The best après ski and activities in Aspen

Aspen goes large both on and off the slopes, offering exceptional quantity and quality across the board. Après-ski here is not for the faint of heart (or the financially challenged), with mountaintop caviar and live music, truffle fries and Champagne with A-listers, wagyu burgers and rooftop hot tubs.

There are diverse après options across the resort’s four mountains, with many venues accessible for non-skiers as well as those on skis, and equally varied activities off the snow. You can, of course, simply grab a beer in a quiet bar, or in the tranquil Aspen Art Museum, but we recommend leaning into the glamorous, high-octane Aspen version of après-ski at least once.

All our recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our ski expert to help you discover the best après-ski bars and activities in Aspen. Find out more below, or for more inspiration, see our guide to the resort’s best accommodation and restaurants.

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Après-ski bars in Aspen

Eleven212

Located at the top of Aspen Mountain (at an elevation of 11,212ft), Eleven212 is an outdoor cluster of private cabins, Adirondack chairs around a wood-burning fire, a bar and live music stage. Accessible for skiers and non-skiers alike, there’s a small but lavish food and drinks menu (think Champagne, mini wagyu burgers, charcuterie and iced cocktails). Open Fridays, Saturdays and some Sundays from 12-3pm, spaces are limited, with available deck chairs offered on a first-come, first-served basis but you can reserve seating in advance from $50pp, which includes a glass of Veuve Clicquot champagne. Alternatively, reserve a private cabin ($600 per cabin for a maximum of six people), including a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne and artisanal charcuterie board.

Website: aspencollection.com
Price: ££

Ajax Tavern

For Aspen après in style, ski down from Eleven212 into Ajax Tavern at The Little Nell, whose busy terrace catches the afternoon sunshine at the foot of the slopes. The place to be seen in your designer ski gear, Ajax Tavern is justly famous for its truffle fries and towers of freshly flown-in shellfish but also for burgers (wagyu, of course) and locally-brewed beers. Once the sun goes down, revellers move indoors or to the fire-warmed Wine Bar, which overlooks The Little Nell’s outdoor hot tubs. Here, fleece-lined bar stools and rocking chairs beckon while the resident DJ spins vintage vinyl and guests sip cocktails or share wine from a traditional Spanish porrón.

Website: thelittlenell.com
Price: £££

Belly Up

Aspen rarely does things by halves, so it goes without saying that it’s leading nightclub, Belly Up, has been listed amongst the “Best Clubs in America” by Rolling Stone Magazine. Set at the foot of Aspen Mountain, the 450-guest club has hosted the likes of The Killers, BB King, John Legend and countless more, including comedians such as Adam Sandler. This winter’s line-up alone includes Calvin Harris, Sofi Tukker and Black Pistol Fire. Unsurprisingly, big-name concerts sell out quickly, making advance booking is essential, but you can often buy tickets at the door for lesser-known artists. Also worth noting, the minimum age for unaccompanied entry is 18 and 21 for alcohol consumption, with ID required for both.

Website: bellyupaspen.com
Price: ££

W Aspen

The W Aspen ups the hip vibe even for this well-established hotel brand of choice for the trendy young set. Not quite ski-in/ski-out, the hotel is located mere paces from the base of Aspen Mountain and its indoor/outdoor 39 Degrees restaurant-cum-bar is a popular après-ski venue for affluent young things. Things hot up on the rooftop WET Deck, where a heated pool and hot tub are surrounded by fire pits and panoramic views of the Rockies. W guests can even order their poolside cocktails from the slopes with the hotel’s dedicated app.

Website: marriott.com
Price: £££

Highlands Ale House

Long regarded as the “locals” mountain, Aspen Highlands was the last of Aspen’s four mountains to be privately owned and retains a slightly renegade spirit. Until 2000, the base village comprised one A-frame building, a parking lot and the makeshift Thunderbowl Café. The Highlands Ale House sits on the site of the last, at the base of the slopes, and channels old-school Highlands vibes with vintage skis mounted on exposed brick walls and sepia photos of early skiers on the Highlands Bowl. A large patio spills out onto the snow, live music plays on weekends, there are 16 beers on tap and all-American comfort food (hand-stretched pizza, nachos, chilli, mac n’ cheese) is served from 11am till 8pm.

Website: highlandsalehouse.com
Price: ££

The Cabin and Sun Club

A sensitively restored timber chalet on Snowmass mountain, The Cabin (formerly Lynn Britt Cabin) is an atmospheric bolthole for long, French-inspired lunches of homemade pâté, baked camembert, and chicken with wild mushroom ragout. The Sun Club is a lively new venue set on the Cabin’s outdoor deck that combines a Veuve Clicquot champagne and taco bar with a retractable heated deck and live music performances. Non-skiers can join the fun too, rewarding their short walk down from the Coney Express lift with a whiskey-laced Colorado Coffee cocktail or blood orange margarita as they enjoy live music on the large deck. It’s also possible to head up here by snowcat for starlit, fire-warmed reservation-only dinners.

Website: aspensnowmass.com
Price: £££

J-Bar, Hotel Jerome

Dating back to Aspen’s silver mining heyday in 1889, the Hotel Jerome is the town’s original luxury hotel. If the red brick walls could talk, they would reveal secrets of guests including John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Jack Nicholson and Cameron Diaz. The leather-trimmed J-Bar, famously used by Hunter S. Thompson as his office, boasts its original Chinoiserie Chippendale bar and serves the Aspen Crud cocktails created here during the Prohibition. At that time, the J-Bar was – ostensibly – transformed into a soda fountain bar but, when miners requested a Crud, their vanilla milkshake would come laced with bourbon. Soak up this venerable history and atmosphere as you sip a cocktail and enjoy one of the best burgers in town.

Website: aubergeresorts.com
Price: £

The Snow Lodge

Located in the St Regis hotel Fountain Courtyard at the base of Aspen Mountain, The Snow Lodge is the winter outpost of Montauk, New York’s sceney Surf Lodge beloved by Leonardo di Caprio, Taylor Swift and Khloe Kardashian. The Snow Lodge comprises the Après-Ski Courtyard, Jade Room Lounge and Supper Club, of which The Courtyard is the most accessible, with outdoor dancing, DJs and bands every weekend (advance purchase tickets are required). Designed together with big name art galleries and designers, the Supper Club serves exquisite Tuscan food with live music while the bijou tented (and very green) Jade Room is all about caviar, champagne and intimate music performances (open daily 4-9pm). Table reservations are essential.

Website: thesnowlodge.com
Price: £££

Aspen Art Museum

Aspen lays claim to the highest number of art galleries of any ski town in the world in addition to a leading art museum. First created in 1976, the artist-founded Aspen Art Museum is a non-collecting, exhibition-only space that has been located in its current strikingly contemporary building since 2014. In addition to hosting exhibitions by big name artists, the AAM is home to an interactive workshop, shop and the excellent rooftop Swedish Hill café. The last serves wine, beers and cocktails as well as pastries, salads and sandwiches and is open until 5pm Tuesday through Sunday, enabling you to blend art with après.

Website: swedishhillaspen.com
Price: ££

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Other activities

Aspen Centre for Environmental Studies

The non-profit Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) is a tranquil gem hidden away from the bustle of Aspen in a leafy space on the shores of Hallam Lake, a 15-minute stroll from the heart of town. Dating to 1968, the organisation is dedicated to educating people of all ages in ecological literacy, sustainability, forest and ecosystem health through engaging programs like guided snowshoe hikes, naturalist-led ski tours, forest bathing and birdwatching. Pop by the Hallam Lake ACES, borrow some binoculars and take a half-mile walking trail around the nature preserve, spotting deer, elk, coyotes, beavers, songbirds and golden eagles as you stroll.

Website: aspennature.org
Price: Free

Snowshoe to Ashcroft

This 3.5-mile-long guided snowshoeing adventure explores Aspen’s history as the erstwhile most prolific silver mining town in America. Lead by an ACES naturalist (see above), you’ll snowshoe through Aspen glades and pristine snow fields below the Elk Mountains to the ghost mining town of Ashcroft and back. As you pad through the wilderness, your guide will help you spot local wildlife and share their knowledge on local geology and history, avalanches and ecology. The 4.5-hour tour includes gourmet lunch at the rustic Pine Creek Cookhouse. Tours depart daily from the Ashcroft Ski Touring Center at 10am; reservations are required.

Website: aspennature.org
Price: £££

Wheeler Opera House

A large sandstone building in the heart of town, the Wheeler Opera House dates to the 1890s and has virtually always served, at least partly, as an opera house. An Aspen landmark, the building was substantially renovated in the 1980s and has remained a vibrant part of Aspen culture since, frequently welcoming honorary Aspenite John Denver and seeing Kate Hudson take to the stage for the first time. Take a seat in the original box seats to watch a diverse selection of music, comedy and theatrical performances, and bookend your culture with drinks and/or food at the Aspen Public House located within the Opera House (serving food from 4-10pm; publichouseaspen.com).

Website: wheeleroperahouse.com
Price: ££

Aspen’s Thrift Stores

Aspen’s second-hand shops are a thing of legend for good reason: the small town is packed with Hollywood A-listers and millionaires, whose cast-offs make for rich pickings. The Aspen Thrift Shop is a true icon – run by volunteers since 1949, the proceeds of its sales support local not-for-profit organisations, meaning your thrift store treasures (think Gucci suits, Louis Vuitton handbags, Hermès scarves and Chanel snowboards) might help to fund a scholarship for a local kid. You can find similar bargains at Susie’s Aspen, which has been recycling designer goodies since 1991.

Website: aspenthriftshop.org and susiesaspen.com 
Price: £-£££

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How we choose

Every bar, venue or activity in this curated list has been expertly chosen by our ski expert, who has visited the resort to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from casual pubs on the piste to exquisite cocktail bars – to best suit every type of skier – and consider the drinks, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. Non-ski activities are chosen to provide an alternative to traditional aprés, whether for families or adrenaline junkies looking to enjoy the mountains in winter away from the slopes. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up to date recommendations.

About our expert

Gabriella Le Breton

Since learning to ski aged two, Gabriella has lived in Switzerland, Austria and Colorado and dedicated the last twenty years of her life to writing about her greatest passion.

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