Après ski: The short intense party between finishing your skiing and going back to your chalet or hotel for dinner.
It's also one of the key things we get asked about when our customers call to enquire about a ski resort - is the après scene descent?
For some, this can take the form of shots, large beers, jaeger bombs, raucous live music and table dancing. For others, a glass of ros and some chilled mountain tunes, or even a few games of pool.
Whatever your flavour of après ski, there are some resorts that just do it better than others. And here in this guide, we tap into our expert knowledge to bring you the best of them.
Don't need to know the details? We've shortlisted the best ski holidays to our favourite après-ski resorts - find them all by clicking on the button below.
Still not entirely sure what all of this talk of 'après ski' is really about? Head on over to our total guide to après ski, which covers things like what it is, what it's like, and even what to wear.
The Best Ski Resorts for Partying
In the après-world, France has almost taken the reigns from Austria with the proliferation of Folie Douce-like establishments popping up everywhere. This thumping, jumping, and table dancing establishment is a medley of mountain mayhem - an incredible end to your ski day.
Austria has its own unique, utterly mad and unforgettable après style, too. Steins, Jagerbombs, Oompah bands, europop, and cheese takeover the Austrian slopes, with table stomping and raucous singing all part and parcel of a standard post-ski party.
And while Italy and Switzerland don't necessarily have their own style of après - don't fix what isn't broke. You'll find a blend of cheese, thumping music, table dancing, live bands and more across much of Italian and Swiss resorts, too.
Ready for the lowdown? Here are our top après-ski resorts.
1. Val Thorens, France
360 Bar Val Thorens. Photo: Facebook (360BarValTho)
For a long time Val Thorens has been considered the cheap and cheerful cousin of its neighbours in upmarket Méribel and classy Courchevel but recent years have seen a transformation into a more mid-range resort.
Not to say you can't still get a bargain, but now there are modern hotels, top quality chalets, upmarket self-catered apartments and Club Med Val Thorens Sensations, right in the centre of town. It’s also a great resort for early or late snow due to its height.
The Folie Douce here is just above the town so everyone gets to do a short ski back down on wobbly legs. Although a smaller Folie, it has a charm which puts it among the finest après bars in the Tarentaise Valley.
And let's not forget Bar 360 (seen in the photo above), which is on the opposite side of the valley to Folie Douce. It more than stands up to the après-superpower, offering it's own flavour of mountain mayhem with a short ski back down to resort once it closes.
Down in town there are more bars than you can visit in a night and the après starts early.
The Frog and Roast Beef is the highest pub in Europe and draws a UK crowd. The dutch bar, Cafe Snesko is the rowdiest and most fun bar on the strip if you can take the crowds.
They set the ceiling and bar on fire later in the evening but the best time to go is from 6pm to 8pm where the bar staff all get involved with singing along to classics like Robbie William's angels and Hey Jude by the Beatles whilst playing drinking games which is great entertainment!
VT is also home to the largest nightclub in the Alps in Malaysia. It looks like a hut on the slope as it's all underground.
Check out our guide to Val Thorens's apres ski and nightlife for the full lowdown.
2. Les Deux Alpes, France
This big resort in the Grand Rouses mountain range has long been a favourite with the young crowd and offers an amazingly long season due to the huge glacier. It's also home to Rise Festival - one of the biggest music festivals in the Alps.
There are 45 bars along the main street and 8 night-clubs in Les Deux Alpes. That’s not much less than the entire Trois Vallées and more than Val d’Isére and Tignes added together.
On the slopes there is the amazing and huge Pano Bar that gives the Folie Douce chain a run for its money, often packed out with many people bopping their heads to loud and heavy beats. The beats are a bit dancier and recognisable and the crowd a little less reserved.
After your Pano après session there are a series of bars at the foot of the slopes worth visiting. Just a little warning, the last run in to the resort called the Valentin is a serious run. Download on the Jandri Gondola if you've over done it on thebe
This direct Gondola access means injured or non-skiing friends can join you for lunch and après every day. At the foot of the slopes the Umbrella Bar is another great one. The giant Umbrella can be closed for really cold days and opened for the sunny ones.
3. St. Anton, Austria
Mooserwirt, St Anton
St Anton owns one of the best après scenes in Austria, which means it's not just the Brits that flock to its raucous après bars, but the Dutch and Germans, too. Expect packed out bars, unhinged partying, and an atmosphere like no other.
For the best après ski moments, The Krazy Kangaruh is bonkers, while directly across the piste from the colloquially known KK, the Mooserwirt starts the party with ‘The Final Countdown’ at 3pm, and then cranks out loud and cheesy Austro/German pop, working the crowd into a table dancing frenzy.
Just seeing the beer servers who carry up to 30 full size drinks on doubled up trays is worth the trip. Those guys are seriously strong. Also highly recommend the Heustadl for live music on the slopes. It’s in a perfect suntrap just before you get to the KK on the left.
4. Verbier, Switzerland
Although Verbier hosts some of the best après ski in Switzerland, drinks prices can stretch the pocket. So if you want to experience the marvels of Swiss skiing but keep a tab on how much you're spending at après, do as Seasonaires do and follow the happy hours around the village.
No visit to Verbier is complete without a session or two in the Pub Mont Fort, but the Farinet Bar is a favourite, with its sliding roof that opens to let the steam out when the party gets too hot. It’s an experience to remember when they open the roof when it’s snowing and you’re dancing to a Swedish cover band that is leading the shot taking between songs.
5. Val d'Isere France
Val d'Isere is Iglu Ski’s number 1 resort for sales, and our staff love this resort. We can’t get enough of it. The skiing in the Espace Killy (linked with Tignes) offers easily accessible variety than any other in Europe. It has a very long season because it catches the storms as they hit the end of the Tarentaise Valley at the border with Italy. But what really sets it apart is the number of high quality bars on and off-piste.
The original Folie Douce offers a great afternoon’s entertainment on the mountain, accessible via the La Daille gondola (super handy to get back down into La Daille if you can’t face skiing back down!).
If you’re heading down the slopes, then Cocoricos is the place to go for live music under bright fairy lights. There are countless bars in town such as the Petit Danois (après drink deals and 2 pool tables), The Morris Pub and The Underground (very French).
The 2 biggest nightclubs are the legendary and original Dicks Tea Bar with a mainly UK crowd and Doudoune for a French crowd.
6. Tignes, France
Loop Bar, Tignes. Photo: Facebook (Loop Bar)
Fantastic skiing, great value accommodation, and now awesome après, Tignes brought itself to the party scene with the opening of Tignes Cocorico in December 2018. It offers the same exciting open air après vibes seen in Val d’Isere, but now in Val Claret.
Right next to the Grand Motte funicular, Tignes has really upped its game for easy access après ski and with its cheaper accommodation to Val d’Isere, it may have even stolen the Espace Killy limelight.
Other great après bars are the Loop Bar in Tignes Le Lac, a great sun spot in the late season and also Saloon Bar, The Marmot Arms, a favourite for good food and live music and Jack’s Bar for ultimate cheesy music.
7. Alpe d’Huez, France
Folie Douce, Alpe d'Huez. Photo: Facebook (lafoliedouce.alpedhuez)
There are loads of bars in Alpe d'Huez to try, but no pub crawl would be complete without visiting O’Sharkeys, Smithy's, Sphere Bar and The Underground Bar. If you want to stay up until the sun rises then you’ll be at the Igloo Club that gets crazier and crazier all the way until the 6am closing time.
For the ultimate on-the-mountain après it's got to be, of course, La Folie Douce. The huge mountain terrace has plenty of space to dance around in your ski boots and boasts spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.
A favourite Folie location due to the one easy blue run back into town so you can party until the bar closes without panicking about making it back for last lifts or being stuck on the mountain.
8. Ischgl, Austria
Kuhstall, Ischgl. Photo: Facebook (kuhstall.ischgl)
Ischgl as cheap as other Austrian resorts but it is still better value than some the big resorts of France and Switzerland.
The Trofana Alm stakes a claim for the best après ski bar in the world. It encompasses everything you’d expect from that title- classic Tyrolean décor, cheesy German/Austrian songs and with silly dances that get everyone involved.
You can also experience fantastic service from immensely strong waiters carrying trays of beers and shots. The Schatzi Bar offers the added bonus of traditional bar top dancing girls and more modern music.
Lastly, the Kuhstall plays more English music and fills to the brim with the younger crowd, jumping in their boots to the latest hits.
9. Livigno, Italy
Kuhstall Pub, Livigno. Photo credit: Martin Zumr
Livigno is a shopper's paradise as well as an après ski hub. It has around 150 bars, which dwarfs any other ski resort in the world. Livigno has belonged to numerous countries and empires over the centuries and now has a distinctly Austrian vibe to it. The Kuhstall, Mikey's Pub, Gulliver Pub, the Echo Pub, and for cocktails, Jpioca, are all recommended.
Right in the centre of the pedestrianised area of Livigno is a bar with a unique charm. The Baita Del Ghet offers every customer their 1st drink free- every time you go there! Unsurprisingly it is extremely popular and worth heading to early. It has great food and it’s where the locals go with their families and even dogs.
10. Mayrhofen, Austria
Bruck'n Stadl, Mayrhofen. Photo: Facebook (Bruck'n Stadl in Mayrhofen im Zillertal)
Offering fantastic pistes, peaks and parties, Mayrhofen provides the ultimate après ski experience in the Zillertal ski area.
It offers varied après ski from chilled to lively bars and pubs. For those looking for a more traditional Austrian party vibe then Bruck n Stadl is the place to go. Its reasonably priced drinks and Europop tunes, makes for a crazy night out with endless dancing into the early hours of the morning. Its ideal location at the bottom of the Ahornbahn also means you won’t be skiing back down to the village!
Other recommendations are the Ice Bar for more Europop beats at the bottom of the Penken gondola and The Scotland Yard Pub for a more Austrian-English ambiance if you want to sing along to some more recognisable songs.
We could go on on about the best après in more resorts but these are definitely great resorts to start with. They’ll most likely leave you feeling a little worse for wear the following morning but they’ll guarantee you ‘ll take away some unforgettable and possibly foggy memories!