At Wrightwood’s Mountain High Ski Resort and The North Lodge, Octoberfest is always taken seriously. Hopefully, history will allow a little leeway with this year’s Oktoberfest 2022. What was once a fairy-tale Bavarian wedding ceremony in 1810 has evolved into a celebration of Bratwurst and beer steins! Wrightwood tradition calls for much merriment and fanfare on this occasion. The North Lodge Bar and Grill has set aside the last three weeks of October to accommodate the two hundred twelve-year-old event.
“It’s going to be a great time with all of your favorite events like Stein Holding, Yodeling, and Best Costume plus, of course, beer, beer, beer,” said John McColly, Vice President of Mountain High Sales and Marketing. Starting with a Cider Relay at noon and a Hot Pumpkin Toss for the smaller frauleins (girls) and lederhosen wearers (boys) twelve and under at 1:00 pm. Anyone can help wrap up the daytime activities with the other lederhosen by competing in the Limbo contest. Oktoberfest this year is “gut spa for the whole Familie!” That is bad Bavarian for “Good Fun for the Family!”
Bavarian Costumes are encouraged with the Oktoberfest Costume contest starting at six pm. Preceded by the Beer Chugging, the Stein Holding, and the Yodeling contests, wearing authentic Bavarian outfits has always been part of celebrating the regal wedding. These challenges are designed to get your Bavarian up! You may even see The Bavarian Mountain High Yeti dancing to Polka music before the night is over. As the “Oompah” tunes accordion their way throughout the North lodge, you can almost hear “How many bottles of beer on the wall” ringing in the rafters.
No Oktoberfest dinner would be complete without Bratwurst and sauerkraut. Traditional Bavarian fare with Bratwurst and Sausage, Sauerkraut, and Kaesespaetzle (a cheesy noodle dish), with Pretzels and three varieties of German beer, will be served all day and all night! Don’t forget to visit the “Biergarten” for the $20.00 Signature Stein with $10.00 refills all weekend. Attracting thousands of visitors yearly, the historic North Lodge will become a Bavarian Brewery right here in Wrightwood at Mountain High!
Raffles throughout the day keep the party flowing, as does the Oktoberfest beer. According to tradition, Oktoberfest beer is stronger than regular beer. Not that it matters; if it is stronger, just drink less. Right? Oktoberfest is open from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm with live music on Saturdays and Polka on Sundays. These three weekends, October 8-9, 15-16, and 22-23 of beerfesting in the beautiful Wrightwood alpine forest are yodeling you to grab your stein, your fraulein, and come on up to enjoy the food and drink of Oktoberfest at The North Lodge Bar and Grill, admission is free. Visit www.mthigh.com for more information. And please drink responsibly.
