après-ski

Après-ski refers to activities done to relax after skiing, like sitting by the fire or socializing at the ski lodge.

Après-ski can be a noun, as in I’m most looking forward to après-ski, or an adjective, as in phrases like après-ski clothes or après-ski party.

Après-ski is French for after-ski, so après-ski is kind of like the after-party for skiing (or other winter sports, like snowboarding), and it’s part of that culture. It’s sometimes associated in a negative way with the kind of wealthy people who can afford a luxury lifestyle that involves skiing and staying at fancy lodges and going to fancy parties.

Example: I’m going to hit the slopes all day, but then I’m going to the après-ski.

The first records of après-ski in English come from the 1950s. It’s taken directly from French, and it probably originated in European skiing culture. The term was used earlier in French to refer to boots typically worn after skiing or other winter activities. The term après–ski led to the word après being used in English to mean “after,” especially in combinations modeled on après–ski, such as après–tennis.

Technically, whatever you do after skiing is après-ski. But the term implies a lot more than that. Traditionally, après-ski activities are pretty simple—go back to the lodge, change out of your ski gear, and relax after a long day on the slopes by warming up by the fire with a drink and talking to your fellow skiers. These are the kinds of things people think of when they hear après-ski, and they’re all still very popular après-ski options. But due to the popularity of après-ski, it’s been expanded to include things like big parties and even concerts.

And you don’t have to ski to enjoy après-ski activities. It’s just the word for what you do after being out on the mountain on skis or a snowboard or a snow tube. (A lot of people go to lodges and resorts just for the après-ski, without doing any outdoor activity at all.)

Due to its association with luxury ski resorts, après-ski is sometimes used to mock the kind of high-end things that often go with it: expensive gear, overpriced drinks, and exclusive parties.

What are some words that share a root or word element with après-ski? 

 

• après
• après moi le déluge

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing après-ski?

• skiing
• snowboarding
• winter sports
• after
• party
• lodge
• leisure
• relax
• slope
• chichi
• bougie

Après-ski most often refers to simple post-skiing activities like lounging around at the ski lodge. But occasionally après-ski events can be pretty decadent, and some people make fun of them for it.

These 30 ski resorts are the best spots for après-ski activities in the world http://t.co/1a30g4QfcB @breckenridgemtn pic.twitter.com/Ttb4n28rb7

— Condé Nast Traveler (@CNTraveler) December 30, 2014

First Lowenbrau I ever had was on a school ski-trip to Austria. Great memories of both pre, during and apres-ski activity!! I’m sure the Hotel was called the Schwarzer Adler Kitzbuhel There was also a group of Paras there… #verticallearningcurve

— Duncan Thomas BASC (@DuncanBASC) April 9, 2020

An apres-walk drink is as welcome as an apres-ski drink. (I don’t actually ski, so I’m guessing here.)

— Annette (@wohinjetzt) April 9, 2020

Is après-ski used correctly in the following sentence?

“The hour you spent picking out your après-ski outfit could have been spent actually skiing.”