Happy long weekend! Welcome to The Skinny, which will take you five minutes to breeze through (or less). And for anyone new here: this is a free newsletter, full of snackable lifestyle news, designed to entertain and save you time—everyone’s most valuable resource.

What we’re covering:

• Postcard from the Alps: Hot tips, ski fits, what to eat and how to get there. And is it actually cheaper to travel to Europe to ski vs. the Rockies

• What’s hot in the sexual wellness market, and how to makeover your bed to feel like a hotel

• Pantry raid: bringing winter joy through soup, with our new go-to recipes

• Giveaway alert: lace up and enter to win Salomon shoes from REI

• Plus: Lobsterfest (+ reasons to eat lobsters in the winter), a ski-in McDonalds, going NA at music festivals, pepperoni soda, a deviled egg only restaurant & the secret to a longer-lasting flower bouquet

💡Did you know: all The Skinny editions are online and searchable—so you can easily find topics/links/recipes/items to shop that we have written about in the past. Bookmark this link for easy reference.

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Postcard from the Alps

The Skinny investigates: Is it less expensive to ski in Europe? 

The Skinny: Due to the popularity of “ski influencers” posting elaborate videos claiming that skiing the Alps is cheaper than the Rockies, we wondered: is it true? To get a pulse on this year’s prices, hot tips, and ski fits we tapped our “Alps Correspondent” Josh, fresh from Zermatt. We’ll also touch on Chamonix and Crans Montana, so be sure to bookmark this edition to plan your next trip. 

Overall, and this from someone who skis the west on the reg, Josh’s answer was yes. For four more hours on a plane, he says, “you can definitely do this trip for cheaper than the Rockies” with this checklist of what costs less: 

Food & drinks: Lunch, dinner, beer were reasonably priced but more importantly, real food and not $22 chicken tenders. Speaking of beer, a little about our correspondent: Josh is also the proprietor of Moe’s Tavern, the “best bar in the Berkshires” that has gained cult status for its curated craft beer selection. He’s not a huge fan of Austrian beer, but did love the Abricotine at Zum Zee.

Hotels with great access: “You could get $100 Airbnb right next to our fancy hotel.” He stayed at the Schweizerhof right across from the train station. 

Transport: Take the train to Zermatt, Chamonix and Crans Montana (and surely others, these are the ones we researched) 

Lift tickets: Zermatt costs $160 for two days (compared to um, $300 at Breckenridge for one day). Josh reports that the Italian side was $48 and Ski Arlberg in Austria was $70 (with 85 lifts).

A highlight: At Matterhorn Paradise, you can take the world’s longest run and cross from Switzerland to Valtournenche Italy (where you’ll immediately feel the Italian vibe) ending with lunch at Cervinia-Breuil and barely making it back. Make sure to buy the Italian side lift ticket and get the last lift, or you’re stuck. 

“The service was great whether we were at a dive bar or a fancy restaurant on the mountain. There just seemed to be a whole other level of culture and food and pride integrated into the ski culture.”

We have hit Chamonix for an epic girls trip with another friend and Nicole’s cousin, who made the  escapade possible by lending us her incredible flat near the centre. Now, if you’re up for experiencing the Alps in the most The Skinny way possible, you must also be down for: 

1. Getting on the mountain at the crack of 11:30 because you stayed out until 4a, and then had to go to the pub “Irish Coffee”  in the morning since it was the only Wifi, only to be coerced into drinking “breakfast wine.” (Yes, we always try for full cultural immersion) 

2. Building the entire day around where to eat (including cheese for breakfast/lunch/dinner) 

3. Taking on the Argentière glacier, even though you’re scared s—tless

4. Willingness to engage in drinking games with groups of new European friends (Jill’s daughter was just scrolling through her phone and asked “who is Scott from Scotland?”) True story

5. Losing your phone, with the entire trip photo album, to la toilette

6. Asking the bartender for the seventh time if you can pay for a carafe of rosé with AMEX (non)

7. Going straight from skiing to après, then waking up with Fernet Branca stains on your new ski pants (white of course)

Our Chamonix superlatives:

• Favorite run: A full day making it down the stunning Argentière glacier, thanks to our guide Pierre and eating a well-deserved sit-down lunch

• Best Bar: The one and only Chambre Neuf,  where the ration of bros to girls is probably 10:1 and the entire bar is belting out Classic Rock tunes with a great house band.

• Full Send lunch: Escargot and rosé in the sunny Place du Mont-Blanc, over several hours 

• Top foods: Charcuterie/cheese/cornichon/salad (off-piste lunch), meat fondue  

• Getting there: Fly into Geneva, then either: rent a car (or driver) for the just-over-an-hour drive;  or take the train (which involves three transfers, but who cares?) 

Finally, information about another resort, Crans Montana, via our Brooklyn-based correspondent Heather. 

• Hit Crans and Chamonix in one trip, and enjoy the 3+ hour ride along the winding countryside and lake Geneva, including a stop-off at this delightful home goods store. Grab Swiss Army knives for the fam (engraved for free), fondue and raclette accessories. A Euro-phile’s culinary dream! 

• You can also get to Crans Montana via train by ending at Sierre, and then taking a funicular (Europe’s longest route) to the resort. Because there is so much to love about funiculars, from their cuteness to their use of kinetic energy, here is a listicle of the “world’s coolest.”

Add to cart*: 

• From left in pic above: Josh is outfitted in a Stio Hometown Hoodie (in well, in the pic below), Flylow Baker Bibs; Jill geared up in St Moritz in some awesome Sweaty Betty base layers; and Nicole with a Marmot bomber style jacket and “ski patrol red” Obermeyer Bond Pant.

• Vail-based Gorsuch is still the OG and the MVP for all things alpine, and we wish we could roll through there with unlimited funds for our ultimate chalet girl fits. Here, their Après Trucker Hat or a MTN girl version from Two Skirts Telluride 

• A cute graphic après-ski hoodie to pair with jeans; or this racer-stripe turtleneck version from Perch Vail  

• Pajar “Ice Gripper” boots (currently on sale) which include flip-down spikes in the soles 

• Illesteva vinyl red sunglasses that we LOVE (Nicole has had her Illestevas since 2016)

Pantry raid

Souper quick ideas for when you don’t know what to make

The Skinny: With a hot tip and help from Tina, our Aspen correspondent, we made this “Taco Ranch Soup” that Jill has served 3x this month. Add any other chopped vegetables for fiber, but don’t forget the Hidden Valley Ranch and taco seasoning packets! Two more to try:

• Jill’s soup roll continues since she’s made this 4x since New Years: creamy chicken noodle soup (chef’s note: add white wine (definitely to the soup, optionally to the chef). 

• If you love the Pioneer Woman, a reminder of this treasure trove of comfort soup recipes to bring winter joy.

Giveaway: Salomon shoes from REI

Because the best hikes start with the right shoes 

The Skinny: ICYMI, subscriber Julie H. was the lucky winner of the Ooni pizza oven, and this week we are giving away a pair of Salomon shoes (that cost $175 or less) from REI. It’s easy to enter—simply use your referral link below (or this one) and send to a couple people who would love The Skinny. Then respond to this email with the word “DONE.” We’ll reply with a confirmation and will unveil the winner by the end of February. 

To inspire you to lace up…a list of bucket list hikes here in the good ol’ U.S.A.

Love, love love

Reporting live from your freshly-made bed: sexual wellness 

The Skinny: The sexual wellness market, globally, is reportedly projected  to grow to $115 billion by 2030, so let’s jump into bed with the latest—starting with the best “pheromone perfumes,” designed to “encourage comfort and intimacy.” 

And no matter who you’re looking to cozy up with, including yourself, there is a toy suited to your needs: Waterproof, affordable,for beginners? Check. Menopause-specific, too. Or for hi-tech, Wired has tried them all. Looking to browse from your trusted retailer? You’re in luck, since more and more are increasing their offerings. Finishing up…our most entertaining find was the (no longer available, but still…) vegan sex toys shaped like vegetables. If you’re wondering: of course there was an eggplant, and a corn cob too.

While spending more time in bed, why not make it feel like a boutique hotel? It’s a fantasy yet to be realized, but this seems like the perfect winter project. Tps and tricks here, from the sheets and pillows to the lighting and curated nightstand. The only potential downside is that while you might need to “be your own housekeeper,” that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Last licks

This week’s newsfeed

• Settle in for season three of the “White Lotus” tonight and all the brand collabs along with it, including Coffee Mate (which we reported on here) and Amex’s themed travel experiences.

• Hey Instagrammer, don’t tempt us with this gourmet deviled egg platter from this deviled-egg-only restaurant right now during #EggShortageGate, just don’t.

• Ski-up for nugs and fries at the world’s only “McSki,” located in…Sweden.

• “Zebra striping” at concerts is now easier, thanks to Athletic Brewing Co’s new partnership with 100 music venues and festivals.

• Do pennies help your flower bouquet last longer? Yes, but it depends on which penny you choose. 

• GLOAT: Yes, the “Greatest Lobsterfest of All Time” from Red Lobster. Leaning into personalization, during GLOAT diners can “create their own” entree from 10 or so dishes. P.S: We personally think lobsters taste better in the winter, and here are some reasons why. 

• Goodbye Domino’s pepperoni-scented Eau de Passion fragrance, hello pepperoni soda from Perfy (a BFY brand we had not heard of yet, but are wanting to try based on their A+ social content alone, below).

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