Need something to do this weekend? Here are five après-ski spots where you can unwind after a long day on the slopes.

Altitudes Bistro, 6400 Nancy Greene Way, North Vancouver

Head to the top of the Grouse gondola on a clear day, and—if you're lucky enough to get a table by one of the soaring windows—you'll be rewarded with views of the entire city and even toward the Gulf Islands.

On nonfoggy nights après skiing, the twinkling lights below are equally charming. Added bonus: the crackling fireplace will help defrost your toes. The food is fresh, with an emphasis on local. Think killer, gut-warming parsnip-and-Guinness soup, gourmet flatbreads to share, and chicken wings doused in generous amounts of house-made sauces.

All these wash down perfectly with a cold beer, but we're not going to lie: it's the aptly named Mountain Nachos—a mini-Everest of chips, sour cream, olives, salsa, and jack cheese—that will feed you and your snow-encrusted homies best.

Add pulled pork if you feel you really earned it on the slopes. Still, a warning: during busy skiing season, the place can be hectic and tables nonexistent. But hey: what did you expect at the top of the world?

Tomahawk Restaurant, 1550 Philip Avenue, North Vancouver

One of the downsides of skiing is the way it puts pressure on you to keep up with the latest technological advancements. Hit the slopes locked into a pair of 1960s Hart Camaro skis with Look Nevada bindings, and you’ll be considered a hysterical relic from an era when rope-tows were cutting-edge technology.

If you’d rather continue to ski in your 1970s Kneissl Red Star vintage downhill skis rather than blowing two paycheques on a pair of modern Kastle FX95 HPs, chances are that you’re a big fan of the way things once were rather than how they are today. And if that’s the case, there are few places better for doing après-ski—midcentury-style—than North Vancouver’s Tomahawk Restaurant.

Housed in a building inspired by a First Nations longhouse, the kitsch-heavy landmark isn’t for the die-hard politically correct. Cardboard headdresses sit in a stack near the cash register, and the walls and shelves are adorned with mass-produced mini-totem poles, carved eagles, and intricately painted canoe paddles and masks. Also direct-from-the-past are the portions.

Show up for breakfast and get prepared to waddle back to the car after ordering the Yukon-style Bacon and Eggs featuring five slices of fried pork, two free-run eggs, a mini-mountain of hash browns, and Klondike toast. For dinner, ask yourself “What would Nardwuar do?”—the inquisitive musician is a regular at the Tomahawk—and spring for the legendary Skookum Chief Burger with Yukon-style bacon, a free-run egg, the restaurant’s special sauce, an organic beef patty, onion, lettuce, aged cheddar, and a wiener.

We know what you’re thinking: both the above options sound like a heart attack on a plate. But screw it, because that was the great thing about the ’60s and ’70s: as sure as Rossignol Olympique skis were the height of fashion on the slopes, food was meant to be inhaled without remorse in quantities that would impress Fatty Arbuckle.

One thing, though: because you don’t want to make the guy operating the cash register near the door skittish, don’t forget to leave your ’70s ski balaclava in the car. 

The Black Lodge, 630 Kingsway

No, Diane, this Twin Peaks–inspired spot in Fraserhood isn’t modelled on the Black Lodge from David Lynch and Mark Frost’s cult TV series, so don’t expect red drapery, black-and-white zig-zag floors, or one-armed servers. Well, okay, that’s actually a pretty good description of the washrooms, minus the last bit.

For the most part, though, the vegetarian restaurant and bar leans heavily on the show’s Pacific Northwest setting, which also happens to make it a perfectly apropos après-ski destination, even if it’s not especially close to any actual peaks. Think hipster-rustic décor: log-cross-section tabletops, exposed rafters, and a bar that looks like something out of One-Eyed Jacks.

As for the menu, it’s composed strictly of comfort food like veggie burgers and dogs, grilled-cheese sandwiches, chili, and poutine. There’s even the promising-sounding Damn Fine Cherry Pie, about which you might be inspired to write an epic poem, and which you can presumably order with a cup of good, hot, black coffee.

One word of caution about the Black Lodge, however: the owls are not what they seem.

Crazy Raven Bar & Grill, 6000 Cypress Bowl Road, West Vancouver

It’s January and the North Shore mountains have been blessed with layers of snow, so what activity is better than skiing or snowboarding on the weekends?

Vancouverites like Cypress Mountain for its many runs and beautiful views—it’s easy to spend a whole day going up and down the slopes—but when it’s time to unwind after hours and hours of owning the hills, the Crazy Raven Bar & Grill is the place to be.

Located on the second floor of the Cypress Creek Lodge, it welcomes guests with a warming gas fireplace and great vista of the mountain. Hungry patrons will be able to choose from a range of mouthwatering dishes, including rustic pizzas and Crazy Raven’s famous Granville Island Pale Ale–battered Wild Pacific cod and chips.

Of course, what’s an après-ski meal without some cool drinks to quench your thirst? This establishment is fully licensed and offers everything from its signature Crazy Raven Pale Ale to imported wines.

It may be your tradition to order a cheeseburger from the cafeterialike Cypress Creek Grill just outside the Crazy Raven, but, after visiting this joint, you’ll never go back to the open-concept food court again.

Black Bear Neighbourhood Pub, 1177 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver

Yes, a private, fireplace-equipped cabin at the base of your preferred mountain would be ideal, but for those of us short a few million bucks, there’s Black Bear Neighbourhood Pub. Situated a short drive away from Grouse Mountain, this North Shore institution—with its rustic wood interior and high vaulted ceiling—feels like a warm, lived-in cabin that your family’s been spending Christmas vacation in for years.

Chill out after a long day on the slopes by pulling up a seat at the bar, where you can knock back a locally crafted pint like Blue Buck, Belgian Moon’s Unfiltered Wheat, or Black Bear’s eponymous ale, which is brewed exclusively for the joint by Bowen Island Brewing Company.

As for the food, there’s bound to be something for your entire ski-and-snowboard crew. Take your pick from Thai mussels, veggie-friendly curry bowls, Black Bear’s celebrated wings and Southwest Chicken Tortellini, and everything in between.

Bring the tots, too: kid staples like grilled cheese sandwiches and quesadillas should lift their spirits after a headache-inducing struggle to get out of Grouse’s packed parking lot.