So... here we are in a brand New Year and welcome into 2009! French holiday's coupled with New Year's week has made it the busiest week in resort all season to date.
An amazing week of partying was made even better by the 3 days of snow we've been blessed with since the New Year saw first light. There was little or no time to recover from the Christmas antics for the turnover into New Year's week... kicking off with what seems likes months ago, but was actually only last Friday, with a big Danish party down at the Danski Hotel L'eclose.
The Danes have a thing for drinking beer by the litre, and attempting to drink it in one rather than the traditional sipping action. Very humorous to watch though I can imagine not to humorous to take part in!
Saturday saw most of the resorts hotels tied up in the transfer day – out with the old guests and in with the new, and O Bar welcomed them into Alpe D'Huez by being ...1. The first bar you actually come across when you arrive into resort, and 2. giving them 2 for 1 on all cocktails between 10pm and 12am! Being my day off I took full advantage of such a gracious offer!
Once all the guests have arrived, settled in, eaten and unpacked, they are usually too tired to make the most of the nightlife on Saturday evenings, and tend to save themselves for Sunday's instead. Whereas back in the UK most people are tucked up in bed on a Sunday evening with a hot water bottle and cup of cocoa ready for a 9am office start, Sunday's kick off in Alpe D'Huez!
On the Piste - a company who arrange student ski holidays, brought 60 excited holiday makers out on the town with them on Sunday, and coupled with 150 Swedish Nortlander guests... the week got off to a flier! O'Sharkey's was first raided for a Jager Bomb challenge (a line of glasses with Red Bull in, with a line of shot glasses rested on top filled with Jagermeister before being knocked in one by one...). They managed 40! It was then down to the Underground to welcome in the week with once again, yes you've guessed it...a ridiculous amount of tequila slammers! I would personally change the name to the Slammerground!!!
Ski resorts and especially Alpe D'Huez have mastered the art of making a weekly routine never boring! So Monday again saw the bar crawl... this week twice as many partakers than last week, all merge together as one in Smithy's for the much anticipated return and first performance of the season of DJ Sam... Needless to say the traditional Smithy's table dancing was back in action, and for those of you have been to the bar, the windows got steamed up very very quickly!
A quiet night on Tuesday (well, nearly - Langley and their ‘Swedish' night at the Petit Prince hotel saw that wasn't entirely true!) was followed by a not so quiet night on Wednesday. Yes... New Year's Eve... Every year you know exactly how it's going to end up...Messy- but you try and kid yourself into thinking it won't. Well, true to form, it did.
Lounge started the evening off in an extremely civilised manner. Funky beats, cocktails and an incredible looking New Year's Special food menu meant that those lucky enough to get in to experience it really were just ‘Loungin, Loungin, Mellow out and just Loungin!'.
Every bar had something a little special taking place, whether it was a live band, drinks offers, DJ's or just the privilege of spending midnight in their bar and more importantly in Alpe D'Huez! Those walking from Lounge to Sphere for a cheeky glass of Champagne will have had to go the long way round due to the entire ESF ski instructors to a moonlit descent down the Signal run and into town under candle light. All fully kitted out in bright Red it was quite a sight!
Smithy's and DJ Northey saw in the New Year with heaps of shots, shooters and slammers with what turned out to be one of the best New Year's Eve parties the bar has seen in Years! Once the staff had sneaked out of the back door at approximately 6am...it was not to bed..Oh No! But down to the Underground for a couple of breakfast beers! Giving bars a late licence on New Years Eve in the French Alps only equals one thing.... a very quiet day on the mountain on New Years Day!
January is setting up to be massive! We have fresh snow here and starting tomorrow another group of unsuspecting victims will be the fortunate recipients of what a week in the glorious Alpe D'Huez can do! 7 days of skiing and partying and memories to last a lifetime (which is why so many of take the option not to confine ourselves to 7 days, but to live here!).
The legendary Alp touring band Blufunkt are finally returning to play in Smithy's next Thursday, Hands and Gaz are dusting off their guitars for a gig in the Underground on Wednesday and we can expect more of the same around town in regards to the party atmosphere that has swept across the resort so far this winter... Bring it on!
Adios!
