ESF Alpe d'Huez Half-Term Ski Show 2018 Review
Half term holiday goes off with a bang in Alpe d'Huez
The famous torchlight descents by the fabulous ski instructors of the ESF ski school are always one of the highlights on the events calendar in Alpe d’Huez, and last Wednesday was no exception.
A huge crowd gathered as the event got underway at 18:15, just around dusk, at the Signal slope by the DMC lift at the top end of town. Thrills and spills were provided thanks to a huge floodlit kicker “ski-jump” that allowed snowboard and ski instructors to wow the massive crowd with a huge array of jumps and tricks. This years’ display also included “fat-bikes” for the first time.
Synchronised skiing followed with Red Arrow like precision has always been a real favourite with the crowds. Alpine skiers, snowboarders and Nordic skiers all displayed their impressive skills. The jumps and tricks continued to thrill the crowd, dovetailing perfectly with slope action and the action was relentless, all set to pumping tunes with fireworks thrown in throughout for good measure.
The action began to draw to a close with the famous torchlight descent by around 300 ESF ski instructors, weaving their way down the Signal slope. This year's descent started with a pattern of the five Olympic “rings” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the winter Olympics taking place Alpe d'Huez. The event was closed with a bang, a wonderful fireworks display from way up on the signal slope.
In all, the event lasts for nearly 75 minutes, and it does get a bit chilly, so wrap up well if you are planning to pop along, especially little ones! The next three torchlight descents are this Wednesday 21st February (18:30), Wednesday 28th February (18:45) and finally Wednesday 7th March (19:00).
If you are in resort over the next three weeks, this is an event not to be missed! Check out the highlights video.
