Chamonix Apres Ski Report:1st April 2010
I seem to have no sooner posted one apres ski report when another week has sped by and I'm wracking my brains to remember what happened in the last 7 days! I know one thing for certain; I lied last week when I said the Balboas gigs in the Savoy bar in Argentiere would be a bit calmer than Chambre 9….. Whilst the bar itself is about half the size of C9, I wasn't the only person commenting that we'd never seen the place so full. Every square inch of space was being danced on and to the outsider, if you could see anything at all through the steamy, condensed up windows; it was row after row of bouncing backsides as people clambered onto every available surface to dance to those Balboa classics. And the crowd pleasers were all there! I've mentioned in previous reports that there are certain songs that No Limits in Chambre will never play (Snow Patrol, White Stripes, Rage etc) as these have traditionally always been Balboas songs. Well, I have to say I had a bit of a lump in my throat when Stefan struck the opening chords of “Chasing Cars” and the whole bar erupted into song. Much as I love No Limits who are an absolutely awesome après band, I've realised these last couple of weeks just how much I've missed the Balboas since they left Cham. Especially as it's been so hot and steamy in the Savoy this week that the band have felt the need to take their tops off which is always a bonus on a night out….. ;O)
Otherwise, the Vert's 4th Birthday bash last Saturday was one mahoosive party! It's always the case with Le Vert, their party nights draw in crowds from the length and breadth of the valley, and with The Cuban Brothers headlining last weekend - they came in their droves! If you don't know who they are, The Cuban Brothers are, well, not Cuban at all……they're from Scotland actually! But once they're kitted out in bad fake tan, dodgy ‘taches and fat cigars, their alter-egos Miguel Mantovani, Archerio, Clemente and Kengo San (their Japanese love-child) are born. Kitted out in a leopard skin Adidas tracksuit, “wife beaters” and later on some obscenely tight lycra one pieces and disturbingly small pants, they entertained the crowd with hilariously cheesy lines in thick “Cuban” accents, a bit of stripping (“eees so hot in here I have to take off my pantalones!”) and some astonishing break dancing moves on the packed dance floor. All set to a soundtrack of gloriously cheesy tunes, spun by Clemente on the decks. Pure class! These guys are have entertained the likes of Elton John, Robbie Williams and Vernon Kaye and Tess Daly – true A-list favourites and definitely one of the best nights of the season.
Looking forward to next week, there's loads coming up in the next few days or so, starting with a couple of big events organised by the Tourist Office:
The 18th edition of the Piolet's d'Or or “Golden Ice-Axes” is an annual gathering of some of the finest alpinists in the world, jointly hosted by Chamonix and Courmayeur. They come to the area to celebrate their sport and award the coveted Piolets d'Or to the finest of the “first ascents” of the worlds most beautiful summits from the previous year. As well as the awards, the event is 100% dedicated to the mountains with debates, film screenings and presentations forming an integral part of the festivities. This year the jury will be presided over by Slovenian climber Andrej Stremfelj, winner of the 1st Piolet d'Or in 1991and someone who has personally achieved many first ascents on the high summits of the Himalayas. He will be joined on the panel by climbers from Spain, Britain, Russia, Japan and Austria. The event runs from 7th – 10th April and starts with a film showing of "A la conquête des cimes" (conquest of the summits) at 9pm at the Cinema VOX in Chamonix centre. This is a black and white production filmed in 1930 that immortalises the ascent of the Dent du Requin (Shark's tooth) by 3 alpinists in the Mont Blanc Massif. The film will be followed by a performance from the jazz trio "Das Kapital" – guitar, saxophone and percussion, considered by some to be amongst the greatest musical improvisers in Europe.
Towards the end of next week (starting Friday), Chamonix welcomes back the ever popular “Corse a Cham” – a celebration of all things Corsican. Held over 3 days (Fri/Sat/Sun) you can experience a taste of the Isle de Beauté right here in Chamonix with performances of traditional Corsican music, regional produce, food tasting, films and exhibitions. Many of the performances will be centred in Place Garmisch-Partenkirchen (by the clock tower and the L'M Bistrot) and are completely free of charge.
Also this week there are some great one-off bands not to miss, namely the final Blind Poets après ski gigs of this winter (Chambre and Savoy on Saturday and Monday respectively) and Martin (one half of Melvil) at Bar'd Up tomorrow night (Friday) from 10.30pm. The Mix Bar on rue des moulins is hosting a bit of wine and food tasting this week, accompanied by some great DJ sounds and 2 for 1 promo's on all long drinks from 9pm – 10.30pm every night. Check out the What's On calendar for details of these and loads of other events in Cham this week.
Enjoy!!
Thanks to Freshtraxx for the Cuban Brothers photos
Don't forget to keep an eye on the What's On Calendar for a full list of events over the winter season. You can also find full Bar and Restaurant listings in the Dining and Going Out section of the site.
