Drive-thru operations have long held a special place in our culture. Not only do we love cars, but we also appreciate the concept of instant gratification. So it’s no surprise that we would mix the two with fast-food restaurants that allow us to get our grub on the go. And Starbucks was one of the first coffee joints to jump on the bandwagon by outfitting some of their locations with drive-thru windows for easy ordering of your favorite customizable coffee drinks. Unfortunately, the Seattle-based brewer expanded at such an alarming rate over the past couple of decades that it was only a matter of time before patrons grew fatigued with high prices, high calories, and the Starbucks-on-every-corner mentality that seemed to drive the company. In short, their operation simply wasn’t sustainable, as evidenced by the hundreds of stores that closed just a couple of years ago. But while the java-slinger is down, it certainly isn’t out. And they’ve debuted a breakthrough in coffee ordering that could just be their future: ski-thru coffee shops.

Base-jumper J.T. Holmes is the hapless hatcher of this plan. He was hitting the slopes one morning with the owner of Squaw Valley ski resort in California (near Lake Tahoe) and skied out to meet his partner with a cup of coffee in hand, providing the impetus for this interesting concept. From there, the resort approached Starbucks about helping them to turn their dream of a ski-thru coffee shop into a reality, and the coffee colossus was only too happy to comply. In truth, it’s strange that no one has come up with the idea before now. It seems like such an obvious solution to a dilemma that ski buffs have faced for time immemorial; whether or not to remove a virtual mountain of ski gear in order to warm up with a hot cup of joe.

Now it doesn’t have to be one or the other. Situated at 8,000 feet, the ski-thru Starbucks offers anyone coming off the slopes the ability to ski up, order a grande, non-fat, no-whip mocha or a double shot of espresso, and take it right onto the lift with them on the way to their next run. There are probably a lot of coffee chains out there right now whacking themselves in the head that they didn’t think of this first. But while the mode of getting coffee is something of a novelty, Starbucks and the Squaw Valley ski resort were careful not to make the gimmick a one-trick pony. Since there are probably plenty of people who would rather not try to ski and drink coffee simultaneously, the shop has accommodations for those that want to “chill” outside while they sip their brew, as well as anyone who takes the time to unstrap their skis and sidle inside to warm up.

Sadly, Starbucks seems to have no plans to expand this clever idea, so don’t expect to pop into Mont Blanc, Gstaad, or St Anton Austria and see your favorite coffee bar at the bottom of a run. Although you can find a “McSki” (yup, a ski-thru McDonald’s) at Sweden’s Lindvallen resort, it looks like it’s going to be a while before ski-thru Starbucks become the next boom.