Feed Me: Even at 11,000 feet, your palate shouldn't have to suffer

Clay Ellis

In the icebox: Scullery wench Fedarko checks his cupboards.

Yo, Dig This Kitchen!

UPON ARRIVAL AT ADVANCED base camp, it is the expedition chef's immediate duty to focus on the most underrated survival chore of all: shoveling out a state-of-the-art snow kitchen. This is more than just an opportunity to express the creative impulses you've been suppressing since that embarrassing incident with the hemp-lined birdhouse in junior-high art class. The idea here is to create a work space boasting all (well, as many as possible) of the features of Emeril Lagasse's stage on The Food Network—superb protection from wind; plenty of room to swing a cat; countertops on which you can mix and cook without bending over; lots of nooks for stashing equipment, storing fuel, and hiding tasty comestibles from the rest of the squad. While you're busy confecting your camp galley, try to keep the following points in mind.

* If possible, choose an east-facing slope so the morning sun will thaw you out as you fix breakfast. Stomp down the area with skis and shovels (dense snow is easier to sculpt) and then start digging. You'll need a seven-by-ten-foot rectangular pit that's at least waist-deep.

* Carve out separate compartments (see diagram) for ingredients, fuel, and trash. Don't neglect to cut a storage bin in which pots and stoves can be safely stowed at night to keep them from blowing all over the mountain or getting buried in a storm.

* Dig a sump (see diagram) for wastewater. Cover it with a strainer to avoid leaving food particles behind.

* Bring along several insulating platforms on which you can set your stoves to prevent them from melting through the top of the snow counter. (Old ensolite and a piece of plywood work well.)

* Unless you like the idea of everyone parading through your kitchen, tell your friends to go carve some snow benches for themselves, where they can sit and relax while you work.

The Glacier Gourmet AMONG SKI MOUNTAINEERS, who can burn up to 5,000 calories a day at altitude, the subject of food tends to ignite some high-octane opinions. So when it's your turn on the chef de cuisine rotation, you'd best have a detailed plan of attack or be prepared to find yourself on the receiving end of a spontaneous emotional combustion. Here are five tips to help you avoid the latter.

1. Nutrition Despite nutritionists' current infatuation with protein, carbohydrates are still the cornerstone of a winter athlete's diet: They provide quick energy and they've been shown to help reduce the symptoms of altitude sickness. The ratio to keep in mind as you plan your team's menus is 60 percent carbs, 25 percent protein, 15 percent fat. 2. Preparation Forty-mph winds pretty much preclude base-camp prep work, so do your chopping, slicing, and peeling before departure and store the ingredients in labeled plastic bags so they can be combined in a snap. 3. Hydration Sure, dehydrated food is simple and lightweight. But when you're famished in subzero temperatures, you're likely to consume it before it's fully rehydrated—making it harder to digest. And besides, you can use fresh ingredients, thanks to... 4. Refrigeration The glacier you're camping on is essentially one giant Frigidaire, so it's well worth packing in 70-pound loads that include fresh vegetables, fresh pasta, and ground meat. If you can haul it up yourself—or better yet, sneak it into someone else's pack—it'll keep until you cook it. 5. Imagination The best alpine hash slingers are those who come up with tasty, nutritious meals that can be prepared rapidly in a single pot. Example: fresh pasta with pesto, feta cheese, pine nuts, and kalamata olives. Cooking time: about 15 minutes. Result: You'll be hailed as the blue-ribbon bistro chef of the backcountry.

Flame Throwers Camp fuels typically come in two flavors: butane/propane blends or white gas. Butane/propane-burning units are easy to light and need almost no maintenance, but as the temperature drops, so does the quality of their flame (these stoves perform well at extremely high altitudes, which makes them ideal for alpinists; but when it's colder than 31 degrees and you're only at 11,000 feet, the liquid butane refuses to turn to gas and pass through the burner). So if you're ski mountaineering in cold weather, go with white gas, which puts out a robust flame that cooks fast and is relatively impervious to the wind. Our stove of choice is MSR's XGK Expedition ($110; 800-877-9677; www.msrcorp.com). It weighs less than a pound, burns anything from jet fuel to kerosene, and cranks out a blowtorch flame that sounds like the afterburner of a Russian MiG.