F
VA
(
noun)
dee-vee-ay
Short for
détecteur de
victimes d’avalanches,
this is the French
acronym for a radio transceiver – the
most important item of safety equipment
for anyone heading off-piste (see our
entry for O). It emits a signal so anyone
carrying one can be located in the
event of an avalanche. To help skiers
and snowboarders stay safe in the
backcountry, Les Deux Alpes run a free
Freeride Attitude workshop each Tuesday
of the season (bookable through the
tourist office).
les2alpes.com
E
A - Z S K I I N G
Extreme sport
(
noun) x-treem sp-ort
These days, there are ever more elaborate
ways for daredevils to get their adrenalin
fix, like the Bun J Ride (
bun-j-ride.com
)
in
tiny St Jean de Sixt, an hour from Geneva.
Strap on your skis or snowboard, ride
down a ramp and be launched 40m across
a freezing river while attached to a bungee.
La Plagne (
la-plagne.com
)
has an Olympic
bobsleigh run and an ice-climbing wall,
while those feeling particularly blasé about
their personal safety can try the fearsome
sport of speedriding – skiing with a
parachute, so short flights are possible – in
Les Arcs (
speedriding-school.com
).
D
La Folie Douce
(
noun) lah fo-lee doos
With a name that translates as ‘sweet
madness’, you can be sure that France’s
most raucous party institution did not earn
its reputation by pulling any punches. This
piste-side, open-air club (
lafoliedouce.com)
already has outposts in Val d’Isere and
Val Thorens, and another has opened in
Méribel for the 2012 season. Days start off
with high-class lunchtime dining, but come
2.30
pm, the party kicks off with cabaret
performances from singers, saxophonists,
dancers and fire eaters, and music from
world-class dance DJs. With Champagne
showers and pricey cocktails, the crowd is
more wealthy holidaymakers than penniless
seasonaires. “The fact of partying in broad
daylight, with your ski boots, snow jackets
and goggles at -20° just adds that little
crazy touch,” explains La Folie Douce’s
Leonor Aublin. “The amazing part is that
we get people from seven to 77 years old
dancing and having fun all together.” The
party may close with the lifts, but punters
can wobble down to carry on at the
legendary and recently refurbished Dick’s
Tea Bar (
dicksteabar.com
) –
itself also in
both Val and Méribel. Fun times.
PHOTOS
CORBIS, DOM DAHER, GETTY, ALAMY
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