A Different Kind Of Apres

16th November 2020

Last modified on May 13th, 2021

We absolutely love après ski, but this year rowdy, packed bars are sadly and most definitely out.

You could simply retreat to your accommodation with your social bubble and a few beers, or you could do something different.

Here are some highlights from a few resorts.

Fondue In A Gondola

The Enversin gondola in Vaujany in Isère, is an unusual setting for dinner.

The lift leaves the cable car station at 6.30pm on certain evenings in winter for a limited number of guests.

The on-the-go meal includes an aperitif, Savoyard fondue, salad, dessert and tea or coffee.

The price is €38/£34.50 per adult and €25 /£22 per child under 13. Bookings are required.

More information at www.oz-vaujany.com 
Isère: www.isere-tourism.com/

And staying in Isere…..

Spend a night in an igloo in Isère, France

Sleep outdoors in your own igloo in Isère, France.

It’s an intense mountain experience for teenagers aged 14 and over and adults. After a half-day walk (400 metre elevation), arrive at the Alpette clearing where the magic begins.

With the snow crunching under your feet, look for traces of local fauna.

Then it’s time to build your igloo for the night under expert supervision of the qualified guides.

After a hearty breakfast the next morning, go snowshoeing to complete this extraordinary adventure.

A memorable time for teenagers and parents to share.

Prices: six people from €300 / £270 + €150 / £135 catering.

Isère: www.isere-tourism.com/

Visit The Zoo

The Alpenzoo in Innsbruck in the Austrian Tirol is the highest themed zoo in Europe.

It is home to more than 2,000 animals from 150 species that are – or have been – typicial for the Alps.

It’s open only until 5pm in November to March so you will have to get off the slopes early for this type of Apres.

The zoo has spectacular views across the Innsbruck Valley and, if you’re there when the church bells ring in the city, make sure your with the wolves to hear them howl in unison.

An adult ticket costs €12 /£11 per person and a child’s ticket (6-15 yrs old) costs from €6/£5.50 pp. Small children (4-5 yrs) cost €2.50/£2 pp.

More information on the Alpenzoo can be found here  https://www.alpenzoo.at/en/

Austrian Tirol: www.visittirol.co.uk

Starlit Snowshoe & Aperitif

Morzine in the French Alps first offered this experience last winter, in those distant days before coronavirus.

This season it could prove even more appealing: exploring the forests by torchlight, stopping off for mulled wine with nothing but the trees and your socially distanced friends for company.

It costs €20 per person including snowshoes, poles and torches.

There’s an option to include a fondue dinner at a local refuge.

The Morzine/Avoriaz ski area is currently scheduled to open on 19^th December 2020.

For more information, go to www.alpirandovtt.com 

Snowshoe & Eat In An Igloo

As the sun goes down, strap on your snowshoes and follow your mountain guides to a ‘secret igloo’ in Megève in the French Alps.

The tour leaves the village centre at 5.45pm each evening in winter for a evening of mulled wine, hot chocolate and a plate of locally produced cheeses, cold cuts and bread.

Costs are from €38 per person/£34.50.

For more information contact www.facebook.com/aperigloomegeve/

Tobogganing

Not just any old tobogganing but floodlit tobogganing down a 4km long track in St Anton, Austria.

On Tuesday and Thursday evenings you can hire a toboggan at the bottom of the Nasserein slope before heading up the mountain for the start.

The run goes from Gampen to Nasserein to the Rodelstall, has a vertical drop of 500m and takes 15 to 20 minutes.

The toboggan run is open from 7.30pm to 9.30pm and prices are from €13.50 for adults and €6.50 for children.

More information here.

Ski A Black Run At Sunset

La Sarenne in Alpe d’Huez in France is the longest black run in the world.

It is, allegedly, 16km long, though it’s actually thought to be just over 10km (the 16km claim probably takes into account how much terrain you cover on the path at the end).

Whatever.  It’s long with around 2,000 metres vertical.

Those who’ve done it say skiing La Sarenne at sunset is incredible.

There are 10 dates in the season when it can be done.

You take the last lift at 4.30pm up the Pic Blanc to 3,330 metres.

“The sunset offers an unforgettable spectacle over one fifth of France,” we are told.

Accompanied by ski instructors and patrollers, you ski down with head torches, arriving in the village of Huez at about 8pm before getting a bus back to the main resort.

The cost is €55 per person (cheaper for three or more people), and you’ll need a lift pass.

Details can be found here.

Illuminated Walk

Alta Lumina in Les Gets, France, is the latest series of evening walks, imagined and created by Moment Factory.

Described as an ‘enchanted walk’ it takes you through the forest at night along a 1km illuminated trail with a series of pictures that tell a story linked to the history of the area using lights, fluorescent imagery, and interactive sets.

It’s a new concept and a first in Europe which will debut this winter and remain open year-round.

Adult cost: €19/£17.50

For more information visit www.altalumina.com