Val d'Isere Apres Ski Report: 8th February 2013

During our pre-injury après sessions, we had the pleasure of participating in the fantastic celebration of Australia. Where else but Val d’Isère would you be able to find so many non-Australian people share their stoke of this wonderful country. During this event, we could be found hanging out in Saloon where both Aussies and non-Aussies rocked flags, Crocodile Dundee hats, and the like. Nothing like 2 for 1 pints to keep the festivities going!

Being all kinds of broken as we were, our après last week involved a lot of mellowing out. We decided to chill at the Bar Alexandra, one of the only places in Val where you can find an amazing mojito, to play some pool and table soccer. Competition got so intense, it was suggested that we give up our table to a couple of 10 years old’s whose age just happened to match our maturity level at the time. To get some air after such an intense game, we headed to the snow front for a front row seat at the weekly Wednesday night cross-country skiing competition. While some competitors were drunk and dressed up in costumes, others took this outing extremely seriously. For those unfamiliar with this race, participants of all ages and skill levels can compete for the honor of winning the Wednesday night cross-country ski competition. Although there are no set prizes, competition is fierce and accidents are common, especially as people come in to the turns and enter the downhill portion of the race. For further enjoyment, we recommend taking a sip every time someone trips over there own skis…

Now that we’ve been feeling better, it was decided that we should celebrate our being back in the après scene with a big night out. Our first stop was the Pacific Bar, a British vibe pub best known for showing all rugby and football games imaginable. It is also highly popular in Val as it is the only bar to host Beer Pong playing opportunities every night. As an American, I had the honor of explaining this complicated game to my opponents, accidently ‘forgetting’ rules here and there, bringing them out only when it suited my team. Needless to say, we won. We won a lot! While the name of the game is Beer Pong, be sure not to let that fool you. This game can just as easily turn into Champagne Pong, Wine Pong, and my least favorite, due to the increased chances of being black out by 8 pm, Jager Bomb Pong. With 4 games finished involving a very tight game against some complete strangers determined to beat us, we walked away smugly victorious and yes, quite drunk.

After that, the only viable choice was to find the ridiculousness of Val d’Isère nightlife and take it head on! Somehow, this took us back to Saloon where we managed to find the largest hipflask I have ever seen in my entire life. The two Scotsmen responsible for its presence at the Saloon Bar entrance could only offer me some port instead of reasons for their ownership of this flask. However, my mother has always told me never to talk to strangers and that if you talk to them, always beware of the men who offer you free drinks. AND that if you just so happen to accept their free drinks, have them chug a lot of it first to make sure that they haven’t put anything in it. After force-feeding these men their own port, I took a sip and decided that it was the perfect time to head home.

Thanks mom for all of your life lessons!