Ski road trip: food plan for the drive to the Alps

A group ski week often starts with a long winter drive, and on the busiest Saturdays of the season a few extra hours on the road are common. Plan the food for the journey itself — not just the chalet — so a traffic jam or a snowy pass never leaves a car full of hungry skiers.

Plan for a longer drive than the map says

Saturdays during school holidays are usually the busiest days on the roads to ski resorts, as weeks end and begin at the same time. Add snow, chain checks and a queue for the last climb, and the drive can take much longer than planned. Pack food for the journey you might have, not the one the satnav promises.

• •Budget at least one extra meal per car on top of what the timetable suggests.
• •Leave early or travel on a weekday if your rental allows it — it often saves hours and a meal on the road.
• •Fill up and eat before the mountain roads: service areas and shops get scarce and busy once you start the climb.

Check the winter equipment rules before you leave

In France, mountain areas in 34 départements require winter equipment from 1 November to 31 March: either chains or snow socks in the boot for at least two drive wheels, or four winter tyres with the 3PMSF snowflake mark. The fine is €135 and the vehicle can be stopped. Signs mark the start and end of each zone, and the exact list of communes is set by each préfecture, so check before you go. A car stuck at the bottom of a pass is exactly when the food box earns its place.

Pack a car food box that survives the cold

• •Two flasks per car: one hot drink, one soup. Fill them at breakfast.
• •Food that will not freeze or crush: oatcakes, crackers, nuts, dried fruit, hard cheese, chocolate, cereal bars.
• •Sandwiches or wraps made the night before for a lunch you can eat in the car.
• •Water for everyone — and keep a bottle inside the car, not in the boot, where it can freeze overnight.
• •A small bag of rubbish bags, wipes and kitchen roll.

Keep a snow-delay kit in each car

Being stuck for a while on a snowy road is rare but it happens. Alongside the chains, keep a blanket per passenger, a torch, a charged phone battery, and a reserve of food and water that nobody eats on the way. With several cars, make sure each one has its own kit rather than relying on the car with the cooler.

Make the first-night dinner effortless

Arriving at dusk after a long drive, nobody wants to find a supermarket in a resort on changeover day, when queues are at their longest. Bring the first dinner and breakfast with you: a pot of chilli or bolognese cooked at home and frozen travels well in a cool box and is ready in twenty minutes. Plan the big shop for the next morning, or order a delivery to the accommodation.

Split the costs between cars fairly

Fuel, motorway tolls, the car food box and the first shop rarely fall evenly when a group travels in two or three cars. Decide before you leave what is shared, log each payment as it happens, and settle once at the end of the week.