Après-ski doesn't have to mean beer. Gangwon has a serious cafe culture: Gangneung's coffee roasters, traditional teahouses with citron and omija tea, Chuncheon's potato bread and the humble convenience-store hot chocolate.
The usual picture of après-ski is beer and a loud bar. For many travellers, including Muslim visitors, families and anyone who doesn't drink, the perfect end to a ski day is something hot and sweet in a warm room. Korea has an excellent cafe culture, and Gangwon in particular is known for its coffee roasters and traditional teahouses. These are our favourite alcohol-free ways to warm up.
Gangneung, on the coast about 40 minutes' drive from Yongpyong and Alpensia, is one of Korea's coffee towns. Terarosa, one of the country's best-known specialty roasters, started there, and its large roastery cafe is a destination in itself. The seafront Anmok coffee street is lined with cafes looking out over the East Sea. It makes a good half-day trip on a rest day or when the wind closes the upper lifts.
A traditional teahouse (chatjip) usually means wooden floors, low tables, floor cushions and quiet music. Order yuja-cha, a hot citron tea made from fruit preserve, or omija-cha, made from "five-flavour" berries. Both are sweet, warming and caffeine-free. For something to eat, try injeolmi toast, bread with rice cake and roasted soybean powder. You'll find teahouses in towns near the resorts and plenty more in Seoul's Insadong if you have a city day.
Gangwon is famous for potatoes, and a Chuncheon bakery cafe called Gamjabat ("potato field") became known nationwide for its gamja-ppang, a bread shaped and coloured exactly like a potato, with a soft potato filling. It makes a fun stop on the way between Seoul and Vivaldi Park or Elysian Gangchon. The bread contains no meat, but if you keep halal, check the ingredients of the filling and any toppings.
Don't overlook CU or GS25. A cup of hot chocolate or sweet citron tea from the counter costs a couple of thousand won, and drinking it while snow falls outside the window is a small Korean winter pleasure.
Many Korean cafes stay open into the evening, so they work as a calm alternative to noisy bars. Bring a book, sort through your photos, or plan tomorrow's runs over a pot of tea. For other quiet places, see our guide to quiet spaces at busy resorts, and for meals, the halal food guide.