Val Thorens Apres Ski Report: 5th January 2012

The party began at around nine and people began filtering in slowly. By ten o’clock the crowds had thickened, but there was still room to move around the dance floor and flit between Place Caron and the surrounding bars in search of beer and wine. With the occasional firework lighting up the sky, by eleven o’clock thousands of partiers had flocked to the area to dance away the final hour of 2011. As the clock struck twelve, the sky was ablaze with rockets and champagne as strangers hugged and kissed each other and the ice castle shined with the words “Bonne Année”.

Because of the warmth, the snow was beginning to fall as rain which, when you realised it wasn’t bubbly, made taking the party inside an attractive prospect. The Malaysia attendees were noticeable by their flamboyant masquerade get-ups and after midnight, they made the short walk to the nightclub. The other option was to venture up the hill to the cluster of bars at the top of town. Being the only popular establishment not charging an entrance fee, the first port of call was the always cheerful Frog and Roast Beef which was positively teeming with custom. With their ‘Toss The Boss’ promotion, whereby after buying a drink one could get their round for free if they beat the barmaid at a game of dice. The pub was mostly filled with English seasonaires and guests since the flat screens were transmitting Big Ben as the French clocks struck one.

Entry to The Saloon Bar, The Snow Cafe and the nightclub, Summit cost €15, a worthwhile investment since you were given the option of moving between the venues. With many of the resort’s guests in the popular Malaysia, it was not too busy at the top of town and there was a great atmosphere shared across the establishments which stayed open until the very early hours of the first of January.

As for the rest of the week, the ups and downs of the weather determined the best places for après ski. As expected, the fine blue skies of New Year's Day and Tuesday meant busy dance floors at La Folie Duce and Bar 360, the two popular slopeside bars of Val Thorens. Rather than hitting the Folie, our usual location for an Apres Ski boogie, we decided to sample the vibe at 360, less popular since its location is hidden from the afternoon sun. The bar and dance floor are, however, somewhat more pleasant than the Folie as there are places to sit or stand and a couple of bars meaning it’s far easier to get a drink.

On the evening of the 1st The Frog hosted some live music in the form of a four-piece cover band called Dominoes. Surely due to the festivities from the previous evening, the bar was sparsely populated, making things tougher for the young front man. However, the lack of a big audience did little to hurt the spirits of the guys and they put on a great set of some popular songs.

As for coming events, tomorrow is the Orthodox Christmas and there will be more hot wine, carol singing and fireworks at Place Caron. Next week there are a few notable activities for the calendar. Along with the usual tobogganing and mountain biking (Booking at the Chalet du Toboggan), there is also an organised Snowball Fight on Wednesday afternoon (free registration at Place Caron from 2pm). And, if having balls of snow hurtled at you is not your idea of a good time, there is a jazz concert on Tuesday evening at the Polycultural Hall (details here).