Best Après-Ski Spots in Austria & Canada for 2025
Contents Guide:
- Austria’s Best Après-Ski Resorts
- Canada’s Top Après-Ski Spots for 2025
- Affordable Hidden Gems
- Tips for Seasonnaires
Ask anyone who’s done a season, après is half the reason you go. The lifts might stop turning, but the energy doesn’t. Austria has built its name on full-throttle parties that start before the sun drops, while Canada offers a mix of resort bars, patios, and local pubs where the vibe is more community than chaos.
Here, we break down best après ski resorts for 2025, comparing Austria’s legendary party towns with Canada’s more laid-back but equally addictive scenes. Whether you’re heading out as a ski instructor or just planning a season abroad, these are the nights, and the places, that keep people coming back.
Austria’s Best Après-Ski Resorts
Austria still sets the standard for après, and St Anton leads the way, with Moosewirt and Krazy Kanguruh drawing crowds that spill out onto the slopes. Music starts pumping before sunset, tables double as dance floors, and the atmosphere carries on long after the lifts close. It’s messy, it’s loud, and it’s why St Anton tops every list of Austria’s best après ski resorts.
Kaprun delivers its own spin on the scene. Baum Bar kicks into gear as soon as the last lift shuts, and before long, the streets are full of skiers still in their boots. Saalbach makes hopping between venues easy thanks to its compact town centre, while Ischgl pushes further with big-name DJ sets that feel closer to festivals than bar nights.
These resorts prove why après ski in Austria is still unmatched for anyone chasing a season built on both snow and nightlife.
Canada’s Top Après-Ski Spots for 2025
Canada plays the après game differently. Instead of table-dancing chaos, you’ll find sunny patios, pitchers, and nights that can be as low-key or as heavy as you want.
Whistler is the standout, here Longhorn Saloon turns into a party before the snow’s melted off your skis, while Garibaldi Lift Co. (GLC) offers DJs, pitchers, and views of the slopes that keep people coming back. Banff leans more eclectic, with High Rollers blending bowling, pizza, and craft beer, making it the go-to ski resort for seasonnaires who want it all without leaving town.
Further east, Tremblant has a softer pace, with microbreweries and lakeside après that feel more like hangouts than events. Fernie and Revelstoke have the local vibe: pubs where locals mix with seasonal workers, and the atmosphere feels closer to a second home than a resort. That’s the appeal of après ski in Canada, it doesn’t have to be the loudest to end up as the highlight of your season.
Affordable Hidden Gems
Big names might get the hype, but budget après is what makes a season sustainable. Some of the best après ski happens away from the DJs and packed crowds, in the smaller spots you stumble into mid-season.
In Austria, some of the best nights happen in mountain huts tucked along the runs. Order a cheap schnapps, and suddenly you’re singing with strangers who’ve been stopping there for years. Away from the main drags, side-street bars often pour drinks at half the price of headline venues, giving seasonnaires a reason to stay loyal all winter.
In Canada, Banff is known for welcoming local pubs where prices don’t sting, and everyone remembers your name after a couple of visits. Jam nights, trivia, and community events keep the weeks rolling. These places might not trend online, but they’re where most of the season’s real stories are made.
Tips for Seasonnaires
Après every night is tempting, but a season lasts months, not weeks. Finding your rhythm early makes it easier to enjoy the nights out and still have energy left for the mountain.
Pick the big nights and mix in cheaper ones, like hut bars in Austria, pub pitchers in Canada, or whatever happy hours keep the budget in check. Spacing things out like this means your pay lasts longer and the social life doesn’t stall by mid-season.
Keep an eye on your kit as well, as they say, boots, gloves, and goggles left outside a crowded bar have a habit of vanishing and replacing them mid-season is painful. Stash them before heading in or lock them up with friends so you’re not borrowing gear on a powder day.
And when the alarm goes off, remember the mountain. First lift after a heavy night might feel like bragging rights, but the days you’ll talk about are the ones where you could still ride. Après should lift the season, not run it.