EDIBLE TRAVELS

edible travels

MOUNTAIN HIGH

Exceptional skiing getaway offers delectable food.

WRITTEN BY ANN LINDEMANN
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOE ROYER, RUBY MOUNTAIN HELI-EXPERIENCE

After four memorable tours with Ruby Mountain Heli-Experience, Jill Baty doesn’t hesitate when asked to conjure up a winter reverie.

“A perfect day in the Rubies is waking up early with the smell of coffee brewing,” says Baty, a 44-year-old Reno skier. “I go outside, look up at the blue skies, feel the cold, and know that it is going to be an amazing powder day. Then I walk back to the house, smell the amazing aromas wafting out of the kitchen, hear the hustle and bustle of the staff, and then see Francy’s big, bright welcoming smile.”

Baty is not alone in her affection for the rural Lamoille, Nev.-based helicopter ski operation that is both the passion and lifeblood of its hands-on owners, Francy and Joe Royer. Located halfway between Reno and Salt Lake City, the stunning Ruby Mountain range has been coined “Nevada’s Yosemite” with its 10 peaks that rise 11,000 feet or higher and receive an average of 300 inches of dry, Wasatch-like powder each season. Guests are guaranteed 39,000 vertical feet over the course of their three-day stay at the luxurious, Western-style base lodge, Reds Ranch.

The Royers have a devoted legion of repeat guests ranging from 30- something hotshots to the 82-year-old gentleman who doesn’t miss a year skiing untracked powder and indulging in Francy’s fabled cuisine.

PASSIONATE CUISINE

Breakfast features fresh-baked breads, pastries, homemade granola, and a myriad of tantalizing egg dishes. A gourmet lunch with sandwiches, warm soup, and home-baked cookies miraculously appears via helicopter at a scenic mountaintop resting place. At dinnertime Francy and her crew of three pull out the stops when they create big-city cuisine in an unlikely small-town venue.

After a long day of skiing, guests swap most-awesome-run tales, while they sip on wine and munch on tasty appetizers. Later at the lodge’s long pine dining table, guests gather and marvel as Francy lovingly rolls out her culinary vision for the evening. Each dinner features soup, salad, three different entrées, and always a decadent dessert.

“Every meal creates a memory,” explains Francy, a former pastry chef who has worked and learned beside some of the nation’s most talented chefs. “When I started here, I knew I wanted to produce a menu that would create a blow-your-mind experience. I’m a perfectionist in everything and that definitely carries over into the food, which is my love and passion.”

OUTSTANDING ESCAPADE

The Royers share a disdain for shortcuts, an admirable ethos that is evidenced throughout the operation, be it safety, customer service, or cuisine. Like Francy, Joe imbues integrity, which translates to both his crew of expert guides and guests who are drawn to the Rubies for a pure skiing experience with no hype or chest beating.

Both Royers wake long before the first rays of sun settle on the Ruby peaks. Joe diligently scans weather reports and briefs his crew, while Francy launches into another day of culinary wonder.

Francy says food is a “magical component of the Ruby experience” and surely each and every Ruby guest would agree.

Joe and Francy Royer provided a life-changing experience to Ann Lindemann, a Lake Tahoe-based freelance writer who was lamenting the arrival of her 50th birthday. The Royers, their expert staff, and the entire Ruby Mountain Heli-Experience helped her snap out of it and realize there is much more life to be lived.

RECIPE

GRILLED BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH FINIDINI SAUCE