Alpe d'Huez Apres Ski Report:1st April 2010
This week's après scene has been heavily dominated by the presence of two thousand British university students. The annual Main Event is attended by members of the British Universities Snowsports Council (BUSC) and is a week-long affair, comprising parties, competitions, dinners and general student antics.
Having graduated, bleary eyed, from university precisely ten years ago, I have to admit to being a little reluctant to welcome the students into Alpe d'Huez with open arms. From what I remember of BUSC events when I was a student, there was a lot of heavy drinking, heavy petting and very little skiing. Actually, that doesn't sound too dissimilar to the life of the average seasonaire so maybe these guys will fit right in...
And as it happens, they have fitted right in and – so far, fingers crossed – the rest of the week will go without a hitch. The Main Event started on Saturday with the arrival of coach loads of students in their uni-branded hoodies, startled as they emerged from the coaches into knee-deep snow. We've had unusual amounts of snow falling this week and it seems that nobody was less prepared than the students, some of whom arrived in resort wearing board shorts.
The first major event of the week was the opening of the Après Ski World at the base of the Snow Park. The effort that went into organising this venue was epic, and worth every minute. On the blizzard-free days, so not Tuesday, the students partied hard to the old-school dance tunes of DJ Northey and a 'requests-only' acoustic set by Dave Rogers. The drink of choice was vin chaud for most of the week, apart from when the sun burst through and the students made a rush for cider and snakebites.
On Sunday night, the car park outside the Palais des Sports was transformed into a fantastic dance venue with a banging sound system. The bass shook the road and nobody on the street slept that night. Performing live were DJ Switch, two-time DMC World Champion whose nimble fingers scratched together a perfect selection of dance and house classics. He was followed by the Urban Knights, who kept the audience and bar staff dancing until 2am. The lights, the tunes, the backdrop of snow-covered mountains will have made this a night to remember for all those whose alcohol intake was low enough to remember anything at all... For those who could keep up the pace, it was straight to Caves and l'Igloo to party until 5am.
But it's not all about partying... Well, okay, it is all about partying for 99% of the students. The other 1% are here to compete and throughout the week there have been races, freestyle comps and displays. Last night was the BUSC Ball and prize-giving for the competitors. A sit-down meal, the students dressed appropriately in black tie and ballgowns, although it wasn't just the girls that opted for full length dresses. And here I do have to give a special mention to James, of the University of Edinburgh, who seems to have spent the whole week in a ballgown – both on and off the piste!
So, the BUSC Main Event is nearly over. But rather than leave quietly, the students have saved the best night for the end of the week and tonight's line-up for the Closing Party at the Palais des Sports is made up of breaks and beats legends Nero and superstar DJs, the Stanton Warriors. I've never seen either perform live and I'm so excited to have acquired an entrance ticket to this sold-out event... I'll be working behind the bar and checking out the tunes at the same time. Here's hoping we'll have yet another fantastic evening with the BUSC students and look forward to welcoming them back to Alpe d'Huez next year.
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.
