Whether après-ski is the icing to your sweet day on the slopes or your only activity on the mountain, it’s an event that’s warmly received during the winter. Après is even more enjoyable when you don’t have to look all around town for hot spots serving the coolest drinks. Our editors have picked five resorts where you can enjoy the snow-capped socializing scene — all within sight of your hotel room.
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa, Avon, Colo.
Nurse a cocktail and sore muscles simultaneously with the new Haute Tub service at Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa. Reserve one of five slopeside hot tubs and your group will enjoy bottle service, snacks, a dedicated server and warmed robes. We don’t recommend bypassing the Park Hyatt’s more traditional après-ski entirely; new beer floats at 8100 Mountainside Bar & Grill are the perfect post-ski indulgence. Each one blends a seasonal brew with ice cream—think New Belgium 1554 Beer Float, with housemade cocoa sorbetto.
The St. Regis Deer Valley, Park City
The après-ski scene at Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star The St. Regis Deer Valley is as diverse as it is lively; you can imbibe outside at Terrace Café, at J & G Grill (which has a menu created by Jean-Georges Vongerichten); watch the nightly champagne sabering on the patio; dine in the 12,000-bottle Wine Vault or at the cozy Library. On Thursdays, though, the choice is clear: Head to The St. Regis Bar and Lounge’s Bloody Mary Clinic. Here you’ll learn how to mix the bar’s famous 7452 Blood Mary—named for the hotel’s high altitude. It’s a spicy incarnation featuring wasabi-celery espuma and vodka from Park City’s High West Distillery. To swap ski tales with a local hero while you sip, have the concierge invite Olympic medalist Shannon Bahrke, who is the hotel’s official Ski Ambassador and available to ski or après-ski with guests.
Solaris Residences, Vail
When Solaris Residences opened last ski season, it diversified Vail Village’s après-ski scene with Bōl, an upscale bowling alley; CinéBistro, a movie-theater bistro; and Matsuhisa, the fifth sushi restaurant of that name by celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa. (This is the only Matsuhisa location, however, that offers room service.) Bōl, whose 100-bottle wine list puts bowling alleys everywhere to shame, will also deliver to your door. Alternately, leave your skis with the Solaris ski valet and set up camp on Matsuhisa’s deck for après specials—often accompanied by DJs—and stunning views of Vail Mountain.
Twin Farms, Barnard, Vt.
Après-ski at the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Twin Farms in Southern Vermont’s Green Mountains is as fun as a day on the boutique resort’s six private pistes and cross-country trails. Visit The Pub for a fully stocked bar and activities like pool and darts, or go to the Barn Room for cocktails by the fire. If you crave a more intimate setting, Twin Farms is happy to deliver champagne—or even a meal—anywhere on the property, including to your guest room or on the trails. Not a skier? Take a private snowmobile to the top of the mountain to meet your companions for a hot drink and panoramic views.
Four Seasons Resort Whistler, British Columbia
The beauty of après-ski at Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Four Seasons Resort Whistler is that no two nights are alike; the indoor-outdoor Fifty Two 80 Bar has a different special each evening, ranging from Slow Food Sundays to Bling Burger Saturdays. Even if you skip the specials, your drinks will pair well with this season’s après nibbles like warm lambwiches, venison corn dogs and lobster potato skins. Most nights bring live music, too. But the best après spot in Whistler may be in the Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Spa at Four Seasons Resort Whistler. The signature treatment uses massage, stretching and hot-stone heat therapies to relax you in a way that your hot toddy may not.
Photos Courtesy of The St. Regis Deer Valley and Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort
