JANUARY 2020
As its currently the season for skiing, I decided to write a blogpost about something really important when deciding on a skiing destination: apres-ski! Usually when I go on a skiing holiday I try to look for a combination of good slopes and plenty of bars, especially when going skiing with friends. What I particularly love about apres-ski is that it usually starts around 4PM and stops at 8PM, giving me sufficient time for a good night of sleep. Being able to be outside skiing all day and finishing off the day with a dance singing along to German hits is one of the best feelings in the world. Even if you don’t like typical acres-ski songs, it is a cultural phenomenon that you should experience at least once in your life. In this blogpost you will find my favorite apres-ski destinations! I am currently skiing in Lermoos, which is super lovely, but definitely not recommended for apres-ski 😉
Sankt Anton
Of course I am incredibly biased when adding Sant Anton to the top of this list, as I met Hielke on a skiing trip to Sankt Anton. I guess nothing makes you fall in love as much as singing along to 20 Centimeter in the Mooserwirt! The Mooserwirt is the place to be in Sankt Anton and we were found here every day. The party takes place outside on the terraces and if you can handle the heat and sweat it continues inside. The Mooserwirt is located on the ski slopes, so you also get the amazing opportunity to walk down the slopes at nighttime, hoping not to get run over by a drunk person on skis.
Ischgl
Ischgl is one of the most upscale ski resorts I have ever been, it has some of the most high-tech chairlifts and gondolas and the people are dressed to impress. Luckily, this does not take away from the apres-ski fun as you will find plenty of bars in Ischgl. Why not start your apres-ski very low-key in the Champagner Hütte and close off your day in the Kuhstall? The Kuhstall was our personal favorite, but if you like your apres-ski a little more traditional Trofana Alm is where you should go. Just make sure you bring your metallic ski-jacket!
Saalbach-Hinterglemm
Saalbach-Hinterglemm is a place where I have great memories. I must admit that it is not my favorite destination when it comes to skiing, but the apres-ski makes up for it! Saalbach-Hinterglemm cannot always guarantee great snow, in the valley the snow often disappears during the day, so the ski slopes are not always perfectly connected. The whole area is super stretched, so this does influence which apres-ski bar you are able to visit from your hotel. Make sure you go inside the Bauer’s Schi Alm in Saalbach early enough to snag a good table, as it gets really crowded around 6PM and you can dance your muscle sores away until 8PM. The Goaßstall in Hinterglemm has the best views of the slopes, as it is located outside, right on the slopes (but you can also visit it via the entrance tunnel, being dropped off with a taxi). The DJ can be a bit too quick with switching music, but the atmospheric lights add much value to the great views. Saalbach-Hinterglemm also has many bars located higher on the slopes, where they will invite famous artists singing their Austrian hit-songs, so if you don’t want to go skiing at all, you can just visit these bars early in the afternoon.
Val Thorens
The only non-Austrian location on this list: Val Thorens! France definitely has a good apres-ski scene as well, despite it being very different to Austria. In Austria you will mainly hear German songs with a high yodeling and beerfest feel, but in France you can dance away to the electronic hits of the moment. La Folie Douce is a real institution in Val Thorens and definitely worth a visit every afternoon to round off your day 😉 There is a real DJ and if you make sure you stand close enough to the DJ booth you will be splashed fully in champagne… In Val Thorens there is a less of a beer scene, because the French are French and chique and they drink champagne during apres-ski. In Austria most parties stop around 8PM, but this is not the case in France. When the party at La Folie Douce stops, you can refresh in your hotel and later join in on a bar tour and visit bars such as the Snowcafe, Snesko and Le Monde and party until dawn. Val Thorens is on a high altitude and therefore you can ski and hpres-ski until late in the season.
Other ideas
If you’d like to experience a totally different kind of wintersport and don’t care about apres-ski, I would absolutely recommend visiting Lapland! In 2019 I visited Lapland for a week and found the landscapes breathtaking and the activities such as husky sleighing, snowshoeing and snow scootering super special! We also did cross-country-skiing and I found that the perfect way to enjoy the beautiful surroundings, even more so than when skiing.
Usually when you book a skiing trip, you book from Saturday-Saturday, which actually gives you the perfect opportunity to visit something else on your way back home. When visiting Austria from the Netherlands, we always pass through South-Germany, but never decided to stop for a night. In 2019 we stopped in Füssen, to visit Highline 179 and Schloss Neuschwanstein. As we were already in that area, this was the perfect way to diversify our trip.
Another perfect day trip is charming Lindau at the Bodensee/Lake Konstanz. I would recommend to do some research on the area you are visiting or passing through to get the most out of your trip!