Chamonix Apres Ski Report: 28th March 2012

I've been putting that extra hour to good use by carrying out some serious apres-ski research. With rosé season nearly upon us I feel it my duty to start sampling the best places to relax in the sun with a cold drink. A new place that has sprung up this winter is La Yaute Café in Argentiere; right at the foot of the Grands Montets just beside the roundabout that leads into the car park you will find a friendly funky little bar with a sunny terrace and regular live music. In fact, there are lots of nice apres bars in Argentiere and seeing as Les Grands Montets has the best snow at this time of year I think I feel an “Argentiere Special Edition” apres report coming on soon...

It's been more than warm enough to enjoy lazy lunches in the sun this week, so on Saturday I headed to Satzuki on Rue Joseph Vallot to meet the girls. This Japanese restaurant does one of the best value lunches in town, just 8.80€ for the set menu of miso soup and a choice of 2 mains, followed by tea or coffee. Service is quick and friendly and the food is excellent. I had maguroten (bite sized tuna fritters), which was served with fine noodles and a crunchy salad that had some unidentified but extremely tasty dressing on it. Their terrace is very small and very popular, so get there early or reserve a table if you want to eat outdoors. They offered us a dessert menu but by this time we felt like a wander round to soak up the atmosphere in town so we went to the bakery opposite the post office and bought ice creams instead. There's been a good band playing in the centre of town recently, no idea who they are but they always draw a crowd and have a great sound for such young lads (or maybe I'm just getting older...).

With friends visiting we thought it our duty to show them some classic Chamonix apres, so we took them to Chambre 9. Arriving slightly early allows you to unwind on the terrace with a beer, line the stomach with a hotdog and catch up with folks before heading in to the mayhem. Chamonix is getting a bit quieter now that school holidays have finished and Easter hasn't arrived yet, but Chambre still manages to pack out every night. After we'd bellowed along to all the classics and spilled beer over ourselves and everyone else in range we went to Bar'd Up on Rue des Moulins to continue the carnage. Bar'd Up isn't really big enough for dancing but no one seemed to have got that memo, so we all piled into the tiny space in front of the slightly raised corner that they call a stage and performed a mass jig to the sounds of Birds With Swords, an Aussie trio that has taken Chamonix by storm this winter. They also play South Bar in Chamonix Sud every Friday night, so make sure you check them out.

One of the best DJ duos in Chamonix will be busting out the beats in South Bar tonight. Pop & Skred have been doing the rounds for a few years now and were regulars at the legendary Cantina Club; get down there from 10:30pm onwards and treat your ears to some of the finest turntablism and best hip hop, breaks, dubstep and drum'n'bass around.

Pop & Skred'll also be playing this weekend at the Winter Sessions Weekender party alongside Norman Jay MBE, Zero 7, Running Numbers, DJ Cheeba, Trojan Sound System and loads more. The weekend kicks off from 5pm on Friday night at La Terrasse in the centre of Chamonix before heading over to Le Podium for the first of 2 massive nights.

Saturday daytime sees us dragging our hangovers up the hill for the Quiksilver Mountain Sessions at Les Grands Montets: live DJ sets, whoops comp, Alpine Cake Bake-Off, Space Turkey Wrestling, King of Ping (ping-pong contest), iPod battle, best onesie contest, DJ battles and more – whole lotta fun with prizes to be won. Then back to La Terrasse for the after party and more great music, followed by Mix Bar and the 2nd of the 2 parties at Le Podium.

We've got our fingers crossed for more good weather this weekend as the final day is the Finger Lickin BBQ at Le Vert with live DJ sets until the small hours. There's far too much lined up to tell you all about here, so check out the line-up on this page for full details of what's happening, where and when. You'll be ruined by Monday but it's going to be awesome, so don't miss out! Visit the Winter Sessions for details of where to buy tickets, either for the whole weekend or for individual events.

In the meantime, enjoy the sun, take it easy and keep an eye on our What's On calendar for the week ahead.