USA TODAY 10Best
Best Après-Ski Bar: Double Diamonds Bar in Steamboat Springs wins reader vote
Best Après-Ski Bar (2018)
When the sun goes down and the lifts shut down for the day, bars and restaurants in ski towns across North America fill up with skiers and snowboarders looking for a good time with good friends. These 10 après-ski bars offer top notch food, drink and atmosphere—a perfect setting to close out a perfect day on the snow.
The top 10 winners in the Best Après-Ski Bar category are as follows:
- Peruvian Bar - Alta, Utah
- Garfinkel's - Vail, Colo.
- The Bavarian Lodge - Taos, N.M.
- General Stark's Pub - Mad River Glen, Vt.
- The Snorting Elk Cellar - Crystal Mountain, Wash.
- New Belgium Ranger Station - Snowmass, Colo.
- The Wobbly Barn - Killington, Vt.
- The Gold Pan Saloon - Breckenridge, Colo.
- The Village Idiot Bar & Grill - Revelstoke, B.C.
- Double Diamonds Bar - Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Photo courtesy of Alta Peruvian Lodge
No. 10:
Alta's Peruvian Bar, known by the locals as the P Dog, is often packed with a combination of skiers, boarders and taxidermy animals. The bar deck features two hot tubs and a heated pool, while après-ski means appetizers and shotskis. Come on Sundays for live music.
No. 9:
Located in Vail's Lionshead Village, Garfinkel's attracts skiers and snowboarders with its American fare, sizable patio, long beer list and infamous shot wheel. Garf's, as the locals call it, sits above the Eagle Bahn Gondola and offers some of the best happy hour deals in town.
Photo courtesy of The Bavarian Lodge
No. 8:
The European-inspired Bavarian Lodge at Taos Ski Valley in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains has everything you'd want from a German biergarten, including lederhosen-clad staff, beer steins, a sundeck and a menu of hearty Bavarian fare. Its location at the base of Kachina Peak means the views are as good as the food.
Photo courtesy of General Stark's Pub
No. 7:
During the winter months, skiers in the know head to General Stark’s Pub after a day on the mountain at Mad River Glen. The menu features a sizable list of Vermont micro brews, as well as pub fare. Saturday night parties and live music most afternoons make General Stark’s among the liveliest watering holes around.
Photo courtesy of Crystal Mountain Hotels
No. 6:
Easily one of the best après-ski spots in the Pacific Northwest, The Snorting Elk Cellar is situated in the cellar of a Bavarian-style lodge near Crystal Mountain. A hot drink menu is complemented by 18 locally-crafted draft beers, all poured next to a warming, roaring fire.
Photo courtesy of New Belgium Ranger Station
No. 5:
After a day on the Snowmass slopes, tired legs can rest over a cold Colorado beer at the New Belgium Ranger Station inside the Westin Snowmass. There's a full menu of warming food that includes an option for making your own s'mores at the firepit outside.
No. 4:
Built from repurposed New England barns, the Wobbly Barn in Killington has been serving hungry and thirsty skiers since it first opened in 1963. Part steakhouse and part nightclub, the Wobbly is fun all around, and they even offer a free shuttle up and down Killington Road on ski season weekends.
Photo courtesy of Gold Pan Saloon
No. 3:
The Gold Pan Saloon, Breckenridge's historic watering hole, has been serving thirsty mountain-goers since 1879, but these days it's skiers and boarders who pass through The Pan's swinging doors rather than gold miners. Besides après specials, The Pan also serves a mean breakfast.
Photo courtesy of Keri Knapp / The Village Idiot Bar & Grill
No. 2:
Unapologetically Canadian, The Village Idiot Bar & Grill in Revelstoke invites toque-wearing skiers and snowboarders to pull up a chair for pizza, beer, pub fare and live music. The patio is perfect for people watching over a drink in the heart of town.
Photo courtesy of Creative//Werd and GTR Photography
No. 1:
A true late night party spot in Steamboat Springs, Double Diamonds Bar is known for mixing some of the least expensive après-ski drinks in town. Brats and sandwiches satisfy hunger, and there’s a dance floor, perfect for late night antics just across the street from the mountain base shuttle stop.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Wendy Clinch (TheSkiDiva.com), Lyndell Keating (Powderhounds) and Kristen Lummis (braveskimom.com) were chosen for their knowledge of the ski and snowboarding industry.
Congratulations to all these winning bars.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Kristen Lummis
Kristen Lummis is a freelance writer based in... Read More
Kristen Lummis is a freelance writer based in Western Colorado. The mom of two now-adult sons, Lummis broke into her writing career through snowsports, founding the website braveskimom.com in 2010 to provide family-friendly tips across a full range of winter topics. And while skiing is Lummis’ first true outdoor love, she grew up camping, hiking, biking, kayaking and traveling extensively with her family — pursuits that she continues today. She prides herself on unbiased opinions, based on activities and destinations she’s visited and experienced. Lummis is honored to be considered an “expert” for 10Best. Follow her @braveskimom on Instagram and Facebook.
Kristen Lummis
Kristen Lummis is a freelance writer based in Western Colorado. The mom of two now-adult sons, Lummis broke into her writing career through snowsports, founding the website braveskimom.com in 2010 to provide family-friendly tips across a full range of winter topics. And while skiing is Lummis’ first true outdoor love, she grew up camping, hiking, biking, kayaking and traveling extensively with her family — pursuits that she continues today. She prides herself on unbiased opinions, based on activities and destinations she’s visited and experienced. Lummis is honored to be considered an “expert” for 10Best. Follow her @braveskimom on Instagram and Facebook.
Lyndell Keating
Lyndell Keating is one of the directors of Read More
Lyndell Keating is one of the directors of Powderhounds, a ski and snowboard travel website that reviews snow destinations around the world to facilitate readers in their pursuit of the perfect powder stash. Lyndell has skied at 200-plus ski resorts and a multitude of cat skiing, heli skiing and backcountry bucket list areas.
Lyndell Keating
Lyndell Keating is one of the directors of Powderhounds, a ski and snowboard travel website that reviews snow destinations around the world to facilitate readers in their pursuit of the perfect powder stash. Lyndell has skied at 200-plus ski resorts and a multitude of cat skiing, heli skiing and backcountry bucket list areas.
Wendy Clinch
Wendy Clinch is the founder of TheSkiDiva.com, the... Read More
Wendy Clinch is the founder of TheSkiDiva.com, the leading online community for women who love to ski. A resident of Vermont, Wendy is the author of two ski mysteries: DOUBLE BLACK and FADE TO WHITE. She is also a member of the North American Snowsports Journalists Association, and received the organization’s Harold S. Hirsh Award for Excellence in Snowsports Blog Writing in both 2016 and 2017.
Wendy Clinch
Wendy Clinch is the founder of TheSkiDiva.com, the leading online community for women who love to ski. A resident of Vermont, Wendy is the author of two ski mysteries: DOUBLE BLACK and FADE TO WHITE. She is also a member of the North American Snowsports Journalists Association, and received the organization’s Harold S. Hirsh Award for Excellence in Snowsports Blog Writing in both 2016 and 2017.
