FROM BLACK RUN TO WHITE RUM

Everyone knows skiing is as much about the slopes as it is about the après ski. Once a chalet host and now Director of Powder White, Fraser Ewart-White, has spent over 10 years conducting incredibly important research into the après ski scene. Get ahead of the game this season with Fraser’s round up of the best bars and clubs in the big five resorts of Meribel, Verbier, Val d’Isere, Courchevel and St Anton.

Meribel
Le Rond Point - ‘The Ronny’,as it is famously known within the resort, is popular for its wild partying, with happy hour starting early at just 4pm. Get there early and bag a spot on the sunny terrace, with live music getting happy hour off to a lively start. A must visit to start offany après ski session.

La Poste – If you’re looking for a more refined ambiance, La Poste has established its reputation as being the most sophisticated bar in town. The crowd is certainly civilised and classy, until they’ve had one too many 2-4-1 mojitos.

Powder White offers 7 nights fully catered at Chalet Eleanor in Meribel from £299 per person.

Verbier
Ice Cube –For those who spend their summer’s poolside in Ibiza, Ice Cube is the place to head come winter. Opening at 3am daily, the bar has a chilled vibe, a panoramic terrace and resident DJ; a sure fire way to get the evening started in style.

Apres ski at Farinet –The bar staff here wear t-shirts bearing the slogan ‘a drink resort with a ski problem’, so you know you’re in for a raucous evening. Highlights include the shot list and a sliding roof; plus it’s the only place in Verbier that has a live band every day of the season.

Powder White offers 7 nights fully catered at Chalet Napoli in Verbier from £349 per person.

Val d’Isere
Dick’s Tea Bar – Dicks has become recognised as one of the best and biggest nightclubs in the French Alps. ‘The King of Clubs’ starts the day off at 9am with a full English breakfast, it then evolves into a bar and restaurant before the real party kicks off at 11pm and continues until the early hours of the morning.

The Fall Line –One of the newest additions to the après-ski scene in Val d’Isere, this bar claims they ski hard during the day and party harder in the evenings – and boy, they’re not lying. Open from 3pm until 1am, with a mixture of sports, live music, great drinks,quizzes and karaoke nights,it’s quickly becoming the place for a great, fun and friendly night out.

Powder White offers 7 nights fully catered at The Hokkaido in Val d’Isere from £349 per person.

Courchevel
Ku de ta – This popular piste-side bar located in the centre of the resort opens at 4pm. With live bands, afternoon snacks including tapas and crepes, Sky Sports, a vodka bar and reasonably priced drinks, Ku de ta has all the essentials of a great après ski bar.

Funky Fox –Is the place to end the evening in Courchevel, with the dance floor only heating up in the late evening and continuing until 4am. Other highlightsincludeWii competitions, monthly drum and bass nights, live music and some of the resort’s hottest DJ’s.

Powder White offers 7 nights fully catered at Chalet Chloe in Courchevel 1850 from £349 per person.

St Anton
Mooserwirt– St Anton is well known as the party resort of Europe, and that reputation is largely thanks to Mooserwirt. The bar is at the top of the list when it comes to après ski bars, filling up rapidly from lunchtime. Mooserwirt apparently dispenses more beer than any other bar in Austria. A definite ‘must-see’!

The Funky Chicken – Serving up fair-priced roast chicken (not surprisingly) and Indian curries (more surprisingly) before transforming into another of St. Anton’s top nightclubs. The Funky Chicken attracts a younger crowd, where fancy dress is a regular occurrence, and everyone clambers onto the tables to dance the night away.

Powder White offers 7 nights fully catered at The Pinchbeckin St Anton from £349 per person.