Fun Ways to Spend an Evening After a Day on the Slopes
Holidaying at a ski resort offers a nice blend of outdoor adventure, natural beauty, social engagement, and relaxation which collectively makes a ski vacation an excellent choice to embrace the winter season.
Ski resorts are typically found in incredibly scenic locations, where stunning views of snow-capped peaks and alpine forests surround you as you hit the slopes. Winter skiing allows you to escape the stresses of everyday life while also letting you reconnect with nature and e get some healthy exercise in the process.
American Olympic Gold-medalist Lindsey Vonn says “I’m never tired of winning and I’m never tired of skiing”, but booking a holiday at a ski resort doesn’t have to solely focus on skiing. These days, popular ski resorts around the world offer guests much more than just skiing and provide a broad range of activities for those seeking fun after the last run of the day.
The French coined a term for the social activities and entertainment skiers enjoy after a day of skiing and it’s known as après-ski. This term covers the many popular post-ski activities offered up by famous ski resorts which you too can take advantage of.
Things don’t have to go downhill after the skis come off. Whether you’re planning a ski trip to Aspen, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in France, or Switzerland’s Zermatt, check out these fun ways to spend an evening after a day on the slopes.
Refuel with Food and Drink
There’s no doubt a day filled with skiing will work up an appetite. Thankfully, many popular ski resorts offer up a broad range of places to eat. You’ll find everything from pizza bars to fancy Michelin-Star restaurants such as those found in the French Alps ski resort Courchevel or Zermatt, Switzerland.
So why not get some friends together and go and enjoy some great food, whether it’s comfort food like fondue and delicious burgers or something fancier like caviar and lobster. You can enjoy a casual meal by the fire or treat yourself to a fine-dining experience where you’ll likely enjoy a meal served up by a world-class chef.
Many ski resorts have a number of restaurants to choose from and you will usually find popular local dishes on the menu. When it comes to drinking, you’ll find plenty of fine wine and champagne being served up in European ski resorts or you may be after some specialty cocktails or local craft beer.
Try Your Luck at the Casino
You may also be surprised to learn that some ski resorts offer small on-site casinos where you can try your luck at blackjack, poker tables, roulette, or slots. Even when ski resorts may not offer up a casino of their own, many ski resorts are located in or near big casinos such as in Lake Tahoe, the French Alps, or the Italian Dolomites.
Of course, even when physical casinos may not be present at or near your ski resort, there is still the option to go online and access virtual casinos through websites such as jackpotcitycasino.com.
Simply use your laptop or smartphone to enjoy online gaming through a website or handy app and take advantage of sign-up bonuses and other perks. Who knows, if luck is on your side, you may end up paying for your entire ski trip.
Spend Time with Friends
Sometimes the best way to relax is to just be around good company. Spending time with friends could be the best way to wind down after a day on the slopes.
Ski resorts have a way of attracting people from all walks of life who share a common passion for winter sports and outdoor activities. This creates a vibrant and social atmosphere where you can meet new people who can go on to become lifelong friends. The après-ski culture, with its cosy bars and lively social gatherings, only adds to the sense of community and enjoyment.
If you’ve booked a ski holiday with family or friends, you can use the evenings to catch up with one another to reconnect and strengthen bonds with one another. Sitting around and exchanging stories is a great way to not only connect with others but you may also discover a few things about yourself since we often don’t make the time to sit down and have meaningful conversations in our everyday fact-paced lives.
Take the time to reflect on your own life and what you’re searching for in terms of goals or desires. Talking with others often sees us learning many things about ourselves we failed to notice before.
Relax and Rejuvenate
Why not pamper yourself with spa treatments since you will usually find world-class spas offered at famous ski resorts. On-site wellness centres often offer deep-tissue massages,
private hot tubs and saunas, Turkish baths, body wraps and mineral scrubs, heated indoor pools with multi-sensory features and other hydrotherapy treatments, and even oxygen facials to rehydrate your skin after a long day skiing in dry winter air.
You can often customise a wellness retreat package to cater to your own individual needs and resorts may even offer the services of a beautician or dietician.
Enjoy Live Entertainment
Most ski resorts also offer some kind of live entertainment during the evenings. This may include live music performances, comedy shows, or other events. Some resorts offer more elegant piano bars while others like those found in Austria offer up pumping nightclubs hosted by popular DJs, creating a party-like atmosphere that can last into the early-AM hours.
Enjoy Games or a Movie
Many ski resorts have indoor game rooms or activity centres where you can play pool, table tennis, board games, or even try virtual reality experiences. Some even have special kids clubs to keep young minds entertained.
Some ski resorts organise movie nights where you can take in a film on a big screen. These movie nights are often complimentary and held in small intimate on-site theatres, meaning you can enjoy a movie from the comfort of your own luxury chalet cinema and not have to organise transport to a local cinema or stand in a queue.
Look to the Skies
Ski resorts are often located in areas with minimal light pollution, making them ideal for stargazing. Bundle up, find a quiet spot, and admire the night sky filled with stars. You may also be in a ski location where it’s possible to witness the northern lights which is truly memorable.
You even find that some ski resort towns put on firework displays during the peak ski season, with many fancy hotels and resorts providing viewing platforms to take in the spectacle.
Do Some Shopping
Many ski resort towns are also prime shopping destinations. Since ski resorts tend to attract wealthier clientele, you often find luxury shops such as Dior, Chanel, Cartier, or Louis Vuitton.
Whether you’re looking for clothing, jewellery and watches, perfume, ski gear, or local souvenirs, some ski resorts offer up hundreds of stores to choose from. Some notable ski resort destinations where shopping is popular is Megève in France and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy.
You can also often find local artisans selling art or other creations as well as places selling duty-free goods at lower prices than you’ll find in airports. And don’t forget that around the festive holiday season you may have popular Christmas markets pop-up in and around ski resort towns.
Night Skiing
Of course for those addicted to skiing, you often do have the option of spending your evenings enjoying even more downhill runs since slopes are often lit up for night skiing. Some ski resorts also offer dedicated areas for tubing or sledding which is fun at night if you simply want to enjoy a bit of fun as opposed to the technical ability skiing requires.
Some ski resorts also have lighted ice skating rinks where you can skate in the silence of a winter’s night. There may also be snowshoe trails, horse-drawn sleigh rides, and adventurous snow-biking to enjoy. And of course some people end their skiing late afternoon with still plenty of daylight to enjoy other various winter outdoor recreation other than skiing.
Ski resorts offer access to stunning natural landscapes where winter skiing may be the main attraction, but it’s by far not the only thing on offer. Whether you’re an experienced skier or a beginner, you can not only enjoy skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and ice skating, but also a broad range of other activities to fill your itinerary after a day on the slopes.
