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Chamonix Apres-Ski Report : 20th February 2013

Family fun & live music

featured in Nightlife reviews Author Alison Shayler, Chamonix Reporter Updated

February is one of the busiest months here in Chamonix as families from all over Europe descend on us for the school holidays. Lift queues and busy pistes aside, it is one of the liveliest times to come and enjoy everything that Chamonix has to offer, as well as take advantage of the buzzing atmosphere.

There is plenty to do on and off the hill in February; as well as the obvious and perfectly entertaining options of taking a horse-drawn sleigh ride around town or visiting the ice grotto at Montenvers, you could also have a try at husky sledding or night skiing under the stars.

Evolution 2 offer lots of fun winter activities; you can learn how to drive a team of huskies and steer your own sled, or slide down the slopes on a wooden sledge before enjoying a typical Savoyard meal in a Mongolian yurt - something a bit different! These particular activities take place every Wednesday and they run lots of other activities throughout the week, have a look at their website for more ideas.

Holidaying "en famille" can get expensive, so a few free entertainments are always welcome. How about night skiing every Thursday on the Tourchet piste in Les Houches? It's only a nursery slope, so even beginners can have a go and there is a friendly festive atmosphere with music, hot chocolate and mulled wine. Some weeks you can even have a go of various "snow toys" and vintage ski gear. Buses to and from Chamonix are free, so you can have a great night out without spending a bean!

There is also a free spectacle tonight at the Savoy piste near to the centre of Chamonix, when the ESF instructors will be doing a torchlit descent at 7:30pm.

Chamonix's live music scene is about to welcome some special new guests this week, some of the gigs will be early evening ones in laid-back venues so you can enjoy some good family-friendly apres-ski.

Bronkenstein Connection is a French/Swedish jazz quartet with a very funky bluesy sound; in town for a limited time only they are usually to be found playing in Nice and Monaco as well as at many of the summer music festivals, so make sure you catch at least one of their concerts before they head back down South to the warmer climes of the French Riviera. They'll be jazzing it up in MBC on Thursday at 8pm, L'Impossible on Friday at 8pm and Les Caves on Saturday at 10pm.

El Super Mini Combo Nacional are back for their second Chamonix tour of this winter, bringing us more of their tropical Cuban salsa vibes and squeezing in as many instruments as possible for another infectiously energetic performance. They'll be playing a 6 night set in bars and restaurants across Chamonix and Argentiere, check our calendar for full details.

Changing the theme slightly from family events to all-night bass-fuelled dance parties (something for everyone, you know) the legendary Full Moon Party is back this Monday in the new venue of White Hub. Expect the same amazing mash-up of bassline inspired beats, from jungle to breaks, hip hop to disco, ghetto funk to ragga, drum & bass to dupstep, house and pretty much everything in-between brought to us by much loved Chamonix DJs Pop & Skred alongside special guest DJs Woody and Flo. The guys not to miss are Running Numbers, who'll be performing a live dubstep drum & bass inspired set featuring turntables, percussion, live vocals, flute and keyboard. Tickets are 10€ on the door, from 11pm to 7am.

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