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Après Ski Holidays
Post-ski parties on the piste-side with SNO
There’s skiing, then there’s après skiing: the chance to let your hair down after a day on the hill, watch the sun set over mountaintops and enjoy good times with friends and family.
Meaning anything from a quiet vin chaud by the fireside to a wild, ski-boot-stomping party – for some, après ski is as important as the skiing itself, for others, it might be even more so…
with your own travel concierge. Send an enquiry or give us a call, and we'll
help you plan the perfect Après ski holiday
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020 7770 6888
Après Ski Accommodation
Après Ski meaning
French for ‘after skiing’, the term - which came about in the twenties - can apply to whatever you get up to at the end of a day on the slopes, but is most often used to describe a drink (or three) in a mountain bar once the lifts start to close.
‘Sprès ski’ could also be used for afternoon activities like tobogganing, ice skating and husky rides, or simply putting your feet up in your chalet at the end of the day...
Après ski clothing
Most people’s après ski wear is whatever they’ve been skiing in during the day – salopettes, ski boots and all.
Sometimes you might want to change into something specific before joining in the mountain merriment:
Après ski fancy dress – You might want to pack an après ski costume like an animal onesie, retro ski suit or perhaps lederhosen if you’re skiing in Austria. These are popular for themed parties, St Patrick’s Day and any other occasion you fancy dressing up for…
Après ski boots - If those plastic ski boots are giving you grief, free your feet and swap them for something comfier. You can buy specific après ski footwear like Moon Boots or opt for walking boots or any snow friendly shoes.
Après ski jumper – Your usual microfleece if you want to keep it casual, a Christmas jumper if it’s the festive season or that retro fluorescent fair isle in the back of your wardrobe…
Beanie – An après ski essential keep your head warm and hide helmet hair, the brighter the better.
Your ski jacket – It gets very cold in the mountains after hours, and even if you’re still warm from skiing and drinks earlier on, you don’t want to feel the cold when it comes to heading home.
Your thermals – If you’re après skiing in the comfort of your chalet or apartment, lose your outer layers, swap ski socks for clean ones and you’re ready to relax. Shops sell groovy après ski leggings if you want to really look the part.
What makes good après ski?
If a resort is good for après ski, it’ll have at least a few mountain bars with live music, DJ’s and happy hours to draw in the crowds. There will usually be more bars and pubs in the resort base area to move onto, and maybe a night club or two for later-on.
The best resorts have a bundle of lively bars but also more sophisticated options where you can sip fine wines by log fires, and child-friendly fun like ice rinks, swimming pools and bowling alleys.
Après ski drinks
Slopeside waterholes will serve all the drinks you’re used to in bars back home, amongst certain regional libations like the ones below – remember alcohol affects you more at altitude!
Hot wine – Mulled wine to us, but by any other name this drink would taste as sweet: Vin Chaud (in France), Glühwein (in Austria), Glögg (in Scandinavia), vin brulé (in Italy).
Toffee Vodka – Meribel’s signature drink. Like liquid fudge and dangerously un-vodka-ey, best served in a shot ski…
Good old-fashioned beer – Look for local brews like ones from the Micro Brasserie de Chamonix, Aspen Brewing Company and White Frontier from Nendaz
Irish coffee – Ateaming hot coffee, cream and copious amounts of whiskey
Champagne – a jeroboam if you’re in Courchevel, raining from the rooftop if you’re partying in a Folie Douce bar, or just bubbling away in a bottle shared with friends.
Génépi – A greenish herbal liquor made from alpine plants. Served in France before/after supper/skiing. As strong as absinthe…
Jägertee – An Austrian staple, featuring Stroh rum, brandy, hot tea, wine, fruit juice and spices
Hot chocolate – Because it doesn’t always have to be alcoholic! A hot choc (Chocolat Chaud in France, heiße Schokolade in Austria, cioccolata calda in Italy) on the hillside is hard to beat, especially one with lashings of cream. For an ‘adult hot chocolate’, request a glug of baileys or génépi…
Top 10 Après Ski Bars
Mooserwirt, St Anton
St Anton wouldn’t be St Anton without this place - apparently nowhere else in Austria sells more beer than the Moose, which blasts out Europop as crowds swarm in each afternoon. Join in the madness and hop on a table, just remember you’ll have to ski back down once it closes…
La Folie Douce, Val d’Isere-Tignes, Meribel-Courchevel, Val Thorens, Saint Gervais-Megeve, Alpe d’Huez
More than living up to its name ‘sweet madness’, Folie began in 1980 and has to be experienced at least once. Expect raining champagne, sax players, DJ’s - and with legendary performer Kely Starlight behind the crazy cabaret, anything is possible.
Farinet, Verbier
Nobody’s too posh to party in the Farinet, Verbier’s loudest après spot where live bands play each evening, dancing on the bar is compulsory and the roof adjusts to the weather. If that doesn’t have you sold, did you SNO Which? voted it Best Après Ski Bar Worldwide…
Le Rond Point, Meribel
Or Ronnie to its friends – in this Three Valleys institution you can ski to the sun terrace, sample the signature toffee vodka and soak up the atmosphere of live bands, DJ’s and merry crowds. There’s even a slide to the loos!
Trofana Alm, Ischgl
The vibe is irresistibly cheerful in this huge old Tyrolean hut, with the sounds of cheesy oompah and Europop, the smells of schnapps and champagne and the sights of happy crowds of skiers, high from a fabulous day on the mountains.
Krazy Kangruh, St Anton
This was St Anton’s first mountain bar in the sixties and now with slalom champ Mario Matt at the helm, KK promises copious amounts of Jager, loud music (courtesy of the one and only DJ Partyhard) and big crowds each and every afternoon.
Le Pano Bar, Les 2 Alpes
3-5pm each day of the season, Pano becomes a club up at 2600m with DJ’s, live musicians and dancers. Dancefloors don’t get more scenic than this, and the location – slap bang in the centre of the ski area and served by the Jandri Express – is also super convenient.
Dicks Tea Bar, Val d’Isere
More like après après ski, Dicks opens from 10pm for its ‘after dinner club’, with live musicians, then dances through the night ‘til 5am with international DJ’s. The club opened in 1979 and any night out in Val isn’t complete without a drink here.
360, Val Thorens
Up in Europe’s highest ski resort, 360 has wraparound peaks and brings a cool, studenty crowd to the mountaintop with deckchairs, big name DJ’s (like Afrojack and Fredde Le Grand) and live bands. Don a onesie and join the mayhem from 2pm.
Garibaldi Lift Company, Whistler
Plonked in prime position in the gondola building, this all singing, all dancing bar draws locals and visitors from all over the planet: you can watch the world ski by from the patio, toast your toes by a firepit or get stuck into themed parties, comedy nights and events like Punk Rock Karaoke.
© 2024 SNO Group Ltd • company no. 5995288 • VAT no. 946 9394 63 SNO, Apsley House, 176 Upper Richmond Road, London, SW15 2SH.
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