What makes a good apres ski bar?
In these highly political times, when I'm asked my opinion about the the two party system, my answer is always the same. It's the after party you should attend.
In ski resorts around the world the French term for after party has been adopted as the standard. You and I know it as aprés ski.
So where is the best aprés ski bar in the world? I could fill ten pages on this topic and whatever my conclusions, they would be hotly contested by seasonaires from virtually every resort, who have had the time of their lives in their local.
It's generally conceded that the Austrians are the loudest and least inhibited when it comes to dancing on tables in your ski boots. They probably make the toughest tables in the world. However, when I polled the ski experts here in Iglu.com, there was wide spread of countries, and somewhat surprisingly, good number of French bars made the list. So what makes a good bar?
Firstly, you need good bar staff!
The Scandinavian resorts lay claim to having the best looking and best English speaking bar staff; the Italians, the most stylish and charming to the Ladies; the Canadians, the most laid back; the Americans, the least likely to have heard of your quaint country; the Austrians, the most likely to be drinking shots on the tables with you and; the French, where you are more likely to be served by Brits, Aussies and Scandis if the party's going off.
Secondly, you need atmosphere (known as the Aprésphere around here).
No matter where you are in the world, live music makes all the difference. Sweden seems to dominate the market in producing good aprés ski bands that get the crowd rocking in resorts right across Europe. They'll usually be leading the shot drinking games from the stage. It also helps to be in a bar that attracts the women of the resort with free drink offers. As anyone who's ever been to resorts that only offer extreme skiing, like Jackson Hole, can testify, the lack of women can be party deflating.
Thirdly, you need a great range of drinks.
If you really want to make it as a legendary aprés ski bar then you absolutely must have a range of vodka shots and plenty of Jagermeister. Preferably dispensed by an attractive Australian girl offering laybacks at your table. You only have two to three hours to really get involved in an aprés ski session so there's no time for sedate drinking. The bars are crowded so shots and the largest beers you can buy are the order of the day.
With all this in mind I have opened the floor to the Iglu team and will bring you the results by the end of the week.
Written by Adam Johnson
