après-ski
Americannoun
adjective
noun
Usage
What does après-ski mean? 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.
Etymology
Origin of après-ski
1950–55; < French, equivalent to après after + ski ski, skiing
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
You are a beginning or intermediate skier, allergic to long lift lines, more interested in peace and quiet than après-ski action.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2026
In three cities on three continents, here’s how you can get out on the snow after breakfast and still be back in time for après-ski cocktails at the hotel bar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 24, 2026
Corporate policies ban barbecues, spontaneous après-ski parties, and mohawks or long beards on lift operators.
From Slate ● Dec. 20, 2023
Horizon is where gamers go to chill out, like skiers at an après-ski bar.
From New York Times ● Oct. 7, 2022
I normally avoid après-ski because the drive down Highway 410 makes me drowsy after a long day of carving turns in deep powder.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 10, 2022
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
