ASPEN, COLORADO
:This is the townwherepeoplewhohavenotevenset
footon theslopesdon four-figureskioutfitsat3p.m. just forcocktails.The tradition-
alpowerspot foraprèsski is the
TERRACEBAR
in theslopeside
THE LITTLENELLHOTEL
,
whichdraws longtimerepeatAspenvisitors.Ayoungercrowdseekingmoreofan
Ibiza-vibehits theverycontemporary
39DEGREES
at
SKYHOTEL
,whichreplacesmere
bartenderswithmixologists, features fancybarsnacks, andoffersboth indoorand
poolsideoptionswitha loungeatmosphere.Localsandvisitors looking forgoodbeer
anda lessflashyscenehavemade
ASPENBREWINGCOMPANY
ultrapopular.Onespecial
local experience is theafternoon fondueat
CLOUDNINEALPINEBISTRO
, on theslopesof
AspenHighlands, followedby the last runof theday.Keep theaprèsski fungoing
bysegueing intodinneratoneof thearea’sbest restaurants:
MATSUHISA,MONTAGNA,
PIÑONS
, or locavore-centric
EIGHTK
in theViceroyHotel inSnowmass.
WHISTLER/BLACKCOMB, BRITISHCOLUMBIA
:Howserious is the
aprèsski scene inWhistler?Thevillage’spublic transport runsuntil 3:30 in the
morning— later than inLondon,Paris, orTokyo—even thoughmostvisitorscan
walkback to theirhotels.Theentirepedestrianvillage isbuiltarounddrinking,
dining, anddancing thenightaway, and it ishard tobeat thismulticultural gather-
ingspot,withmore than90barsandrestaurants includingeverything fromhappy-
hoursushi to traditional Irishpubs tochampagnebars.
GARIBALDI LIFTCOMPANYBAR
ANDGRILL
, at thebaseof themain
WHISTLERVILLAGEGONDOLA
, isconsistentlynamed
oneof theworld’sbestaprèsspots,withhigh-quality livemusicnightly into thewee
hours. Forfinedining, the
BEARFOOTBISTRO
might justbe thebest ski resorteatery
inNorthAmerica, andoneof the fewsince theNapoleonicerawhere theywill open
yourchampagnebottlewithasaber.
HiddenGem:
HEAVENLY, NEVADA/CALIFORNIA
:Uniqueamongall ski
destinations, thisvastLakeTahoe resorthasadirectgondola to thesidewalksof
downtownStateline,Nevada,wherefive largecasinohotelsare full of bars, shows,
cabarets, livemusic, andcocktail serversat thegaming tables.Thatwouldbe
enough tomake itagreataprèschoice, but italsohas itsownpedestrianvillageat
thebottomof thegondolawithevenmoreoptions.
TOPS
FOR
THE
APRÈS
SKI
SCENE
WINTER 2011
celebratedliving.com
68
SKI
Peak Personalities
INSETS, FROM TOP: Aspen Brewing Company;
Terrace Bar in Aspen; enjoying good eats and
drinks inWhistler/Blackcomb; Tamarack Lodge
in Heavenly
LARGE PHOTO:
©HEATH KORVOLA/GETTY IMAGES;
BOTTOMRIGHT:
© PAULMORRSION
