Apres Skiing for the Common Man, By the Common Man

(Guest Blog Post - Andrew Fosbrook)

When the sun inevitably sets on a sick day of shredding, the rising moon calls out for the second stage of any good ski day. The ultimate complement. Apres skiing. Many resorts are known just as well for their nightlife as their terrain. Just ask anyone who's been to Bart and Yeti's in Vail. Sometimes, though, you don't need to go big before you go home.

As my ski racing career wound down and I transitioned in college from a serious racer to a social racer, I discovered the hidden gems that wait patiently in the lodges of many small ski areas. After bashing plastic all day with the Hobart & William Smith club ski team, we found some great spots where a pitcher of beer doesn't cost an arm and a leg and where the people are genuine.

Take the Foggy Goggle at tiny Toggenburg Mountain, just south of Syracuse, NY for example. Devoid of sloppy tourists, but enriched with local ski fanatics, this little bar right off the main lodge embodies the tradition of the sport. With a small dance floor, a few raised wooden booths lining the windows and photos of local legends from the bygone days gracing the walls, this is a place I'd rather be than any club in Aspen. You won't find Bode Miller doing body shots off a Lange girl on the bar, but you may get lucky enough to meet some of the most interesting skiers you'll ever talk to.

If you regularly ski a small ski area, like my home hill of West Mountain, in Glens Falls, NY, you will soon realize that your local mountain bar can quickly become the place where everyone knows your name. Any given night, I could have a beer with the mountain's owner, or Moe, the famed triple chair parking lot tailgater or countless friends who still love a good night of skiing under the lights after work. These are the places where you don't need the right shoes to be admitted and ski boots and ski pants are the preferred dress code. Just like choosing your own path down the fall line or through the trees allows you to express yourself on the hill, these friendly establishments let you be yourself at the bar. Serving drinks and good home cooked food, these places are a living history of the sport. The essence of skiing.