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Après-Ski With Bears and Other Adventures Before Hitting the Bar

Après-Ski With Bears and Other Adventures Before Hitting the Bar

(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- Sure, you could head straight for the bars, but wouldn't those beers taste better after a hike through some ice tunnels?

Après-Ski With Bears and Other Adventures Before Hitting the Bar

Glacial Flight

Hop on a sunset helicopter ride from the Four Seasons Resort & Residences in Whistler, and you’ll get to fly over Canada’s largest and southernmost ice cap. The seasoned pilots will touch down to let you explore a series of stunning blue ice chambers.

Après-Ski With Bears and Other Adventures Before Hitting the Bar

Bear Tracks

East of Davos is Arosa Lenzerheide, one of Switzerland’s most scenic ski spots. It just opened a 7-acre sanctuary for rescued bears. Its first resident, Napa, is a former circus performer from Siberia. Take the Arosa-Weisshorn gondola to see Napa and as many as four other bears who will be introduced here.

Après-Ski With Bears and Other Adventures Before Hitting the Bar

A Magic Sled Ride

In Chamonix, the Evolution 2 ski school can send you for an exhilarating final run on a traditional wooden sled shaped like an oversize ice skate. The ride leads to a yurt in the woods where a true Savoyard feast awaits, cheese-smothered tartiflette and all.

Après-Ski With Bears and Other Adventures Before Hitting the Bar

Fondue al Fresco

When the moon is full, the visibility in St. Moritz is so good, you can ski without a headlamp. Stay at the Grand Hotel Kronenhof Pontresina just outside town and try it—working your way to an outdoor fondue dinner right on the mountain.

Après-Ski With Bears and Other Adventures Before Hitting the Bar

Galaxy Watch

Want some excitement after happy hour? At the new ­15-room Compass Rose Lodge, set in a Dark Sky Reserve next to Utah’s exclusive Powder Mountain, you can view the rings of Saturn or one of Jupiter’s moons through a high-powered telescope in the hotel observatory. 

Après-Ski With Bears and Other Adventures Before Hitting the Bar

Viking Vibes

Go heli-skiing at Eleven Experience’s Deplar Farm in Iceland ( even in spring), and you’ll be rewarded with fire and ice—but mostly ice. The property’s traditional “sauna” is actually a cold outdoor tub; you’ll be helped along in the “mind over matter” muscle-recovery ritual with Viking battle cries and shots of brenavin, a local spirit.

Après-Ski With Bears and Other Adventures Before Hitting the Bar

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Justin Ocean at jocean1@bloomberg.net, Chris Rovzar

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