Where to Après Ski Like Your Favorite Celebrities
After a day cross-country skiing or turning tricks on a snowboard, everyone—even the most famous amongst us—needs to unwind. And the most luxe ski resorts and pristine alpine towns have happening après ski scenes that often attract celebrities in their own right.
If you’re looking to rub elbows with A-listers, head to one of these ultra-luxe hotels or resorts, all positioned squarely on some of the most coveted mountains the world. Whether you’ve spent the day taking the lifts up and up again, or scanning the lobby for VIP’s, any long day spent slopeside should be rewarded with a strong Champagne cocktail, a hot toddy, or a local aperitif.
Raise your glass to glamorous alpine chalets, unmatched views, and beautiful people: these are the best places to après ski with the rich, famous, and talented.
Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, St. Moritz, Switzerland
Spotted: Hugh Grant, George Clooney, Laurence Fishburne, Rupert
Everett.
Apres Ski: Is it any wonder guests at Badrutt’s Palace feel like royalty? Upon arrival, you’re chauffeured from the train station in a 1967 Rolls-Royce to this grande dame Alpine resort that lies before the Lake St. Mortiz and the Swiss Alps. The grand hall (dubbed St. Moritz’s living room) has its original 19th-century cathedral ceiling, stained glass, and antique furnishings, but the trendy pop-up restaurant (this year, Matsuhisa@Badrutt’s Palace)—open only during winter—brings modern Japanese and Peruvian cuisine to the hotel. Celebrities continue the party at the resort’s private venue, King’s Club, and dance all night to music spun by live DJs.
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Fairmont Banff Springs, Banff, Alberta
Spotted: Robin Williams, Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Alicia Silverstone
Apres Ski: Star ski-bunnies flock to the Castle in the Rockies (and the UNESCO World Heritage forest) as late in the season as May. Here, après ski can mean a warming port at the Ramsay Lounge’s mahogany bar, or a Wellness Happy Hour in the Willow Streams Spa’s waterfall treatment whirlpools, fireplace-warmed lounges, saunas, mineral pools, and steam rooms.
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The Little Nell, Aspen, Colorado
Spotted: Antonio Banderas, Heidi Klum and Seal, Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Katie Couric, Mariah Carey
Apres Ski: The Little Nell is a snowy haven for celebs seeking fresh powder, as it’s the only ski-in, ski-out hotel in Aspen, resting in the shadows of Ajax Mountain. Chair 9, a stylish lounge, opens just as the lifts close, and offers live music by local artists. Celeb sightings are likelier than ever during the annual opening party, where the resort will debut new winter cocktails and Veuve Clicquot specials.
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Spring Creek Ranch, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Spotted: Jim Carrey, Sandra Bullock, Christina Ricci, Uma Thurman,
Matthew McConaughey, Christie Brinkley, Ron Howard.
Apres Ski: Many celebrities will bed down in one of the mountain villas made from fir, spruce, and lodgepole pine. But any space in this enormous mountain retreat, nestled beside the high Tetons, is perfect for unwinding after a long day on the slopes—or dog sledding. Warm up in The Granary Lounge by the wood-burning fire for an après ski feast of elk tips and cheese fondue and charcuterie.
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Hotel Jerome, Aspen, Colorado
Spotted: Scott Disick, Oprah, Cameron Diaz, Donald Trump, Johnny Depp
Apres Ski: Everyone, even the most pampered among us, could use a little Couple’s Therapy now and then: especially the enriched-cocktail form of the treatment, which blends Hennessey with Benedictine, Grand Marnier, lemon, and lavender bitters. Order one at Hotel Jerome's Living Room, a space warmed up by a roaring fireplace and traditional Americana, including a 38-star, antique American flag and classic board games.
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L’Apogée Courchevel, France
Spotted: David Guetta, Linda Evangelista, Taio Cruz
Apres Ski: In-the-know guests at L’Apogée Courchevel, the stylish ski resort brining a renewed interest to Courchevel 1850, order the hotel’s namesake Mule (vodka, crème de pêche, citrus, cane sugar, and mint) after wiling away daylight hours on the slopes. The bar nods to traditional Parisian elegance, with its marble and brushed brass accents.
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Hotel Walserhof, Klosters, Switzerland
Spotted: Katie Price, Prince Charles, Prince William, Kate Middleton
Apres Ski: Celebrities of royal pedigree are can often be found appreciating the Swiss Alps fresh powder in the winter and spring. If you’re not the heir to the British throne (Prince William treated the Duchess to a $60,000 weekend in a private chalet with butlers in 2009) you can still experience this frosty empire sovereignly with an evening in the Nobility Suite: balcony views of the mountains, a wood-burning fireplace, and a bottle of wine from the Schmidheiny family, pulled straight from Hotel Walserhof's impressive wine cellar.
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Stein Eriksen Lodge, Deer Valley, Utah
Spotted: Brue Springsteen, Gwen Stefani, Dustin Hoffman, Gavin Rossadale, Jane Fonda, John Travolta.
Apres Ski: After the annual Deer Valley Celebrity Skifest, with its gala dinners and celeb poker night—founded by Robert Redford—it’s not unusual to grab a cognac with the rich and famous (fireside, of course) in Stein Eriksen's Troll Hatten Lounge. You may even find yourself chatting with the property’s own Stein Eriksen, the retired Norwegian Olympic medalist.
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Hotel Pollux, Zermatt, Switzerland
Spotted: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Apres Ski: Keep your eyes peeled for Brangelina in the Chämi Bar, where you can drink traditional Alpine spirits (Gunzwiler Schnapps) and Swiss Highland whisky and war up by the large stone fireplace. Tucked inside the hotel's cozy lounge area are plush leather sofas and a lively bar: if you’re lucky, you’ll catch a live musical performance.
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Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Whistler, British Columbia
Spotted: Heidi Klum and Seal, Justin Timberlake, Queen Latifah, Cindy Crawford, Tori Spelling
Apres Ski: Nestle between twin fireplaces at the Mallard Lounge for a flight of Grand Marnier and haute chocolates (Venezuelan dark chocolate, marbled milk and white chocolate with vanilla bean). The Queen herself (Latifah, that is) has been known to stop by the Fairmont's chicest space for a handcrafted après ski cocktail, like the steamy Milk & Honey with vanilla vodka, Frangelico, hot almond milk, and honey from the property’s own rooftop bees.