Shredding down a run at Aspen Mountain, the sound took me by surprise: the popping of a champagne cork followed by chatter. I rounded the bend and then saw the yellow umbrellas and Veuve Clicquot flags waving from a pop-up champagne and caviar bar, right at the bottom of the hill. Appropriately, it鈥檚 called The Oasis. What the hell, I thought鈥擨鈥檇 just finished a morning of snowboarding down the most advanced runs of my life. Why not champers to celebrate?
础辫谤茅蝉-ski is no new trend. Nor are pop-ups, for that matter. However, bars popping up directly on the slopes? That鈥檚 pretty new. As longtime Aspen skier and instructor Ted Mahon put it, 鈥淗appening upon a bar mid-run, like The Oasis, is surreal.鈥 Agreed. From crazy ice sculptures that house bars to snowcats that serve beer, here鈥檚 where you can find the best outdoor ski bars this winter.
The Pop-Up Bars
The Oasis at The Little Nell (Aspen, Colorado)
Where: Different locations around Aspen Mountain with clues dropped on聽.
Dates: Starting in February and running through the season.
Hours: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday while the lifts are running.
The Oasis is operated by Aspen鈥檚 only five-star, five-diamond property, . It debuted last year and is the first-ever champagne bar found on a ski slope. Veuve Clicquot flows (sorry Moet fans) as does the caviar, like hackleback sturgeon. Not only is it a pop-up, but it鈥檚 also roving, so you’ll never find it in the same place twice.
Little Mill (Mammoth Mountain, California)
Where: Different spots on Mammoth Mountain, with locations shared via the聽聽or the #BBQCat hashtag on Twitter. Warning: You may have to filter through many photos of house cats holding grilling spatulas.
Dates: December through the end of the season.
Hours: Daily for breakfast and lunch.
Now in its third year, 鈥檚 converted snowcat, Little Mill, is a barbecue and beer shack on wheels鈥攐r rather tracks. It鈥檚 their own California Mountain take on a food truck, with items like a carne asada brisket burrito and local craft beer from .
Ice Bar (Olympic Valley, California)
Where: The base of the Sherwood Chair at Alpine Meadows.
Dates: February through the end of the season.
Hours: Daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. when weather permits.
Just north of Mammoth Mountain on the north shore of Lake Tahoe is . It鈥檚 had a pop-up ice bar for several years, appropriately named the Ice Bar, and it鈥檚 the most casual bar on the list. The most popular item is a PBR tall boy can, but you can also find their own take on cocktails, dubbed 鈥淐huters and Brews鈥, a shot-and-beer combo and even grilled bratwursts to snack on.
Near Park City? Try an Ice Bar
Powder Ice Lounge
Where: Waldorf Astoria, adjacent to the Powder restaurant.
Dates: January 15 through the end of the season.
Hours: 5pm-8pm
In the same vein as the roving ski bars, stationary ice bars are also picking up steam at ski resorts. Especially in Park City. Take Powder Ice Lounge at the , for example. Located on the outside of the hotel facing the pool, Powder Ice Lounge is outfitted with a 14-foot bar made fully of carved ice and other pieces of sculpted ice furniture, serving champagne by the bottle, glass and flights, and cocktails like the Cedar Smoked Manhattan, finished off with a blast from a cedar-infused smoke gun.
础辫谤茅蝉
Where: Terrace of the St. Regis Bar.
Dates: December though the end of the season.
Hours: 1pm-5:30pm
The aptly named Apr猫s at the , which is part castle-like sculpture and part Ruinart Champagne bar, is made completely out of ice. Thousans of icicles have been cultivated to make the palace resemble something directly out of nature. Go there and you鈥檒l find Blanc de Blancs collection among other varietals of bubbly, including the Ruinart Ros茅 and Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 2004.