Instead of sipping on a cup of instant coffee at your desk you could be fueling up for a day on the mountains with a proper brew in hand. No coffee is going to beat a ski coffee. It’s something you’ll simply have to test out. Why settle for your normal morning routine when you can switch it up in a ski resort. The coffee may even be cheaper in the mountains than it’s London counterpart.
Here are some of our favourite coffee spots when you’re skiing. Perfect pit stops and burly breakfast baristas. When coffee at your desk doesn’t quite cut it.
Moody Coffee Roasters – Chamonix, France
Coffee is nothing to be trifled with at Moody Coffee Roasters. They roast their own small batches of coffee beans on a weekly basis meaning you get unbelievably fresh and wonderful tastes coursing through your coffee. Just the ticket before hitting the mountain for a day of leg burningly steep slopes. If you’re feeling adventurous you can hire a guide and try the Vallee Blanche route from the Aguille du Midi cable car just down the road.
Back to the coffee, these guys really do know their stuff. From light roasting of the beans for more natural sweetness and crisp acidity to sourcing the best beans from the very farm they’re grown in. Plus their cakes and moody muffins are divine. Well worth a morning stop. Plus you can take home some of their beans for your coffee at home – you won’t be going back to your supermarket brand after that.
Explore Chamonix ski resort
Whitebark Café – Banff, Canada
From fair-trade Moja coffee roasted in Vancouver to the loose leaf tea from the Banff Tea Company, Whitebark is great for a morning brew. In the Banff Aspen Lodge the café is right on the main street, so easy to find. It’s a favourite spot for the locals so you know they must be doing something right. Maybe it’s the hot chocolates with solid dark chocolate grated into the mix (from Vancouver based confectioner Thomas Haas). No cocoa powder insight.
Grab a cuppa before hopping on the bus to the mountains. that’s one morning commute we wouldn’t mind enduring every day.
Explore Banff ski resort
Arctic Juice & Cafe – Val d’Isere, France
‘Our mission is to inspire and activate you to get fit, healthy and motivated, whilst delivering the world’s best coffee, juice and energy food!’ that’s their words, their mission. We just love the coffee. From cappuccinos to cold brews it’s all good here. Plus their eco-credentials are strong. From biodegradable straws to the uniforms being made from bamboo and old fishing nets. The coffee is organic and from small scale farming with fair pay and plant-based materials used in their cups.
In fact, the coffee and grub and juice is so good they’ve expanded across the Alps, setting up shop in Meribel and Verbier as well as Val d’Isere. Not a bad place to head to if you’re vegetarian or vegan either. It’s not always easy to find decent vegetarian food on the mountains but Arctic Juice & Cafe has some tasty options.
Explore Val d’Isere ski resort
Rifugio Teodulo – Cervinia, Italy
So not technically a coffee shop, but the coffee is delicious and the views that go with it are un-beatable. Refugio Teodulo definitely brings coffee to the mountains, or on top of them. At 3,317 metres above sea level, it’s definitely the highest coffee stop on the list. If you have time for food to go along with your coffee then you won’t be disappointed. Try a bombardino with coffee for an alternative coffee experience, certainly a warming one.
Just don’t order a cappuccino after lunch. Cappuccinos are a breakfast drink in Italy so don’t be surprised when you’re met with a frown ordering one after lunch. Too much milk is thought to upset your stomach after eating. So say the Italians anyway.
Explore Cervinia ski resort
Cupstar – Zell am See, Austria
The coffee to go specialists in Zell am See. Between the church and the train station in the pedestrianised zone, it’s a must-stop if you’re staying in town. They stay regional, seasonal and organic with freshly roasted coffee or try an ice cream shake if you’re feeling warm enough. The chai lattes are a dream.
It’s more coffee kiosk than coffee shop but the barista knows his stuff and you’ll love the coffee here. One to walk with rather than a sit down job. Perfect when wandering around town in the evenings as well as getting to the slopes in the morning. Forget the fancy furnishings this is mountain coffee basics and we’re fine with that.
Explore Zell am See ski resort
I hope you’ve been inspired to get out from behind that desk, ditch the work kitchen small talk and forget about soup for lunch. It’s time to upgrade your day with a little bit of skiing. A chairlift commute, steaming hot chocolate pit stops and roaring fires over lunch. Let’s not forget about the freshly baked cake waiting for you back at the chalet!
- Find some food inspiration here
- Or where you should head for a short ski break here
- Maybe it’s skiing in January you’re after?