ALL NIGHT LONG
ASPEN, COLORADO
Think Hot Tub Time Machine, only without the time machine. No ski town has better dining, or gaudier parties. Après among plentiful fur at the Little Nell, at the base of the gondola. Feast on fish at Kenichi (think Nobu-quality sushi in the midst of a rave). Then work into the night with billiards at Eric’s Bar. For the liveliest scene, go during the Winter X Games (January) or the newly announced March concert series.
NO JACKET REQUIRED
CRESTED BUTTE, COLORADO
This funky little former mining town hosts some of the rowdiest community-wide parties in the state. Some are family affairs (Winter Carnival, Torchlight), several involve the burning of effigies (Vinotok and Flauschink), but mark Big Air on Elk on your calendar (March 12, 2011), when they cover the main drag (Elk Avenue) with snow and hold a big air competition in the middle of downtown.
OLD SCHOOL
KILLINGTON, VERMONT
Thrash yourself skiing bumps on Outer Limits, or rip groomers off Killington Peak. But save some energy for after hours. The same iconic bars where your dad raged in college—the Wobbly Barn and the Pickle Barrel—still (literally) shake most nights. Start off with beers on the Bear Mountain Lodge deck while pelting strangers with snowballs. (It’s local custom.) Then go deep at the Wobbly and the Pickle.
HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS
PARK CITY, UTAH
Utah may be the land of tiny (one shot only!) martinis and 3.2 beer. And then there’s Park City. Its Main Street is packed with more than 25 bars and clubs. Lindzee O’Michaels is the new local hot spot. O’Shucks is the place to be on Tuesdays ($3 schooners, $3 burgers). And, late night, Downstairs has big-name DJs spinning every Saturday, including guest appearances by owner Danny Masters (DJ Mom Jeans).