Alternative apres ski events this week

Previous tourist office activities have included introductory massage sessions, reflexology and aromatherapy for beginners, and basic yoga. There’s another one tomorrow – neck and shoulder massage with eucalyptus oil, followed by a 30 minute relaxation session, which sounds to me like having a snooze on the floor, though this has to be much more appealing than a few eightsome reels.

Unfortunately most of the official entertainments are exclusively in French, though I’ve no doubt that if you want to get along and try aromatherapy massage you’ll be more than welcome, especially if you can manage a basic word or two.

The French are a gregarious bunch and very big on their organised holiday activities, so if you’re here during school holidays (ie most of February), expect to see lots more of the same and similar. Look out for kids activities and workshops as well – if your anklebiters are the outgoing sort, chances are the language thing won’t bother them in the least.

Meanwhile, the bars are once again offering more conventional fun in the form of live music, DJs and parties (Smithy’s, where else) footy on TV (Smokey Joe’s and the Secret) and crepes served by a man in a bear suit (the Polar Bear). Oh all right, that one isn’t particularly conventional. Look out for the bear on the slopes – I spotted him boarding down the Cretes the other day. Its not every day you see a boarding bear – I did wonder at first whether I’d overdone the Bailey’s in the hot chocolate.

If you come down off the hill feeling peckish (and in the temperatures we’ve got at the moment I wouldn’t be surprised), the newly opened Black Diamond bar opposite the tourist office at the Place de Venosc is doing evening tapas, which makes a sophisticated change from chips or Nutella crepes. Not that there’s anything wrong with Nutella on a crepe, but it’s not what you’d call haute cuisine.

Further along towards the centre of town, Dracula’s Castle is another new establishment this season, though I have to say that as yet I haven’t actually seen anyone in there. This may have something to do with the fact that the eponymous patron sits outside all day looking fangy, or it might be down to the takeaway menu, which is offering ‘Dracula’s sausage’. The mind boggles. Still, it can only be better than the now (thankfully) defunct Charlie Burger, which was always a mistake you only made once.