Après-ski is a loaded time period, one which when pronounced incorrectly sends shivers down the spines of ski veterans and people whose post-piste kind has shifted from jaeger-soaked terraces and boot stomping to a hammam or hot-choc-and-Titanic. However they had been complicit, they as soon as joined the ap-ray (winces) crowds with semi-peeled salopettes, smudged mascara and wild abandon. What began within the Fifties as a french time period for “after ski” socialising quickly morphed right into a fully-fledged custom, with laddish trimmings however in the end a bit innocent (and infrequently heavy) enjoyable after a tough day’s snowboarding. The Scandinavians have their sauna-and-fika tackle the ritual, the Individuals have strict guidelines round consuming on the slopes that hinder most high-altitude revelry, and the Italians are inclined to bathe first and social gathering later. So it stays a British import – one the Austrians and French would somewhat distance their post-piste vin chaud or beer tradition from – however one which takes its cue from every resort’s personal id and unstated codes. From high-altitude cabarets on sun-blasted terraces to low-key establishments warming patrons with vin chaud and reside music, right here’s our information to the very best après-ski in Europe.
