Tignes Apres Ski Report: 20th February 2013

Although the snow is always welcome, it is making the visibility poor due to the flat light and fat flakes. We have had some amazing runs through the trees in Le Brevieres and Val d'Isere which are very quickly becoming my favourite spots around the resort. After a day through the trees, we decided to have a few après while we caught our breath back at the flat.

The cards were out quickly and before we knew it, we were well on our way. After a good session of various drinking games we heard a knock on the door which turned out to be JP the owner of SoBar wanting us to get involved in Open Mic Night. The booze got the better of my confidence and before I knew it I had shook his hand saying I would be there. This quickly sobered me up as I tried to remember my go-to songs which mainly consist of Mr Jack Johnson. We strolled on up around 9pm, and to my horror found a very full bar. I bought a pint to calm the nerves and settled in to watch some very talented musicians. There were all types of artists being played, ranging from Metallica and Black Sabbath to Green Day and even a little bit of Taylor Swift.

I was trying to slip under the radar until JP called me up in what felt like payback for the thrashing I had given him in darts. After the croaks in my voice cleared and the fingers started moving it actually went alright and was quite enjoyable! It was a great night and some very good singalongs were played! This is a regular now on Tuesday nights so get along and bring your instrument of choice!

After a trip down to Bourg St Maurice on Friday, and a boot load of cheap beers, we thought we would venture over to the dark side and go check out the Frostgun Invitational in Val D'Isere. The comp was sponsored by Red Bull and Quiksilver and sported some of the biggest names in skiing. It was held at the bottom of the Olympic gondola where a massive 90 foot booter was impressively made. Below the landing was a stage where top DJ's such as Akill (Jurassic 5) played beats for the pumped crowd. Everyone waited it out in the freezing temps to see a flying long haired Canadian take it out with a flawless finals run. The champagne was flowing at the awards ceremony before more internationally renowned DJ's finished the party off. It was an inspiring night and got me very pumped for our X-Games back home in Tignes next month.

On Sunday night we headed across the lake to Val Claret to witness something we don't see everyday. Some daredevil (some might say nutter!) was trying to be the first person to back flip a car on the snow. The jump was a very decent size and the large crowd all shared mixed thoughts on the outcome. After about one hours build up, the motor started, the engine revved and the crowd erupted as he speed into the take off. For such a heavy vehicle it was a slow rotation which you could tell worried a few of the spectators, however it made it round, knuckling the landing but driving away. Check out our news story complete with video footage of the backflip!

With the snowy days coming to an end mid week, we have some bluebirds now to go out and enjoy the amazing snow and après conditions. The sun goes down about 5.15pm these days so have the beers in the fridge or make the most of the decks and outdoor areas around the place.

Enjoy....