Chamonix Apres-Ski Report: 19th December 2012

I had a lovely rendezvous with the ladies this week at Casa Valerio, where we availed ourselves of their lunch menu; 13€, 14€, 15€ or 16€ for 3 courses and coffee. Most of the group opted for the 14€ option of tomato and mozzarella salad to start, lasagne for the main course and ice cream or panna cotta for dessert - I went hors piste and had the antipasti selection (usually a starter to share amongst 2 or 3 people) as a main course for 13€; a mouthwatering dish of sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, buffalo mozzarella, roasted red pepper, white beans and the most amazing roasted shallots - I could have happily eaten 3 courses of just the shallots... It was finished off by an indulgent sundae of chestnut and vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and meringues. It was not only the food that impressed us (we already knew that was going to be as good as ever), but Casa Valerio has had a bit of a makeover since I last paid a visit and it is now lighter and more sophisticated with cream furniture, exposed oak beams and soft lighting - elegant but still relaxed with a cosy ambience.

If your legs are starting to feel the burn from riding all this fresh powder (I know, it's such a chore) then why not try a bit of snow shoeing? You can start gently on the tracks around the Bois du Bouchet, either pick up a map from the tourist office (or download here) or just follow the signposts that depart from the Foyer du Ski de Fond. As well as enjoying the beautiful tranquillity of the pine woods you might even spot some wildlife - at the very least a few woolly ponies and donkeys snuggling up together amongst the trees. For more adventurous expeditions you can join a guided snow shoe hike with Evolution 2, who will take you further afield off the beaten track. Snow shoes and hiking poles can be hired from most ski shops for around 5-10€per day.

After last week's big party with the Plump DJs and a massive new sound system (I thought the windows were going to come out at one point), Le Vert is presenting an entirely different soirée this evening with Dan Milner, who will be taking us on a trail riding voyage from India to Morocco. Dan is a sports photographer and a man of adventure who does many exciting things in order to capture them on film and regale us with wild and bizarre stories of his travels in far-flung places. He is what you might call "a bit of a character", so his slide show tonight should be highly entertaining - free entry, taking place in the bar at 9pm.

Thursday night is the grand opening of the new Studio 128, a beauty/fitness/well-being/jewellery/art studio in Les Houches. Pop along from 4pm to meet Sarah The Beauty Lady (waxing, facials, tanning, etc) and Dina The Fitness Lady (massage, yoga, pilates, etc). The studio is also home to David Gavin's beautiful handcrafted jewellery - perfect for Christmas gifts - and there will be exhibitions from local artists adorning the walls.

Afterwards, if you are heading back into Chamonix then pop in at the hedonistic mayhem that will be the Evolution 2 Kick-Off Party at MOO Bar - pumping music, fab prizes and inebriated sexy ski instructors (that's what they're promising anyway girls...) from 11pm until we get sent home for bad behaviour.

As we all know, this Friday 21st December is the Last Day Of The World, so there will be no more apres-ski after that. However, just in case we don't all get sucked into a Black Hole of Oblivion we have the first of the live sessions at Les Caves with Erik & Mollie on Saturday - soulful jazz and blues in a very funky setting. They'll be playing from 7pm and there will be free nibbles to curb the apres-ski munchies until dinner time.

Of course the big event of the week is... CHRISTMAS! Chamonix will generally be very festive with snowy spruce trees, rosy faced children, twinkling lights, crackling log fires, woolly jumpers and so on - if you are looking for somewhere to enjoy the merriment then book yourselves in for a find feed at one of Chamonix's splendid eateries, special menus will be served on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at a variety of venues ranging from cheap-and-cheerful to full on splurge; see our What's On Calendar for details and be sure to book in advance.