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Perhaps your New Year’s resolutions included something about cutting back on the booze. And maybe you’ve been missing your customary après-ski celebrations ever since. (Or, maybe you just have small children who can’t partake in slope side beers.) Fear not: A commitment to sobriety does not mean the end of après. We’ve rounded up some of the mountains’ most decadent dessert alternatives for you to kick back with after a long day on the slopes.
The Ice Cream Parlour, Beaver Creek
Beaver Creek’s daily cookie time—when white-gloved attendants serve fresh-out-the-oven chocolate chip cookies from silver trays—is legendary. If that wasn’t enough, the newest on-mountain dining option may make Beaver Creek the state’s most sought-after destination for sweet-toothed skiers: The Ice Cream Parlour, which opened this winter atop the Haymeadow Express Gondola, has all the classic charm of a vintage ice cream shop, from red and white swirly straws to high top seating to single and double scoops of Boulder Ice Cream—plus, banana splits and custom sundaes served by a candy-stripe-apron-wearing crew. There’s even a Cookie Time milkshake featuring a custom “Cookie Time” ice cream flavor that’s batched from the resort’s famous slope side cookies. Beaver Creek Mountain, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, 970-754-0020
Hotel Jerome’s Hot Cocoa Menu, Aspen
The crème de la crème of swanky sweet treats can be found at the Living Room, the Hotel Jerome’s opulent fireside lounge that’s often frequented by a see-and-be-seen Aspen crowd. There, you’ll find a dedicated section of hot cocoas, including an “Aztec” version made with 70 percent dark chocolate cocoa, vanilla cream, arbol chiles, and smoked cinnamon, perfect for warming you up as you chill out after lapping Ajax all day. The Living Room, Hotel Jerome, 2 to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 2 p.m. to 12 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 855-331-7213
The Snowmass S’mores Village, Snowmass
If you prefer your sweets with a side of Instagram, consider a stopover at one of Snowmass’ s’mores carts. There, you’ll be given a complimentary s’mores package to roast by one of the fire pits at Snowmass Base Village and at the Snowmass Village Mall. The s’mores carts, which resemble an oversized marshmallow meets Airstream wrapped in red and black checkered siding, are also a fantastic photo opp. Be sure to stop by on a holiday, when the carts serve custom flavors (like a gourmet chocolate-mint s’mores kit for Saint Patrick’s Day), so you can add some variety to your feed while you hashtag each and every bite. Snowmass Village, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. daily;800-679-3151
Four Seasons’ Haute Cocoa, Vail
The only thing better than curling up by a fire pit overlooking the slopes of Vail Mountain and the Four Seasons’ picture-perfect pool at day’s end is doing so with a mug of the hotel’s “World Famous Remedy Haute Chocolate.” Churned tableside in a traditional French chocolate pot, the mixture of Valrhona chocolate and steamed milk is poured into an awaiting porcelain mug over a swirled chocolate ganache and marshmallow topping. The Remedy Bar, Four Seasons, 11 to 12 a.m. daily; 970-476-8600
Park Hyatt’s S’mores Happy Hour, Beaver Creek
If you see a queue gathered ‘round the fire pit at the bottom of Beaver Creek’s Haymeadow Express Gondola, we’d suggest hopping in line, considering that it’s (most likely) for the Park Hyatt’s s’mores happy hour. Decadent marshmallow flavors (think: mint or peanut butter cup) are whipped up and wheeled out daily by the hotel’s pastry chef. Park Hyatt guests get complimentary access to the spread, and non-guests can indulge for $10 per person. As if you needed more incentive to book a stay: Every morning that Beaver Creek Mountain registers more than eight inches on its snow stake, the hotel lobby serves house-made powdered donuts (free for hotel guests) to celebrate the occasion. Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa, 4 p.m. daily; 970-949-1234