It’s a strange feeling putting all your boarding kit back on after dinner and once the sun has set, it feels wrong somehow. As does getting into a cable car in the dark as the pisteurs say ‘bon soir.’ As we all crammed into the cable car and it left the lift station, we rose out of a golden, street lamp lit Val d’Isere. We passed over the first pylon and the rattle seemed far more menacing than it does usually with the darkness outside. Then about three quarters of the way up, we were high enough to see the full moon for the first time. It lit everyone’s faces and they were all grinning… This is insane!

Hot Fire and Dirty Beats

At the top we heard thumping beats and smelt kerosene. As we rounded the corner to the Tete de Solaise restaurant, the fire-dancers were in full flow. A couple of free vin chauds later and everyone was nodding to the beats, grinning at the flames and looking up at the stars then down at the moonlit mountains.

After half an hour or so, groups of people started leaving to head off down ‘Piste L.’ Obviously, like good season workers, we stuck around for another half an hour or so to down some more free vin chaud!

Boarding down the Moon

As we left the fire dancers and music behind, our eyes adjusted to the moonlight and the silence. It was then we realised how bright the moon really is. We set off and it seemed so surreal to be on the piste in such a pale, but visible light. We might as well have actually been carving down the moon.

As we rounded the mountain the moon dipped behind the dark peaks above. I and a bunch of other boarders rode upwards off piste to catch the last of the light before we got too low. It wasn’t fresh tracks by any means, but chasing the moonlight uphill into a wall full of powder I couldn’t help myself letting out a ‘woo-hoo!’ And I wasn’t the only one. I know being British we like to keep things bottled up inside, but there were whoops and cheers and ye-has coming from all around me.

Pitch Black Kickers

Soon after, as we descended into the shadow of the mountain, the visibility dropped dramatically. I kept trying to tell myself that it was just like a white out and I should be used to boarding blind. Instead of snowdrifts though, there were various shades of dark and shadow. I realised I should exercise caution when what I thought was a wee-kicker at the side of the piste ended up being a 2ft high wall of snow that catapulted me head first into the snow-shelf.

After spitting out my mouthful of snow I decided to stick to the piste and bend ze knees in case of moguls and ice patches (of which there were both). Then, all too soon, and just as I felt like I was getting my owl-vision going on, I got to the bottom.

Apres Ski? Apres-Dinner-ski?

I met up with the rest of my mates and we all agreed what an awesome experience it had been. Seeing Val lit up at night, going on the ‘fright night at Chessington’ cable car ride, the free booze, the stars, the fire dancers, then riding down what might as well have been the mountains of the moon itself.

All that was left to do now was to start apres-ski 2, which again seemed a little surreal, especially to the people in ‘Bananas’ as we all walked in at 10pm in full kit, still covered in snow!

[Report by Matt Kingsnorth, Natives Resort Reporter, Val d'Isere]