Ski special: Food Of The Week

On the piste? Andy Lynes reveals the latest places to enjoy some après-ski fun

It seems you can work up quite a thirst sliding down mountains. Luckily, the world's best ski resorts have laid on enough liquid refreshment to satisfy budding downhill and slalom champions.

Guest DJs, including the Scratch Perverts, man the decks until 4am at Dicks Tea Bar, Val d'Isère (00 33 4 79 06 14 87; dicksteabar. com), where Alpine skiers have partied hard for more than a quarter of a century.

Navigating your way down the slopes is good practice for a more relaxing après-ski journey from Alto Adige to Sicily via the comprehensive list of Italian wines at Enoteca, Via del Mercato 5, Cortina d'Ampezzo (00 39 04368 62040; enotecacortina.com).

With live music, sport on a big screen and lamb and Guinness stew on the table, they'll have to kick you out at 2am when The Jekyll, 71 Route des Pèlerins, Chamonix (00 33 6 14 08 64 94; thejekyll.com) finally closes it doors for the night.

They take happy hour literally at Krazy Kanguruh, moos 113, a-6580 St Anton am Arlberg (00 43 5446 2633; krazykanguruh.com), where the lively atmosphere is fuelled by the peach and plum schnapps that's made especially for the bar.

Due to be staged 26-28 January 2007, the 67th Hahnenkamm Race will attract the world's best skiers - and huge crowds to watch them. Many will end up at The Londoner, Franz-Reisch-Strasse 4, A-6370 Kitzbühel (00 43 5356 71428; londoner .at), which is open 18 hours a day during the event.

Just because St Moritz attracts a more well-heeled variety of skier doesn't mean the town can't let its hair down. Roo Bar, Hauser's Hotel, Via Traunter Plazzas 7, CH-7500 St Moritz (00 41 81 837 50 50; hotelhauser.ch) is renowned for its range of beers and for people drinking a lot of them.

There's barbecued sirloin on the menu at Saltlik, 221 Bear Street, Banff (00 1 403 762 2467; saltlik.com), but skiers also flock to the lounge of this upmarket steakhouse for the live blues and jazz.

Readers of Ski magazine recently voted Vail as the top ski resort in North America. You might well find them hanging out on the deck of the Tap Room, 333 Bridge Street, Vail, Colorado 81657 (00 1 970 479 0500; taproomvail.com) taking in the spectacular mountain views from one the après-ski hot spots.