Ski Resorts are a winter wonderland of partying, a place where “apres” means head straight from the day’s activity to the closest bar and where the word “single” is heard at lifts throughout the mountain.
Ski Resorts are the beaches of the wintertime, destinations where people go not for fun in the sun but for wild wintertime adventures.
And they are especially ripe places for partying and single people.
With that in mind, PubClub.com consulted our ski party pros and, based on personal experiences as well, provides this list of the world’s top partying ski resorts.
1.) ST. ANTON, AUSTRIA
The best party ski resorts in the world are in Austria and the best party ski resort in Austria is St. Anton. The prime hotspot here is the Mooserwit Bar on the slopes. After a day or two, people develop the Mooserwit Syndrome where they make it back there the next day even if they don’t make it back on the slopes. And that’s just the beginning of the party. St. Anton will have your head spinning and you may even get in some skiing and snowboarding!
2.) MONT TREMBLANT, CANADA
After spending time in Tremblant, PubClub.com came away calling it “Mykonos with a mountain.” For good reason. Just like the wild Greek Islands party place, at Tremblant people dance on the bars and go deep into the night. Tremblant is a village so it’s a short hop to bar hop, starting with apres at the lively Le Shack and winding up at Caribu, a large bar and club that’s as wild as anyplace anywhere in the world.
3.) SAAS-FEE, SWITZERLAND
A European snowboarder’s hangout, Saas-Fee in the Swiss Alps is a cute town with cranking bars. So cranking, in fact that there are a number of apres bars led by the No. 1 bar (cant’ forget that name!) off the mid-town gondola. The shredders hang out at Popcorn yet PubClub’s favorite place is Nesti’s SkiBar, a down-to-earth pub that will likely have you – against your initial best judgment – having shots with your drinks.
4.) ASPEN, COLORADO
Aspen is another kick-ass town with fantastic bars and restaurants and easy access to Ajax (Aspen Mountain), Aspen Highlands, and Snowmass. Home of the ESPN Winter X Games, there are nearly 100 bars in Aspen, the best of which is Club Chelsea with live music and a steamy bump-and-grind dance floor. There’s great people watching for apres or “we’ve had enough skiing/snowboarding today so let’s just say here after lunch” at The Little Nell.
5.) WHISTLER-BLACKCOMB, CANADA
Whistler is a big village with tons of bars from off-the-slopes pubs to an Irish bar with live music to clubs. The Longhorn facing the mountain run is where you go for apres, there’s a “fire and ice” show after the lifts close and that all sets the tone for all your nightlife desires. You will find NO better Ski Resort to party at in the world than Whistler on Australia Day (Jan. 26).
6.) ST. MORITZ, SWITZERLAND
If you want to party like James Bond, this is the place. St. Moritz is sophisticated people and sophisticated bars. They even have lounges. How many ski resorts have lounges!? There’s also the King’s Club “dress to impress” nightclub. Then again, you may prefer the Dracula Club, a St. Moritz nightlife institution.
7.) BRECKENRIDGE, COLORADO
A lot of single people from all over the Western U.S., go to Breckenridge. It’s cheaper and more casual than Aspen or Vail, and that’s a big attraction. Any place with not one but two Irish bars (Burke & Reilly’s and Napper Tandy’s) has to make this PubClub.com list. Breckenridge also has several bars have live music and the Blue River Bistro greets partiers with two Happy Hours (3-5 and 10 midnight). There’s also the Copper Top Bar & Cafe and the T-bar on the slopes.
8.) VAIL, COLORADO
Vail is just an awesome mountain – it’s huge! And the town itself always has a wide variety of clubs, good Happy Hours aprés and great restaurants. The party starts at at Pepe’s for apres, which has bands on its heated patio. When you pry yourself away from this place, there’s the Shakedown Bar with live music, SKI-BAR and Bully Ranch, famous for its Mudslides.
9.) PARK CITY, UTAH
Main Street in Park City is a mile of bars and restaurants sprinkled in between shops and other non-drinking diversions. There’s the No Name Saloon and the “last chance saloon,” Harry O’s, a casual club. We also love Cisero’s downstairs from a nice Italian restaurant. When you hit the slopes, there’s a lot of options: Deer Valley, Park City and The Canyons.
10.) MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN, CA
It’s not so much that Mammoth has great bars – since the Village was built one of the world’s most awesome apres bars (the Yodler) is a shell of its former self, but it’s people that go to to Mammoth that make it so good. They are “fun in the sun” Southern Californians who drive up from Los Angeles and San Diego on snowy winter weekends.
The top destination at night is the long-standing Whiskey Creek which has bands and Mammoth-made craft beers but more importantly from a party perspective, most of the people who are could say “single” even after the lift lines close.
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