Verbier Apres Ski Report: 18th April 2013
Angus Griffin | Verbier Reporter | published: 18th April 2013
As the sunny weather drenches the resort in rays it’s once again time to hang up the poles for another year. A season like none other in terms of snowfall, events and partying, just where has this season gone? If you’re hanging around for the next week or two, don’t despair however, as there’s still fun to be had.
The last Le Rouge apres was an afternoon not to be missed
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Getting into the groove at T-Bar
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The Le Rouge Closing party
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A rammed Le Rouge terrace
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Ben Peel live at T Bar
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Warming up for the summer in Place Centrale
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The Spring-time BBQs are now in full flow and swapping ski boots for flip-flops, Verbier has certainly been making the most of this sizzling heat. With temperatures soaring to nearly 25°C, the skiing has inevitably suffered but if you are keen enough, first-lift ascents can both provide some decent skiing. The avalanche danger is incredibly high right now due to the thaw across the Alps - all that snow we've had has to go somewhere so make sure you stay out of the off piste right now and for the foreseeable future.
This week has provided locals with some of the biggest parties of the winter. The Le Rouge end-of-season, red-themed closing party on Sunday was perhaps the biggest highlight. During après the beautiful weather meant that the terraces, both upstairs and downstairs were rammed with party-goers. The swelling crowd swirled and twirled as the pumping house music, synonymous with a Le Rouge après teared through the summery airwaves. As the sun went down, a beautiful sunset ensued adding a distinctly nostalgic element to the evening. As darkness fell, so too did the high temperatures and people piled inside to carry on the merrymaking. Every corner of the room buzzed as people created dance floors everywhere - even the beams became a place to throw some shapes. The party went on until 12, but for those that wanted to keep going, it was also the closing of Super Soif Sundays at The Loft. Having been a staple on the weekly party calendar, everyone seemed to stumble down the hill to say goodbye to the last end-of-weekend party.
Ben Peel at T-Bar on Thursday provided some excellent evening entertainment. Just him and his guitar managed to get everyone on their feet, and covering some classic tracks from the likes of Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones, his taste in music seemed to be particularly original and refreshing. One of the few remaining Seasonaire Tuesdays at Casbah meant there was only one thing left for it: 80’s night. Loud colours, fluffy ankle-warmers and outlandish costumes were the name of the game and, set to a soundtrack of 80’s classics from Michael Jackson, Survivor and Prince, it confirmed to many that their teenage years were spent in the wrong decade.
Despite many places having closed for the season, there’s still lots to keep you busy in resort. The Tour de Romandie is a great spectator's event and gives contestants the opportunity to take on a massive ascent of 2000m - all the way to Verbier. The race takes place between the 23rd and 28th April and with 21 teams competing, is set to get you in the mood for some summer cycling.
The official final day of the season is the 27th April: to celebrate/commiserate, a party at the bottom of the La Chaux piste featuring food, drinks, music, a big air display and most importantly a water slide competition, promises to provide plenty of end-of-season laughter.
The last Seasonaire Tuesday of the winter is going to be a big one at Casbah. Organised by Verbier Seasonaires it is the events company’s official closing party (although the official closing date of Casbah is 28th April), and promises to play Verbier’s finest blend of House music spun by DJ G. Hold on to your sock’s everyone, this one may get emotional…
This season has been second-to-none. The snowfall has provided some of the best skiing the 4 valleys has seen in years, and the solid base has meant skiing has been and still is possible even late into April. The Farinet Aprés will be greatly missed over the summer, as those ‘Wednesday Après’ become distant hedonistic memories, as will cold beers after a hard day’s skiing on the Le Rouge terrace. Huge events such as Mardi Gras, New Year and the onesie descent will be greatly missed but there is one piece of good news: as you fill in that gap between winters that we call summer just remember, it will all be here next year.
So until then, enjoy the warm weather!
Thanks for reading everybody!
Angus Griffin
