The Sun reports on French Après Ski....

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GLASTO WITH SNOW The French resorts where you can have fun off the slopes – it’s more like ‘Ibiza in the snow’

"The wild and wonderful phenomenon of après-ski only gears up after the lifts stop, when the sweet relief of sore legs turns into a morning with a sore head.....

In the Three Valleys area of the French Alps, après is a daily festival and feels like a way of life.

Picture this: a live band steps on stage ahead of a DJ surrounded by strobe lights, crowds are dancing on the tables (in ski boots) and bobble hats are thrown in the air.

This melee of strangers is swaying together, drinks in hand, as revellers sing at the top of their lungs.

This is a kind of Alpine Glastonbury, where people swap flower crowns and flags for puffer jackets and goggles.

And the best part? You don’t have to ski or snowboard to enjoy it." Laughing

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Tell me the 3 Valleys tourism board comped your trip without telling me the 3 Valleys tourism board comped your trip.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Sounds like hell to me.

Never been to 3V and this isn’t making me want to go!!

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I yearn back to the days when they were referred to as Puffa jackets...............

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As a grumpy old man, the type of place where crowds are dancing on the tables in ski boots (recipe for disaster) is exactly the type of place I don't want to go near, especially if it's populated by readers of The Sun.

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"The Sun reports on French Apres Ski..."

First end to that scentence that came to mind was "...is poo-poo" but no, apparently it's amazing.

From the rest of the description sounds like "I went to the Folio Douchbag (paid for by the FD and 3V tourist office)" as much as anything. Clearly they've never been to some of the Austria resorts if they thing France is "Ibiza in the snow"!

After all it is free

@japes1275, that article is largely tosh.

Everybody knows that French apres is chilled and if you want proper apres you go to Austria. Although from what I've read on here even Austrian apres isn't what it was.

But then article is a bit confusing anyway because it talks about folk music acts, hotel spas and raclette.

Anybody that doesn't go to the 3V primarily for the skiing is bonkers.

** Caution - Opinion **

There's a fundamental difference between Ibiza and Meribel though - People want to go to Ibiza, and Ibiza doesn't get in anybodys way.
If they ever strung a big telecabin, like Peak2peak in Whistler, between Saulire and the top of Roc 2/Granges, then Meribel can be handed back to the goat farmers and the marmots...

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I was once in a bar in Sauze when a full scale row broke out between a couple. Great entertainment "You said it's like Ibiza on snow and it's not theres nothing to do in the day but ski it's poo-poo and its fecking COLD!" Laughing

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@Richard_Sideways, Laughing

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@adithorp, imagine that.

As for the rest - I notice VT seems to have been upping the music event game the past couple of years. Bringing clubbers to the snow is probably a tidy little business to fill off peak beds. As we all know from Carnage Corner the ski skills of those going full folie can be entertaining.

Les Arcs are hosting Abode on the Snow in Jan this year

You know it makes sense.

@adithorp, One of the Folies secret secrets is an excellent supply of properly skin-coloured thermals for the performance dancers which the first-time punter doesn't realise until the hypothermia kicks in as they've turned up to party in a boob-tube and assless chaps.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I love the 3V (somewhat mis-named now I feel) BUT Folie Douce Meribel is an absolute hellhole that should be avoided at all costs in my opinion.

The first time I witnessed it I have to confess to an element of schadenfreude. I've never seen the slopes so littered with bodies as all the drunk souls who decided that the 10m walk up to the bubble mid-station was too tough in their condition then opted to try and ski some considerable way back down to the resort with the inevitable results.

Folie Douce Val Thorens isn't quite so bad since it's only a short run from there back to the village but, nonetheless, I always make it a point to avoid that slope at FD closing time.

Personally, I don't get it ... and I won't say I've never got drunk on a ski slope ... but it just seems asinine to spend the money required to go skiing and then not ski ! If you just want to drink and party then go somewhere to do that which will be cheaper, warmer and where you don't risk potentially serious injury returning home afterwards.

Oh dear, do I sound like 'Grumpy old guy' now ?

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@Richard_Sideways, well if you turned up dressed like that, what did you expect?

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Clearly people here have never been at the bottom of the slopes at St Anton at 7pm watching folk wobbling down from the Moose or KK or joined in the mayhem with folk attempting to ski down from Paznauner Thaya at Ischgl attempting to make the last lift which is not a simple slide down the slopes! No namby pamby Follie Douce in Austria Smile

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Down from the Mooser or KK is no more difficult than the FD to VT, in fact probably easier because of the width available.

Ischgl is decently steep at the bottom.

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Reads like the Lodge du Village has some skin in the game. I have always found it to be a pleasant post ski beer venue, unlike the Ronnie or Follies. I fan of French apres, but strangely I enjoy Austrian

After all it is free

I’ve seen enough “advice” from this very forum to steer not-so-serious skiers AWAY from 3V. I can imagine the 3V tourism board may wish to pay for some publicity on non-skiing activities there. wink

At my age, I don’t have the energy to dance after a full day of skiing, never mind on picnic table. But I remember (now vaguely) I did my share when I first went skiing in Austria. In fact, the 20 year old me would have gladly gone for the partying, with skiing only being the peripheral activities!

You can’t blame the French for trying to imitate the Austrian. Very Happy

The torchlit descent seems to have died a death. Last lifts up to a resto half way up the mountain, full 3 course meal with wine, then open bar with some disco type things going on and people dancing on the tables till 9-10pm. Then rush outside to grab a torch - no not a battery powered thing but someting resembling a mace with a pot of flaming parafin on the end of a chain. Then ski down with 100+ others in the pitch dark trying not so ski off the edge of the piste/path or crash into anyone.

What could possibly go wrong? Toofy Grin

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@Judwin, the sHs Birthday Bash in Arabba used to have an evening meal up at a nearby mountain restaurant (together with music supplied by @admin, but the least said about that the better Toofy Grin

), followed by at the end of the proceedings a ski back down to Arabba with people using head torches and a pistebasher with bright lights front and rear leading the way. However (due I think to Health and Safety or new Italian legal rules) that has also died a death too. Sad

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@Alastair Pink, I did that once. Enjoyed it greatly, until I ran right past the end of the piste and onto some dry ground! (Joining others who did the same)

It remained one of the most scary experience on snow I’ve ever had.

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I did it in a piste basher - much the best way!

You know it makes sense.

To quote the article 'At Lodge du Village in Meribel alone, there are 900 live gigs each winter'.
Hmmm. Meribel is open approx 135 days a season, so roughly 8 live gigs per day? Laughing

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@Kenzie, Could happen. You only need a 4 or 5 bars having a couple of bands or DJs on per day and you can easily get to 900.

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The Scum.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@adithorp, Ah, ok. Yes, got it. Very Happy

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I suspect that the overlap of Sun readers and skiers is quite small. I much prefer the Austrian style of apres ski,
Have I had a cracking good apres ski in France? ..... erm... no, I can't remember any over the past 40 years
Andorra? Oh yes!!!
Austria? Oh yes!
Italy? Not much

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Chambre Neuf in Chamonix used to be great for apres in the late 90s early 00s.

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After all it is free

I've never really seen the attraction of table dancing.

Although I am a boring old fart.

Down in little old Serre Chevalier the Apres scene has never been full on.

And was made worse as various TO's pulled out of their chalet/hotel operations, and we probably went from 150 young seasonaires to now only ten or so, and that had a major impact on the scene, along with a few of the Brit-owned bars closing down, or changing to French ownership.

The French have tried hard to imitate the La Folie Douce in a couple of restos up on the mountain, but being primarily French, it's never going to be kicking off as it were, and combine that with Serre is made up of four lift stations the skiers disperse off the mountain quickly.

For sure there are a few bars where things are lively after 22:30 with bands, but at 17:30 it's hard to find that OTT scene.

However, I also think that the Millennials through to GenZ etc etc don't necessarily have the party spirit as much as the Boomers had in the last century Laughing

I say this as having twin 35-year-old daughters who both did seasons, and ask them about it, but they do acknowledge that some of their old party bars in Tignes are still probably going off at 17:30 etc

I'm just back from a couple of weeks in Brazil at a couple of big kitesurfing destinations, and at sunset the water was busy with kiters, most half my age, and then out in the evening we'd go out to eat relatively early (19:30) and they'd all be there too and not too many actually had alcohol on the table, and then come 21:30 they'd all go back to their rooms.*

We'd then leave a bit later and most of the resto and bars were empty.

We discussed this with some people and they just said that's the way it is, no late clubbing etc and that people want to get up early for kiting etc but I still don't buy that, as in Southern Spain (Tarifa) the restos and bars don't open up until 21:30 and are going full on way mast midnight, and then you go kiting mid to late afternoon, when the wind kicks in.

Maybe in Brazil, as the wind kicks in so early, and people often do a couple of sessions, they are indeed knackered?

*I just think that they are retiring to their rooms so they can socialise the only way they really know, on their phones Laughing

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There's a bit of being less comfortable face to face but surely a bit of it is cost. I think of the 7-9 pint sessions of my student years and early 20s and wince at what a full on night out must cost, nevermind that there are probably overpriced cocktails to chick in the mix.

Help!!

The Sun reports on French Après Ski....

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