That's it from us for another season of apres ski.
You can check out the archive reports to see what we got up to over the winter, but we're off to dry out during the summer to make sure that we're on top form to do it all again from December.
Thanks for reading and have a great summer! :O)
Thursday 22nd April
It's the final week of Winter 09/10 in Alpe d'Huez and the resort is already starting to resemble a ghost-town. Most of the tour operator guests and staff have already left, preferring beach destinations for some guaranteed sun. But although things have been quiet, we've had a second large group of French students on holiday, keeping the bars lively until the early hours.
Saturday dawned bright and sunny but rather than hit the hill I made my way to Smithy's Tavern for the last Full English of the season, complete with real, British baked beans. A treat for any seasonaire living in France!
I spent the afternoon trawling the shops with The Boyfriend, looking for deals in the end of season sales. Unless you're looking to pick up some skis or a snowboard, there doesn't seem to be much of quality on offer this year. The shops have had a tough season as purse strings across Europe have been pulled tight, but it could have been far worse. We didn't buy anything wintry in the sales, despite tempting discounts to as low as -50%. Instead, it was the new summer stock that caught the boyfriend's eye in Planete Surf.
The warmer weather and longer evenings has meant more late night strolls and other outdoor activities. The skidoos are still running and the ice rink is very popular as it's not so bitterly cold at night. In the restaurants we're starting to see locals emerging from a winter of hard work as they celebrate the end of the season with a last chance to eat at their favourite venue. Alpe d'Huez does have a summer season but it's pretty tranquil and not all the businesses are open.
This week I had a delicious pizza at Pinocchio on the Avenue des Jeux. There are lots of little restaurants dotted between the shops on this street and some are definitely better than others. You can usually tell a good restaurant by it's clientele and the Alpes are no different: eat where the locals eat and you'll rarely be disappointed.
If you've been reading my Après Reports this winter, you'll know I'm partial to a pizza. Unfortunately, my favourite eat-in pizza restaurant – La Cordée – closed down during the season so I've not eat many recently. On Tuesday The Boyfriend suggested a celebratory nearly-the-end-of-the-season dinner at Au P'tit Creux. Much as I love the haut-cuisine menu and compact portions here I fancied something a little more relaxed and personal, which is how we found ourselves in Pinocchio.
The restaurant is tiny, with space for only about twenty guests seated cosily downstairs and maybe the same again upstairs. The pizza kitchen is on display so you can watch your dinner kneaded, spun, spread and baked before your eyes. The toppings were tasty and – although it's not a huge menu – all the old pizza favourites were there. You can also order pasta dishes, salads and ice cream sundaes. Most of the clients that night were Alpe d'Huez locals and there was plenty of chatter between tables as groups came and went, amounting to three sittings... not bad for the last week of the season!
As Winter 09/10 draws to a close – with the lifts shutting on Sunday 25th April – it's sad to say goodbye to my first full-time winter in Alpe d'Huez. However, the resort has an activity-filled summer season and the lifts open once again on 3rd July for mountain biking and hiking, although the town is most famous for it's cycling challenge: the infamous 21 Bends that make one of the Tour de France's most difficult stages. The resort also hosts tennis, horse riding, via ferratas and many more activities through the eight week season.
Hopefully you've enjoyed the reports this winter and I'll be back in July to keep you up to speed as the summer season progresses.
Thanks for reading and see you again in July!
For a full list of this week's events, check out our What's On Calendar. You can also find full Bar and Restaurant listings in the Dining and Going Out section of the site.
