Best Ski Resorts in Europe for Apres Ski
What do you like to do when the lifts close for the day? Well for most of us it's straight to the nearest slopeside bar for a little light refreshment.
On the ski days that pass into our personal legends that quick drink on the way home becomes an all-evening escapade, perhaps clomping home exhausted, still in our ski or boarding boots in the small hours.
Of course, it doesn’t have to be a legendary night every night! Increasingly we're looking for much more than just a reputation for great nightlife, and most resorts have stepped up and created lots to do in the evening besides spending apres in a bar. Facilities like spas, swimming pools and bowling alleys are ever more common and evening activities including snowmobiling, torchlit snowshoeing and floodlit toboggan runs are all on offer and much more besides.
But some resorts certainly do apres ski better than others, so here's our list of the best ski resorts for infamous apres ski across Europe.
Chamonix
Chamonix attracts good skiers from all over the world and the planet's great apres skiers are here in force each winter too! As well as legendary ski slopes this is one of the world’s best apres ski resorts, its streets, particularly Avenue Michel Croz, are lined with busy bars and great restaurants. Among the popular bars are Chambre Neuf, complete with a Swedish cover band playing almost every night, centrally located La Terrasse and The Pub, which has good sports TV, Chamonix is also home to one of the La Folie Douce cabaret bars which originated in Val d’Isere but have now branched out to other to French resorts.
St. Anton
The legendary apres ski resort capital of Europe - if not the world - the main run down to St Anton is lined with huge bars, including the most well-known Mooserwirth and the Krazy Kunguruh. Beer is consumed in vast quantities and if you can squeeze in it's pretty much obligatory to stand on your table with your ski boots on to sing and dance. Probably not very well but who cares? Apres ski at its finest.
Tignes
Tignes has built a reputation as one of the livelier of the purpose-built French ski resorts, thanks in part to the great international mix of skiers here. Among the many great apres ski bars are Couloir up in Val Claret, which has a two-hour long happy hour from 4 until 6 and lots of live bands or Le TC’s in Tignes Le Lavachet which shows sports events as well as having its happy hour and live acts. There are many more choices. You can also make your way over to the incredible original Folie Douce above Val d'Isere if you're ready to give up on an afternoon’s skiing and start partying at lunchtime.
Verbier
If it's a little more up-market apres ski scene you're after, some luxury in your ski bar options even, then Verbier is the apres ski resort for you. True, this is not the place for the financially less well-endowed to go partying, but if you can pay your way, this is one of the alps’ best apres ski resorts. The Farinet tends to be the first stop for the party crowd coming in off the slopes with live bands performing every night of the season, a happy hour between from 4 pm and a huge sliding roof. Other popular venues include Pub Mont Fort, Ice cube and Le Rouge with the pricy Farm Club a resort institution in the small hours.
Val Thorens
Back in the day, Val Thorens had a reputation as a rather desolate spot once the lifts closed. Thanks to being the highest ski resort in Europe, it was snowsure, yes, but there wasn't much to do in the evenings. Boy has that changed. With a buzzing nightlife and apres scene, there are dozens of venues including the world's highest Irish pub, an outlet of the infamous Folie Douce cabaret bar and restaurant on the slopes, as well as the Alps' biggest underground nightclub, Le Malaysia. Then there’s the new sports complex, zip wires and 101 other activities offered.
Meribel
The 'heart of the Three Valleys' is also the heart of the apres ski scene in the world's biggest ski resort. There are dozens of bars in Meribel, many with live music and a variety of happy hours between around 4 and 7 pm. They then stay open to 2am and if you want to keep going the three-night clubs keep rocking right through to 5 am. The famous Dicks Tea Bar which was a resort institution for more than two decades is no more however, it was located at the venue now known as O'Sullivan's Nightclub.
Make Your Own Apres!
Wherever you choose to ski, you'll always find a decent apres ski bar to grab a tipple or two. Have we missed one of your favourite resorts and/or bars off the list? Let us know, and tell us your best apres ski bars in Europe.
