A Steamboat brewery figured out a sure fire way to entice skiers to come to their establishment after the mountain and have a few pops while complying with Colorado state COVID restrictions. The Mountain Tap Brewery bought three decommissioned gondis from Killington in Vermont and rigged them up with heat and electric to seat single household groups outside but in comfort. Best part is they wont have to scrap these structures as I foresee many businesses doing once things are back to normal. Pandemic or no pandemic, I wouldn’t mind a frosty beverage in a repurposed gondola…especially on a snowy night. To book a reservation GO HERE.
p.s. if you’re thinking of going gonjala and hotboxing one you’ll get your ass booted. Strictly no smoking.
A fun, unique and completely wintry experience
You say you don’t get your fill riding the gondola on the ski mountain? We’ve got you covered! This winter, Mountain Tap added to its snowy patio three refurbished gondola cabins, offering a private, unique and safe dining opportunity! It’s your own winter wonderland, complete with fresh craft beer and wood-fired cuisine!
- Each gondola cabin seats one party of up to 6 adults comfortably and could fit 2 additional kids with a squeeze. (Please note: under Routt County’s current COVID restrictions we can only seat ONE HOUSEHOLD per cabin.)
- Each gondola cabin has its own blue tooth speaker so you can choose your own music.
- Each gondola cabin has a small heater. Remember you’ll be sitting in a gondola cabin on a snowy patio with sometimes sub-0 temperatures just out the window. Dress for winter!
- Pets are not allowed within the gondola cabins. No outside food or drinks. No smoking within the gondola cabins
About Mountain Tap’s gondola cabins…
Our gondola cabins previously shuttled skiers at Killington Ski Area in Vermont. The ski area upgraded the cabins on its K1 lift in 2018, and the old gondola cabins eventually made their way to Colorado. Mountain Tap Brewery worked with The Gondola Shop, a gondola restoration company in Fruita, Colorado to obtain our three gondola cabins. Much of the mechanical equipment in the cabins such as the door mechanisms, cables and kerosene floor heaters was removed. Then we equipped each cabin with an electric heater, twinkly lights and a blue tooth speaker. We constructed the tables from the same beetle kill pine used to make Mountain Tap’s signature indoor community tables. We crafted the door handles from old bike crank arms. The gondola’s original bench seating remains intact, as does the unique artwork on the exterior, designed by Vermont artists decades ago.
Sanitation and Safety
We book 15 minutes between parties to thoroughly sanitize each gondola cabin. With nothing but smooth, hard surfaces on the interior, you can be assured that this is getting done right. We also open the doors and run the fan for a bit to provide an air changeover. For this reason, you might find your gondola cabin a bit chilly when you first settle in. Once the electric heat and body heat start cranking, most guests find the gondola cabins toasty!
Pricing:Â Food and Beverage Minimum
Early Season Minimums through December 13, 2020:
- All reserved seatings have a $100 minimum spend. Seatings available from 3-4:30; 4:45-6:15; and 6:30-8 p.m.
- Walk-up seatings may be available on a first-come, first-served basis with a minimum spend of $50/hour.
If minimum purchase of combined food and beverage is not met, a service fee will be charged to make up the difference.
