Val Thorens Apres Ski Report: 28th December 2011

These favourable conditions were not simply good news for the pistes (and they definitely were great news for the pistes) but they also made venturing out into town in the afternoons and evenings far more pleasurable. The usual après-ski haunts around town have been generally less busy than last week since many of the universities on snow sports holidays were shipped back to the UK on Friday. In their place, the festive week has attracted more young families and groups of young adults on their holidays, in turn making ­­après ski and nightlife a far calmer affair. The likes of The Frog and Roast Beef, Snow Cafe or, nearer the bottom of town, Bar Rendezvous and the Irish pub Shamrock are all bedecked in Christmas decorations and many venues have been serving seasonal vin chaud.

The younger visitors to Val Thorens have, in the lead up to Christmas, had the opportunity to visit Santa at various locations around town. The central Place Caron, the hub of many Val Thorens organised activities, attracted children and parents from 5pm on Christmas Eve to meet jolly ol’ St. Nick and his friends. The area was also busy with small groups of young adults, presumably many of them parents, sipping mulled wine outside the surrounding establishments.

For the traditional amongst us, Christmas Eve Mass was held at 5:30pm at the Polycultural hall followed by festive celebrations back at Place Caron. With more warm wine, carols performed by Elana’s Choir and a triumphant firework display, the revelry was a fantastic end to the night for the younger crowd. Whilst there was little in the way of organised events, those of us who were keen to continue the party found all of the bars in town were bursting with alcoholically enhanced festive cheer. The bars at the top of town were the place to be, with licences to remain open until 6am; The Frog, Snow Cafe, Saloon Bar and Le Monde stole much of the custom from the usually popular Summit nightclub. With a mixture of ages from teenagers to adults, but a unified sense of merriment and joy, it was a wonderful way to usher in Christmas day, 2011.

For many of us, the big day itself was spent first recuperating, followed by a day on the slopes in the glorious sunshine. Les Chalets du Thorens was hit by the extremely warm afternoon sunshine and was a popular location for lunch and après ski drinks. With similarly fantastic weather on Boxing Day, we finally made the time to sample what the famed La Folie Duce had to offer in terms of afternoon entertainment. Pumping out constant beats from 3pm and continuing until the sun disappears behind the mountains on the other side of the valley, La Folie is the epitome of slope-side partying. With their idiosyncratic collection of entertainers, live music (resident house DJ, saxophonist and singers), frequent champagne-showers and free gift giveaways, the beer slurping crowds filled the dance floor and spilled out onto the Plein Sud piste into the early evening.

In terms of coming activities, there are various exciting snow-sports based events including regular toboggan nights for anyone over 5 years old and mountain bike sessions, both of which can be booked from the Chalet du Toboggan. Also for the youngsters amongst us, there is a torchlight descent tonight (Wednesday 28th December, registration with the ESF, details here) with supervision and electric torches, and a free fairytale theatrical show tomorrow night (Thursday 29th December) at ­­­­the J Fontanet Forum. The big party of the weekend is, of course New Year's Eve. The majority of venues in town will be charging ticket prices on the door and the most popular bars and clubs will undoubtedly fill up quickly. At the top of the range is Malasia, charging 35 Euros on the door for a special Masquerade Ball (details here). Place Caron will be the more family friendly alternative; with a live DJ show and a big firework display, this will be the place to end 2011 with a bang. Happy New Year!