Chamonix Apres Ski Report: 28th December 2011

It's been a great week here in Chamonix with the Christmas parties starting in earnest on Friday night. We began in South Bar in Chamonix Sud where they have a 2-4-1 deal on all draught beers, Guinness, Magners cider and wine from 4-6pm; there was a great new 2 piece band playing called Baltha & Diego, they're definitely worth checking out so I'll get hold of their gig schedule and let you know where to find them in the coming weeks.

From South Bar we adjourned to Y Bar on the high street, where there was more live music in the form of the lovely Mollie, an Aussie singer with a great voice. After a couple of vinos we headed on over to the Podium where Winter Sessions were hosting the first of many awesome nights with Lazy Habits Sound System and the Mighty Atom keeping us all on the dancefloor until 4am.

The next Winter Sessions party is on New Year's Eve and will certainly be worth the 25€ ticket price with DJ FLO from Ninjatunes radio SOLIDSTEEL on the main stage; click here for a sneaky peek of what he's all about. Being as it's New Year's Eve and all, Winter Sessions have also invited EZRA along to treat us to some of his incredible beatbox skills. Chamonix tech house maestros CORIN MARTIN and JOE VOLPELIERE will be storming it up in Room 2, so we're in for a good old knees-up all round. Tickets are strictly limited and can be bought beforehand for 25€ from The Podium (at the ice rink), Papillon, Le Jekyll, the tourist office or the Office Bar (Argentiere). Any remaining tickets will be available on the door for 30€ each.

Doors are open from midnight to 5am, so you'll still have time to join in the usual shenanigans at the clock tower when everyone spills out of the bars and restaurants and gathers in the centre of Chamonix to count out the old year and cheer in the new one with fireworks lighting up the night sky on the stroke of midnight. Most bars have an all night license on New Year's Eve; some charge an entry fee and some don't so if you have a particular favourite it might be best to check first if you need to buy a ticket. Likewise, many restaurants will be offering a special New Year's menu but you are advised to book ahead to be sure of a table.

New Year's Day itself is often the best day on the hill, being strangely quiet for some reason! Those of you who can stomach it should head to either Elevation (near the train station) or La Petite Kitchen to set yourselves up for the day with a hearty breakfast; both offer a full English as well as other lighter options.

In the meantime there is plenty going on to keep you busy until the weekend. The Pistey Boys are playing a number of gigs this week - Tuesday 10pm at South Bar, Friday 5pm at the Kitsch Inn (Les Houches) and Saturday 9pm at the MBC. The Wookies are back with their funky soul sounds on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10:30pm at Le Choucas and you can catch some broken beats, house and disco from Rire Norman at Mix Bar on Thursday. Mix Bar is on the Rue de Moulin, a little cobbled street in one of Chamonix's oldest districts (see map). It is packed full of bars and eateries, including the new Cap Horn restaurant, which also offers the Cap Blanc sushi bar and the Les Caves du Pèle wine bar. Owned by the same team who also run La Caleche in the centre of town and La Cabane in Les Praz, it is bound to be a winner. Hopefully I'll get to try it out soon!

In the meantime, keep an eye on our What's On Calendar for all upcoming events and have a great New Year's Eve.