Simon, the world’s most seasonned seasonnaire, is half way through the winter in Val Thorens…
I’m sat in The Frog and Roastbeef Val Thorens in the 3 Valleys during apres ski and enjoying a fabulous hot chocolate with brandy and whippy cream. Mmm mm mmm! Nothing like a strong tasty wee number to warm the cockles after a chilly day on the mountain!
It’s been a rather unusual season so far. Cold, cold, cold weather with regular snow falls. Whoever believed all the hype about global warming? – I’m into my 21st season and I don’t think I’ve ever felt it colder on the hill! That’s been the fantastic news this season for all us snow lovers. You don’t have to go to Canada to find yourself some of the most fantastic snow conditions on the planet. On piste there’s groomed runs with soft perfect snow, whilst off piste there’s lots of the light white fluffy stuff to roll around in!
Normally by this time of the year we’ve had some seriously hot days and that makes the snow melt. When it becomes cold again, we’re left with solid hard icy pistes. Not so much fun unless you have Bode Miller tuned race skis on and you know how to handle them!
The added bonus this year is the fact that with the recession came a dip in the holiday market, and it means great deals to be had in some of the best resorts in the world and really quiet pistes for us to charge around. Even this week as the February holidays kick in, there’s hardly a lift queue in sight.
Simon at the Frog's Karaoke fundraiser!
It’s my first season in Val Thorens so I’m not sure how things normally are here, but this season just keeps getting better and better! Regular snow falls, followed by amazing blue sky days, followed by ripping the turn down to the new apres ski hotspot to hit the mountains – Le Follie Douce! It’s the same recipe as the one in Val d’Isere that’s been pumping out loud tunes with brilliant musicians and entertainers for years. Our new party place has all the same ingredients but with a bit extra thrown in at every turn. The terrace is brand spanking new and the inside has been extended and totally refurbished. Add to that a high quality state ot the art stereo system and you have yourself a noise that’s almost capable of starting an avalanche – Whoop whoop whoop!
The night life here is as good as it gets in France with bars and clubs everywhere. Once you come off the mountain from a hard day on the slopes and a couple of drinks at the Follie Douce, you ski straight into the Frog and Roastbeef to a warm welcome from the English staff who work there. You can chat about your days entertainment up the hill whilst watching any of the top sporting events on the big screens they have on every wall. If you decide not to return back to your apartment you can stay and taste some of the best burgers ever made. I truly believe that if the boys at the Frog ever wanted to open a world wide global burger establishment, they’d absolutely wipe the floor with the competition! I find myself eating there almost every evening!
If you fancy a more rocking atmosphere après ski then there are several bars including The Tango, Sneskos or The Saloon that have live music on most days of the week. I tend to avoid these places however as the years haven’t been kind to me and as I’m now knocking on the door of the big four zero, I’m becoming more of a Victor Meldrew than a hard core party animal!
I’m actually considering buying a ski property in the mountains at the moment because with the dip in the English market for purchasing apartments has come a massive drop in prices. This more than compensates for the poor strength of the pound to the euro with a good property now available from between 70-100,000 euros (or even less if you want a shoe box!). I’m actually considering building a property empire out here just now and retiring to a life of fresh mountain air within a stress free environment which is a million miles away form life back home! What makes this prospect even more appealing are companies like CMS Maintenance who are based in the Belleville Valley. It’s taken a long time to happen, but these guys are all English tradesmen who can carry out every aspect of any renovation works or re-decorations to an extremely high standard and will be totally reliable and cost effective too. Add to that no language barrier and therefore no communication issues and you can see why the CMS boys are doing really really well for themselves. I’ll be booking them for my first project!
The skiing in this area is absolutely awesome as anyone who’s been out to the 3 Valleys will testify to, but when that’s combined with perfect snow conditions and a good number of blue sky days, you’re guaranteed to return home from your holiday with a smile on your face that’ll be difficult to remove for some time to come!
