Wikipedia’s List of French words and phrases used by English speakers includes the phrase Après-ski, referring to the evening social scene at ski resorts.
I’ve never heard the phrase, but then again I don’t ski.
How commonly is it used among English speakers? Is it a phase any avid skier would know?
ETA: this in in IMHO because I figure it amounts to a poll. Though a mod may decide it should be in GQ.
I know it and use it all the time while skiing. “Let’s Après-ski at the resort bar”, etc. And all the discussions of resorts online usually includes info about where to après-ski.
I just did a one minute research of the NY Times. It first appears in 1958.
Between 1958 and 1981, it appears 800 times(but, to be fair, many times in ads for ski apparel). (30+ time/year)
Between 1981-1996, it appears 300 times. (20 times/year)
Between 1997-2005, it appears 86 times((9+ times/year).
It’s certainly a well known phrase in Britain, not just among skiers and snowboarders. For many it’s a significant factor when deciding where to go. French resorts, funnily enough, are not renowned for their après-ski.
The term “apres-ski”? I associate that with the 70s and skiers who dress for apres-ski but who can’t really ski that well. (I’m an Anglo Canadian.)
I dunno. I’ve been to a few french resorts through the years (I started skiing in 1987) and they’ve had pretty decent après-ski. I went to Val d’Isere in February 2007 and there was pretty much everything you want within walking distance in the resort. Austrian resorts can be hit and miss in my experience, although I have to say St Anton is awesome. I’ve not skied in Switzerland or Andorra, and have only day-tripped to Italian resorts (crossing a national border on skis is very cool) so can’t comment on those.
Fairly common. Yes, any avid skier would recognize it and/or use it. There are other of French phrases in use with skiing, such as off-piste, so it’s not very unusual.
Just by coincidence, I was thumbing through a ski magazine at the doctor’s office last week, and judging by ads for resorts, the term is being truncated to simply “apres” as in “Voted the best apres in Toledo!”
I don’t ski, but even I know that “apres ski” is a term for socializing after skiing.
It’s a common term in Colorado. Most non-skiiers would be familiar with it, I’d guess.
I’m the farthest thing from a skiier, and I learn everything I know from sit-coms. Therefore, apres-ski is when a female dressed in trendy ski clothes has hot chocolate by a huge stone fireplace with a hunky blond guy. John Ritter stumbling through and upsetting the hot chocolate is optional.
Au contraire - de rigueur! [/French vocabulary exhausted]
Voila!
Voilé!
Oh… is that where my last boyfriend got the phrase “apres-sex”?
Yes. Just as with fencing, or l’escrime, it’s important to stay on the track and not get piste-off.
You are two centuries out.
History records a reference from 1757 by Mme. de Pompadour who, having precipitated an avalanche by knocking over Louis XV on the slopes, uttered the immortal words: "Après-ski, le déluge”.
I know it from après-ski boots, those soft foam-rubber filled boots you could ease your tired feet into just as soon as you could undo those frozen straps and wrench off the regular ski boots. Nowadays I guess everyone just wears Uggs for that purpose.