Chamonix Apres-Ski Report: 18th April 2013

Temperatures have been hovering around 22-24º these past few days and the evenings keep stretching out longer and longer. The best time to head up the hill is in the morning, as the hot sunshine is turning everything to a sticky slush by early afternoon. Although, having said that, I skied the Grands Montets homerun at about 3:30pm yesterday and it was perfectly do-able... albeit a bit soggy in places.

This just means that you have to be a bit more motivated to get up and out early before you can justify settling into that deckchair for a snooze in the sun, which is much easier than in January when the mornings are oh so dark and cold.

Last Saturday was a perfect example of Chamonix getting its summer vibe on, when the Café Mambo DJs came to party with us all the way from Ibiza. With decks and an outdoor mojito bar set up on the terrace at Grands Montets, all we needed was some Ibiza-style weather to get us in the mood, and right on cue the sun came out to play... I'm pretty sure espadrilles are easier to dance in than ski boots but we put in a good effort all the same.

The guys played an awesome set until the last lift down at the end of the afternoon, then continued the party in town in Mix Bar and White Hub on the Rue des Moulins.

Les Grands Montets stays open until 12th May but this weekend sees the first of the ski areas to close for the season when the Brevent and Le Tour say "au revoir" until the summer. The Brevent will be hosting a closing party on the roof of the underground parking on Saturday night with live music and a BBQ from 4:30pm, and Le Tour will have their party all afternoon on Sunday at the top of the gondola. The ski areas will both be open until the end of the day on Sunday.

In true Mallet's Mallet style, what's the first word that springs to mind when you think of summer? Holidays? Corsica? OK, maybe the last one's not so obvious but that's what the organisers of this week's Corsican Festival are hoping. From the 19th to the 21st April Chamonix will be welcoming all sorts of Corsican musicians, dancers, chefs and artisans for a 3 day festival. There'll be loads of free entertainments and concerts to watch, as well as a market stall in the centre of town where you can try typical Corsican cuisine - make sure you try the lovely courgette fritters!

Right, today is looking far too good to spend it in front of a computer so I'm off to make the most of it, hope you do too - enjoy!

All upcoming events can be found on our What's On Calendar.