After a long day tearing up the piste there's only one way to wind down, and that is dancing with a pint in your hand at aprés. Here are our favourite post-piste watering holes in Tignes Val Claret...
La Folie Douce
Best for: après fun and table dancing
Just over the hill from the Bollin and Fresse lifts you’ll find the original and best après bar, the mighty Folie Douce. Every day from 3pm their huge outdoor decking area is packed with rosy-cheeked revellers fresh from the slopes - usually about five pints deep and dancing on the tables. Folie is famous for having a DJ outside pumping tunes across the mountain and you can hear the booming bass as you make your way down the slope towards it. You can catch dancers, saxophone players and singers prancing up and down the bars, injecting the atmosphere with extravagant alpine showmanship.
Top tip: make a mental note of where you leave your skis because tracking them down is challenging after six beer pêches. And don’t miss the last lift home.
Keep your eyes peeled for a magnum pulley systems transporting giant bottles of bubbly from one side of the bar to the other and always be prepared for champagne showers.
Photo: lafoliedouce.com
Le Coffee
Best for: Slope-side sun-worshipping
Le Coffee is located slap bang in the middle of Val Claret, right next to the Tufs lift and the iconic Grizzly Bar. The interior is plush and woody with lots of cosy couches and blankets for keeping warm. Outside you can top up the goggle tan whilst lounging on the deck chairs and if you're lucky, catch the friendly dog that likes sunbathing there. When après hour rolls around Le Coffee is well known for hosting rail jam events on the piste. The sofas are cleared to make way for a dancefloor and the outdoor bar comes to life, serving hot Van Chaud by the gallon. Luckily, Le Coffee is a stone's throw from almost all residences so the walk home isn't too bad, as long as you avoid the piste!
This year Line-S sponsored a rail jam at Le Coffee
Dropzone
Best for: Pre-drinks and deck dancing
Dropzone is Le Coffee’s rowdy little brother. Covered in uni stickers and offering everyone’s favourite tipple including beer pêche and Desperados on tap, it is no brainer for aprés festivities and pre-drinking. You can guarantee good music and space to spread out on the decking outside with brilliant views of the mountains. With one bar, queues can be long, but you can get a few games of pool in while you’re waiting. Beware the steps leading up to it are a bit of a deathtrap when it's icy.
Saloon
Best for: Meeting every single other uni
You’ll find Saloon round the corner from Sherpa in town, perched above Le Satsuki the sushi restaurant. The windows are usually completely steamed up because of the sheer volume of people who go there, but that makes it the perfect place to mix with other university groups. Saloon has plenty of wooden booths for catching up on the day’s antics on the slopes and it’s a popular pre-party venue for student groups. You can easily spend a whole night there as the bar opens out into a dancefloor where you can boogy into the small hours.
Top tip: don’t wear too many layers.
And if you want to go out out...
Blue Girl
Best for: Flügel and pole-dancing
Below Drop Zone in the underbelly of Tignes Val Claret you'll find labyrinth of levels to lounge in at Blue Girl. Expect low lighting and cave-like surroundings with a few sofas, small stages and podiums for dancing. The bar is always well-stocked with everyone's favourite alpine tipples and the stand-out features include a mirrored cage and pole setup. Join the queue for a shot of both...
Melting Pot
Best for: Getting melted
It doesn't look like much from the outside, but descend the steps into Melting Pot and you'll find a bouncing basement which regularly raises the roof for the student crowd. The bar is nice and long so there's a chance you'll actually get served and there's a decent sized dancefloor and stage to cut shapes on. The walls are decorated with colourful dancing people but don't touch them! Condensation is a real problem since Melting Pot is generally hotter than the sun. To cool down, why not try the caramel vodka shots?
Top tip: Beware the steps down to the club which are sketchier than the route to Mordor