There are three reasons people go on a ski holiday – good powder, bluebird days and, of course, that first 3.00pm beer after a hard day tearing up the corduroy.
Après ski is arguably Europe's greatest winter-adjacent cultural phenomenon, as integral to a ski holiday as snow and good boots. But, inevitably, some ski resorts take this techno-soundtracked fun a little more seriously than others. Here, we round up the best ski resorts in Europe for end-of-day boozing, from ridiculously cheap pints in Bansko to the home of Après in Val D'Isere.
The best ski resorts for après ski in Europe
Pas de la Casa
Andorra
Ski runs in Pas de la Casa
Known to many as man-dorra, this pint-sized country between the French-Spanish border is known for its stag-do skiers, duty-free booze and raucous slope-side bars. While not necessarily a chocolate-box ski resort, Pas de la Casa sits at a snow-sure 6,900ft and has a hefty selection of red and blue pistes (making almost two-thirds of all the runs), meaning you can easily cruise the slopes with a raging hangover. It’s a gloriously unrefined, delightful jumble of cheap shots, euro-pop, and powder-packed mornings. Ski hard, party harder.
Val D’Isere
France
Powder skiing in Val D'Isere
Rest point in Val D'Isere
Whisper the words aprés, and it’s hard not to conjure an image of inebriated twenty-somethings dancing on tables at the Folie Douce accompanied by spraying bottles of Perrier-Jouët. Val D’Isere was, in fact, the birthplace of this sacred post-piste party, so you’re sure to shake a leg slopeside at this resort in the French Alps. The going-out scene in Val D’Isere is a touch more demure (and financially haemorrhaging) than your classic party resorts, so get ready to cash in those hard-earned euros for a week drinking rosé at Crozets, inhaling fondue at La Grande Ourse and shaking your salopettes at Cocorico. Santé!
Val Thorens
France
Val Thorens by night
University ski trips. Tick. Thumping aprés. Tick. Free-flowing génépi. Tick. Bad decisions. Tick. Val Thorens has historically been the cheap and cheerful neighbour to Meribel and Courchevel and flaunts a hedonistic aprés scene that won’t decimate your Monzo account (as long as you swerve the high-altitude magnums). The selection of slopeside spots is plentiful, with the Folie and Bar 360 ranking at the top of the leaderboard with their own flavour of mountain mayhem. When the sun sets, you can descend on the Frog and Roastbeef for happy hour and stomach-lining grub before hitting up Malaysia – the largest club in the Alps, with DJs oiling the crowds until the wee hours and ski boots on tables.
Bansko
Bulgaria
Google ‘cheap ski trips in Europe’ and Bansko will pop up like a blinding beacon: famously crowned the cheapest ski resort in Europe for multiple years in a row. While it may have been dethroned by Italy’s Bardonecchia, Bansko is still far easier on the wallet than many popular destinations, and with less money being forked out for ski passes, mountain lunches and gear hire, it leaves more than a few pennies to be spent on drinks – or, more specifically, beers to the tune of around £1.50. Unsurprisingly, this gives the town a jubilant atmosphere. Things kick off at popular aprés spot Happy End, located a short walk from the gondola, before continuing at one of the town’s many bars and clubs, or simply onto a mehana (classic Bulgarian taverna-style restaurant) for a hearty meal and live music.
St Anton
Austria
Should you need any reassurance on St Anton’s thriving aprés and nightlife scene, you simply need to chuck on the cult classic rom-com Chalet Girl. Filmed and set in the alpine town, the film clearly depicts the ski resort’s after-dark creds, with parties and bars and shots galore. The reality isn’t much different – things start in iconic aprés ski bars like Krazy Kanguruh and Mooserwirt – which is famously rumoured to have the highest beer sales in all of Austria – dancing on tables to the soundtrack of DJs, before continuing in town for ski-shots of schnapps and pumping beats.
Morzine
France
Le Tremplin, a popular après ski spot at the foot of one of Morzine's most infamous runs, where revellers cheer on those brave enough to ski down
As one of the main towns in Portes du Soleil, and one of the biggest ski areas in the world, Morzine provides access to a swathe of ski destinations, with the primary two being Avoriaz and Morzine. As such, it comes with two times the aprés and a host of lively bars and clubs in town to keep revellers occupied. On the Avoriaz side there is, of course, an outpost of the infamous La Folie Douce, but seasonaires and in-the-know visitors tend to favour Happy Hours at the base of the Ardent gondola for its cracking soundtrack and penchant for pints over sparkler-adorned magnums. When skiing the Morzine side, it’s impossible to pass by the iconic Le Tremplin which starts to fill up from lunchtime. From there it’s onto Le Crepu, Dixies, or Bec Jaune brewery before dancing til the wee hours at Cafe Chaud and L’Opera.
