After being established in 1980, La Folie Douce is one of the original venues to provide on-slope party action. With the mountains serving as a dramatic backdrop for the DJs, singers, dancers and musicians take to the elevated stage on a daily basis. The venue also spoils skiers for choice on food, with it playing host to La Fruitière, a modern, farmhouse-chic restaurant, and La Petite Cuisine which is a more relaxed, canteen-style eaterie for guests looking to grab something to eat between runs.
Put all of this alongside big-screen projections, light shows and performers scantily dressed in showgirl-style get-up, and you’ll see that La Folie Douce’s success stems from its ability to fall somewhere in between dining space, cabaret and street theatre: a go-to for high-octane fun at high-altitudes.
Krazy Kanguruh has been keeping winter sports enthusiasts merry since 1965. Located by a main piste, it boasts a sun terrace where you can catch stunning views of St. Anton.
The partygoers start showing up mid-afternoon. But as the revelry in the bar increases, the terrace transforms into Arlberg’s largest open-air dancefloor, with a thumping soundtrack provided by KK’s resident DJ. Expect people cavorting on tables, sweaty walls and general drunken madness. This place epitomises the party-centric culture that Austria’s ski scene has become renowned for.
Verbier is often recognised as the ski destination for the rich, where moneyed individuals can splash their cash after hitting the slopes. But don’t let that fool you into thinking the après scene here is restricted to prim-and-proper dinners or haughty wine bars. The Swiss resort is home to Farinet, a venue so well-loved that it has been voted ‘The Best Après-Ski Bar Worldwide’.
Famous for its open-air ceiling that reveals wonderful views of the neighbouring Alps and lit-up chalets, Farinet allows its revellers to party in seriously cool settings.
Le Cap Horn is a playground for society’s upper echelons. Previous guests include Roman Abramovich, George Clooney and Prince William.
The venue is largely an up-scale dining space, wowing customers with sensational sushi dishes and an extensive wine list that has a choice of over 500 bottles. But by no means is Le Cap Horn a stuffy setting. Your meal will be soundtracked by a thumping live DJ set which gets even the oligarchs dancing up on the tables, and there is also a sizeable sun terrace should you wish to deepen those goggle lines.
Livigno has held a special duty-free tax status since 1960. This has inevitably led to it becoming an Alpine shopping haven. However, this remote Italian destination has more than bargain buys to offer avid skiers. Many of the wooden houses in the town’s centre have been transformed into enticing restaurants and clubs and in turn cultivated a buzzing après-ski ambience. Of everything’s that’s on offer, Tea del Vidal, located at the base of Mottolino Mountain, is one hot-spot that deserves your attention.
Open until 2am, parties here are fuelled until the early hours by Bombardino, a warm brandy-laced eggnog concoction that was invented by the venue more than 40 years ago.
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