Read reviews of the best Val Thorens nightlife
One could scarcely wish for a whiter Christmas than the one delivered to Val Thorens this year. Yes, we have had to brave chilling winds, heavy snowfall and thick clouds hanging over the town, but it was all worth it since it ushered in the fantastic weather for the festive period, not to mention a clean, unifying blanket of fluffy white snow. A white Christmas it was.
This week it is ‘Carnival Week’ in the Belleville valley with events taking place in St Martin, Les Menuires and Val Thorens.
As we approach the end of another month there is still plenty going on for all of you snow lovers in Val Thorens.
This week in Les Menuires is a great music festival for children ‘Boule de Notes’. Taking place from 1st to 6th March there will be live music shows and entertainment all over the resort and they mean everywhere!
The little snowfall that we have had over the last few days has reinstated the wintery cheer of Val Thorens, not to mention covered up some of the patchy areas and the muddy snow. With the warm afternoon sun that has returned, it is looking rather gorgeous in our fair resort. What better conditions to enjoy some of the lively, friendly après-ski activities and entertainment that are on offer.
There is a great variety of après ski taking place in the Belleville valley this week.
Skiing and cinema have had a bit of a rocky relationship over the years. Need I mention 80s nightmare ski-flick ‘Hotdog’ or the more recent avalanche of cringe that was ‘Chalet Girl’?
This week once again sees lots of big artists hitting Val Thorens.
UK half term may have ended but the French holidays are far from over in Val Thorens. The resort has been in mid-carnival madness this week. You couldn't miss the festivities; kids at the creche donned fancy dress and paraded through the streets and there have been jazz concerts, music and parties galore.
Up in the mountains, high profile events have a tendency to go down one of two ways. More often than not they are a blinding success – the delayed Frostgun competition being a prime example – but occasionally they crumble under the pressure of their own over-hyped publicity. Now in the final throws of the season, there is a palpable party atmosphere across the Three Valleys expanse and seasonnaires and holidaymakers alike are all in constant search of the next big shindig. The piste-side apres bars have been filling up from the early afternoons and the party continues into the evening at the bars and clubs that line the streets at the higher end of town. Amongst all of this partying, it has been hard to ignore the impending Festi Val Tho, a prominent fixture in the season’s party calendar for the last five years.
Whilst it is lovely in Val Thorens in the sunshine, the clear weather may be just the thing to tempt you on an exploration out of resort. This was the case for us this week as we (along with many others) ventured beyond the boundaries of our resort. For many skiers/snowboarders, a day out on the slopes is planned around one crucial activity; eating lunch. Mountain eateries are rarely located near each other meaning that a location should be chosen in advance and the day’s route is based around that. This week we decided to make our way over to La Tania to sample the cuisine at the famous Ski Lodge.
In Val Thorens on Monday there are two events taking place, night ice karting and ‘happy hour Mini’. Between 6pm-8pm you can learn to ice race on the Alain Prost circuit in Val Thorens, a really great and unique opportunity.
After the horrendous weather at the end of last week, we have been blessed with unbroken blue skies since Sunday. With the sunshine warming up the afternoons and evenings, the après ski hours have become increasingly vibrant. And as this is the final week of the Christmas holidays, the resort is run amok with students eager to party.
Despite the poor weather that has hounded Val Thorens throughout the past week, the town has managed to maintain its festive atmosphere and promise of a variety of après ski activities and nightlife. Whilst the popular piste-situated bars including La Folie Douce (www.lafoliedouce-valthorens.com) and Les Chalets du Thorens have not seen their usual high custom due to the adverse conditions of the slopes, the bars at the top of town have drawn the crowds in the afternoons and early evenings.
Well 2015 is drawing to a close so it’s time to celebrate!
The sun is still beaming down on Val Thorens like a benevolent being, making sure we are all making the most of the glorious mountains. Whilst the pistes have experienced a veritable surge in traffic this week, it actually feels far quieter in and around the town than it has done for the last two weeks. There are fewer students and youngsters in the resort than there have been, meaning that the streets, in the afternoons and evenings, are generally a calmer place to wander. This is not to say that the après-ski and nightlife have suffered from any loss of merriment. In fact far from it; with more groups of young adults and families on their holidays, social gatherings and nights out have been extremely pleasant of late, not to mention a more mature affair.
Having spent the past six seasons working mostly during the evenings, I am more than a little bit happy this season to be giving après a try!
Of course, the largest event of this week thus far was the end of 2011, New Year's Eve, and the 40 year birthday of Val Thorens. Thousands flocked to Place Caron in the centre of town to usher in 2012 from the slopes of the Alps. The good people of Val Thorens had spent the previous days carving a proud castle into a large block of ice which would house the local DJ. From a nearby scaffold construction, images were projected onto the castle with incredible precision, illuminating the buzzing dance floor.