Chamonix Apres Ski Report: 25th April 2012

Saturday night was Le Vert's Funky Fro party; platforms, flares, wigs - the bigger the better. And extra kudos if you could add some sequins, glitter and feathers to complete the overall effect. Birds With Swords were allowed out of Cham Sud for the night and played to a packed-out crowd, followed by some fine funky sounds from DJ R.I.A.,G-Styles and Mellow D. Although Friday was the official end-of-season bash, Le Vert never closes down entirely and will still be open throughout spring – watch this space for more information.

Sunday required a long lie-in and a hearty lunch – the weather was sunny but deceptively chilly so we opted for the cosy ambience of La Ferme, a small restaurant on the Avenue Aiguille du Midi. There is a row of restaurants just by the railway crossing that are all worth a perusal for a tasty and not-too-expensive meal. The speciality of La Ferme is round flat food – omelettes, crepes (flour pancakes) and galettes (buckwheat pancakes) with savoury and sweet options. We started with croute (mine with mushrooms and my friend's with ham) and the other two girls each had a galette with different toppings. The croutes were lovely, very garlicky and made with good Alpine cheese; the galettes were also pronounced a success – all served with a simple green salad and vinaigrette dressing. Despite being quite full we had already seen a few crepes emerging from the kitchen and the temptation was too great; I went for La Normande which is topped with hot apple, pecans, caramel sauce, cinnamon and ice cream. Absolutely delicious but not as exciting as my friend's flambéed Grand Marnier crepe – food is always infinitely more exciting when it is either set on fire or has a sparkler sticking out of it.

It's been a week of goodbye/end-of-season/closing down parties and there are more to come before the last lifts close on the 8th May at Les Grands Montets (where there will be another big party on the hill, more about this on the Events Calendar). This Saturday is the always-messy “P” Party at The Pub – the concept is simple, come dressed as something beginning with the letter P, drink as much Fernet Branca as possible, then spend Sunday feeling like death and being quite glad that The Pub is now closed until summer. They carry out their interseason closure as an act of kindness, an enforced detox for the masses.

If you can handle two parties in one night (I believe it's called “multi-tasking"), La Terrasse will also be having its final bash on Saturday before closing its doors for a month of respite. There will be music from scratch-tastic heroes of the turntable Pop & Skred and no doubt more irresponsible drinking; see the photo above for evidence of last Friday's ill-advised jager bomb rally at La Terrasse...

You can get a pre-weekend taste of Pop & Skred tonight at South Bar in Chamonix Sud, where Anzac Day has prompted them to offer all Aussies and Kiwis a free shot with every drink – time to start brushing up on the twangy accent. Just over the road at Monkey Bar DJ Richie Delf will be dishing out the tunes, while the bar staff will be dishing out 2-4-1 cocktails from 9-10pm. If you've not yet ventured into the Sud then tonight could be the night to give it a go!

You can find all the above events and more on our Events Calendar.