Courchevel is split into four villages that are identified by their altitude: peaceful Le Praz (1,300m), chilled Courchevel Village (1,550m), buzzier Courchevel Moriond (1,650m) and flashier Courchevel (1,850m). Your first stop on a bluebird day up at 1,850 should be a boozy all-afternoon lunch on the terrace of Le Cap Horn. Afterwards, ski down and get the lift back up to the glitzy Le Mangeoire Ski Club where people are tucked up under faux-fur blankets to keep warm as they drink ice-cold champagne. Younger party people will head to La Folie Douce, one of the legendary alpine party bars that have come to define seasonaire excess with Dom Pérignon, disco balls and hands exclusively in the air. A more casual good time can be had at La Cave des Creux, but don’t drink too much, because it’s a lengthier descent. If you’re down in Courchevel 1,650, hit up the Portetta hotel’s Fire & Ice for its après. Either get there early for a sun spot, or fight to be by the fire pit as it gets dark.

Where to stay: From the people behind Hotel du Cap-Eden-Rock in Antibes, The Lanesborough in London and Le Bristol Paris comes L’Apogée, with its divine spa, outdoor hot tubs and mixture of French and Japanese cuisine. lapogee-courchevel

Verbier has been Switzerland’s biggest party hotspot for years. British royals and the global rich and famous have long been late-night partying at the deliciously retro Farm Club, staggering home in the early hours, but always managing to hit the slopes early the next day. In 2012, a new slope-side hotspot, La Vache, was opened by the unlikely bunch of the former England rugby captain Mr Lawrence Dallaglio, the singer Mr James Blunt, the motorcycle world champion Mr Carl Fogarty and the chef Mr Heston Blumenthal. The place with the most entertaining views, though, is the Ice Cube Bar, where you can drink and watch the wizardry of paragliders as they cross the sky. At the end of the day, head to the W hotel’s Off Piste Bar for cocktails on the snow and to watch drunk skiers’ kamikaze final runs (and sometimes wipe-outs). Then, for something a little more contemporary, head to the newest kid in town, Experimental Chalet’s Frenchie restaurant and cocktail club.

Where to stay: The French boys behind this boutique range of cocktail bars, restaurants and beach clubs bring you The Experimental Chalet, the coolest new spot to stay. experimentalchalet.com

Arguably the most fun and friendly of all the après-ski scenes in the world, St Anton is certainly not for the faint-hearted. The proximity of a trio of boozy bars – MooseWirt, Krazy Kanguruh and Taps – to the quaint main village means people party on the mountain here like nowhere else. The final bumpy slope down to town is a riot of drunken skiers, many opting to sledge down on their bums rather than risk a crash. At the bottom, there is also the hot terrace at the Heustadl, the circus-tented Das Basecamp or the eccentric Underground on the Piste St Anton, a small seated bar with live music and unexpected characters.

Where to stay: Raffl’s St Antoner Hof is a seemingly traditional Tyrolean hotel that also prides itself on being modern and even “cheeky”. antonerhof.at

Switzerland’s most famous ski town (owing to the majesty of the country’s tallest mountain, the Matterhorn) might be a touch more trad than Verbier, but it still has plenty of fun places to party. If it’s your first time, you will undoubtedly want to start off high up at Iglu-Dorf for the novelty factor of drinking in an igloo, but the liveliest of the mountain après spots is Hennu Stall, where shots of Jägermeister are delivered on custom ski trays, there is live music on the terrace (come snowfall or sunshine) and cable cars zipping overhead. Less raucous, but also fun, is Cervo, on the Sunnegga side of the mountain. Down in the town are Harry’s Bar (no relation to Harry’s Bar in Venice), a post-slopes party spot with traditionally dressed waiters and pop music. Or else the Snowboat bar (also, curiously for the mountains, a yacht club), whose owner, Mr Gee Veltink, has the late-night Cuckoo Club if you are feeling particularly wild.

Where to stay: A toy train ride away from the village itself, Riffelalp Resort 2,222m is the perfect place to chill in between the on-piste partying. riffelalp.com

The main town might seem quaint and medieval, but with another Folie Douce and its piste-side DJs, dancers and smoke machines, Val d’Isère signals its intent as a party skier’s paradise. The knock-on effect is a town full of fun après bars. Of a similar vein to Folie, but down by the main lift in town is Cocorico, where people unwind and wile out after a long day’s skiing. Then there are cosier après vibes at Le Bananas and Le Petit Danois (odd though it is drinking in a Danish bar when in France). For late-night clubbing, it’s your duty to pay a visit to Dick’s Tea Bar, which has been serving up just about everything except tea since 1979.

Where to stay: With Tibetan-influenced decor and a Peruvian restaurant, Le K2 Chogori is not what you’d expect to find in the French Alps, but it sure is original. lek2chogori.com

Any town that hosts a Gay Ski Week has to be a good time. Outside its most famous festivity, there is plenty for party lovers all season in Colorado. Aspen Snowmass is made up of four mountains and towns: Aspen Mountain aka Ajax, Aspen Highlands, Buttermillk and Snowmass. In the grid streets of Aspen Mountain, The Red Onion has been a rowdy saloon in this old silver mining town since 1892 and undoubtedly set the tone for the other drinking spots here. High-quality beer drinking is one of the area’s biggest draws, thanks to the Highlands Alehouse, Hops Culture and Aspen Brewing Company. Then for something more upscale, try The Little Nell or the Limelight Lounge for wine and cocktails.

Where to stay: Ski-in and ski-out of the only five-star, five-diamond hotel in Aspen, The Little Nell. thelittlenell.com