Skiing News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Photo: PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

9 Historic Après-Ski Bars Still Around Today

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 1:01 PM ET

Fancy some history alongside your next post-skiing drink?

Modern resort skiing in North America isn’t ancient, but there are multiple spots to wine, dine, and complain about your goggle tan that have been around for several decades or so. These are a few of our historic ski town favorites—some even date as far back as the Gold Rush.

This piece is part of POWDER's Summer of Ski Nostalgia content series. Stay tuned in daily for more nostalgic articles, and keep an eye out for the upcoming Summer of Ski Nostalgia badge to identify future content.

You can also view all of POWDER's summer nostalgia content here.

Want to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates.

1. The Gold Pan Saloon—Breckenridge, Colorado

In the mid-1800s, thousands of gold-crazed miners flocked to Colorado, hoping to score a big pay day. If they didn’t find what they were looking for, at least they had ample places to drown their sorrows.

Among them was Long’s Saloon, a tented structure erected in Breckenridge, Colorado. A permanent building followed in 1879, and what would become the Gold Pan Saloon was born. The bar has survived for more than 140 years, but it certainly looks a bit different from its original appearance.

While the decor still harkens back to another era, drunken gold prospectors itching to show off their six-shooters have been replaced by less intimidating Gore-Tex-clad tourists and skiers. That’s either a pro or a con. It all depends on who you ask.

Downing a few beers here may or may not make you feel like a million bucks.Photo: Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images

2. Million Dollar Cowboy Bar—Jackson, Wyoming

Jackson, Wyoming, might be a ritzy ski town best known for its association with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, but a rugged cowboy flavor persists.

The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, one of the town’s most essential landmarks, opened in 1937 and, over the years, has developed a reputation for live entertainment and western dancing.

These are some of the historical acts you might recognize that have stopped by the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar: Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Tanya Tucker. Just make sure to swap your ski boots for cowboy boots at the door.

Photo: raclro/Getty Images

3. Le Chamois—Palisades Tahoe, California

Palisades Tahoe, California, locals call it the Chammy. Its full name, Le Chamois, hints at what could’ve been—at first, before this ski bar opened in 1969, it was going to be a luxurious French restaurant.

That plan didn’t come to fruition. Instead, Le Chamois has evolved into a good-old-fashioned beer, pizza, and sandwich spot. On warm, sunny days, skiers crowd onto Le Chamois’ patio in Palisades Tahoe’s base village, sipping drinks and scheming about where they might slide next.

Or, if they’re having too much fun, they’ll end the day right then and there. Après-skiing is a sport, too.

4. The Pioneer Saloon—Ketchum, Idaho

Ernest Hemingway’s 12-gauge shotgun. Taxidermied deer heads. A birch bark canoe that’s over a century old. These are among the artifacts visitors to the Pioneer Saloon in Ketchum, Idaho, will encounter.

The local haunt first welcomed gamblers as a casino in the 1940s. Then, it took on a few different shapes, including becoming an American Legion meeting hall and later a dry goods store.

Its current incarnation as a bar and restaurant kicked off in 1972. While history is front and center at the Pioneer Saloon, the bar has received a modern accolade in the form of an America's Classics Award from the James Beard Foundation.

There's the moose.Photo: AMBER BAESLER for The Washington Post via Getty Images

5. The Mangy Moose—Teton Village, Wyoming

While the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar lights up the town of Jackson, the Mangy Moose provides a place to drink and unwind closer to the slopes. A few ski-boot-clad steps away from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s Aerial Tram, this bar and restaurant has served as a gathering place since 1967, only a few years after the accompanying ski resort opened.

The original name, the Mangy Moose Saloon Spaghetti Emporium and Opera House, may not roll off the tongue easily, but it has plenty of character. You could say the same about the musical acts that have appeared at the Mangy Moose. They include Little Feat and Arlo Guthrie—to name only a few.

This is the New Sheridan. The old one burned down more than 100 hundred years ago.Photo: Nik Wheeler/Corbis via Getty Images

6. The New Sheridan Bar—Telluride, Colorado

With original interiors that date back to 1895, the bar at the New Sheridan Hotel in Telluride, Colorado, oozes history. Panelled walls, ornate light fixtures, and a mahogany carved bar set the mood. Five-dollar Jack Daniel’s and two billiards tables amplify it.

Counterintuitively, the “New” in the hotel’s name hints at the past. The original Sheridan building burned down in 1893, only two years after opening. The brick building that still stands today, the New Sheridan, was constructed afterwards in 1895. Less aged but still worth visiting is The Roof, a spot atop the New Sheridan Hotel that serves drinks and mountain views.

7. The Sitzmark Club—Alta Ski Area, Utah

Perched at the base of Alta Ski Area, the historic Alta Lodge stares up at some of the best skiing on the planet. It’s true—Alta gets a lot of snow. You likely already know this by now, but we’ll repeat it anyway: 548 inches of snow each season on average is nothing to sneeze at. That means plenty of the light stuff.

But all those flakes will tucker even the toughest skiers out, which is what the Sitzmark Club is for. It’s at the top of the Alta Lodge, and reserved for Lodge guests, Sitzmark Club members, and employees. If you happen to meet any of those criteria, you’re in luck. If not, there’s always the patio.

8. The Matterhorn—Stowe, Vermont

Is eating a sushi roll called “Viagra” during a visit to Vermont a good idea? We think so. For the past 25 years, the Matterhorn Bar has slung sushi rolls alongside more standard ski town fare, like pizza and burgers.

The bar’s history goes back further. Founded as The Horn in 1959, this establishment is the first place to drink (if you exclude the parking lot) you’ll encounter as you drive from the slopes of Stowe back into town. Live music and DJ sets during winter weekends keep the atmosphere lively.

This photo is from 1998, but the entrance to the Snorting Elk hasn't changed much since then.Photo: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images

9. The Snorting Elk—Crystal Mountain, Washington

Nestled beneath the Alpine Inn at Crystal Mountain, Washington, the Snorting Elk might be the platonic idea of an après-ski bar. It’s easy to reach from the slopes—a back entrance connects directly to Crystal Mountain’s base area—and pleasantly dim. While much of Crystal Mountain has gotten a modern facelift, the Snorting Elk is a bastion of another time.

At this bar, the libations and tales of skiing conquests have flown freely since 1965. Grab a seat and a drink. Then, get comfortable. You’ll probably be here a while.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: