condo
About an hour outside of Snowshoe on our way up, we ran into Walmart to fill up our cooler and stock up on provisions. And I’m so glad we did because Wildcat Grocery on the mountain was quite limited in supply, especially for gluten-free.
Breakfast: A BYO-granola bar and fruit situation. I went with my go-to Larabar (peanut butter chocolate flavor!). I also had some chocolate almonds here and there. Easy and simple for the mornings!
Nacho lunch: This one sparked a debate — can nachos be a meal or only a snack?? I’m on Team Meal, but a certain unnamed party disagrees. This meal was, again, so simple. We used ground meat, taco seasoning, Tostitos scoops (no contest the best chip for nachos IMO), Mexican shredded cheese, and pico de gallo to make a tasty lunch that kept us full. If I had done a little more prep, I would’ve loved to have made these slow cooker carnitas sheet pan nachos that have had me drooling ever since I read the post.
Pizza dinner: J made homemade gluten-free pizza dough from King Arthur pizza flour ahead of the trip, which we stored in the fridge until dinner. Add in some butter for the crust, Mutti pizza sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni, and we were in business. Our condo only had one suspect looking baking tray, so we opted to bake in their glass dishes, which turned out just fine.
Chicken noodle soup: This was all Sarah and perfect after a cold day outside! Simple was our mission with these meals, and all that was required for this was chicken broth, Jovial farfalle pasta, celery, carrots, seasoning, and chicken. Sarah added in some homemade croutons made from a BFree baguette toasted in the oven, which was the perfect touch!
Stocking up on groceries before heading up the mountain and having a place to stay with a kitchen was truly a must-do and made our lives so much easier! If you find yourself in Snowshoe, I’d recommend the same.
Things to do in Snowshoe
We’ve addressed that I’m not ski slope girl (but I want to be — the outfits are so fun!), but there was still plenty to keep us occupied for the weekend.
Skiing or snowboarding: The boys had fun doing their runs on the mountain! This is why you come to Snowshoe.
Wandering around the village: Probably my favorite activity. Give me a coffee in hand and a new town to explore — it’s all I want. There were some cute stores that mainly sold ski gear. I thought Hops, Vines, and Spirits was especially cute!
Snow tubing: We had every intention of going snow tubing, but just didn't make it out there. It looks like a fun set-up!
Hot pools: We walked past the Split Rock Pools a few times and it seemed incredibly relaxing. Indoor and outdoors, both heated. Steamy.
Reading indoors: For the less outdoorsy among us, curling up with a book indoors is always a good idea. I finished The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune (delightful) and continued working on Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (trying so hard to catch up to the bookstagram girlies).
Wrapping up
Snowshoe was a delightful weekend getaway, and the mountain air certainly did me some good. I’m thankful for the wonderful company and the chance to unwind in such a peaceful setting. Until next time, Snowshoe!
Thanks for reading,
Kara ⛷️
love the polka dot snow jacket!