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Still Not Sorted That Last Minute Snow Break? Girl, We’ve Got You…

Snowboarding, live music, cocktails and dancing in the mountains. You still have time to go on your perfect holiday....

 

It’s 2pm in the afternoon, after a morning of riding down perfect pistes we’re dancing to live music, beer in hand, under a blue sky in the mountains.

It may sound like heaven, but it’s actually a lot close to home. We’re spending the week in Portes Du Soleil in the French mountains for their annual festivals Snowboxx and Rock The Pistes.

Once a year, the slopes of this region hold host to a week of music, parties and all out fun. These festivals not only have a killer line up and full lift passes in the ticket price, they’re also seriously affordable. It seems way to good to be true, so we’re here to try everything the week offers and see if they’re really as good as they seem.


Mountain festivals have become more and more popular over the last few year and, stood on the piste with great music in front of us and a whole bunch like minded people around us, it’s easy to see why.

Music and parties take place all through the day and night during this week, with igloo parties, bottomless brunches, snow paintball fights, karaoke cabins and loads more happening around the slopes everyday and an insane line up of music and parties every night. On the first night of our stay, arriving after the slopes had closed and the sun had gone down, we made our way to Avoriaz centre to catch some of the late night Snowboxx festivities.

“It’s 2pm in the afternoon, after a morning of riding down perfect pistes we’re dancing to live music, beer in hand, under a blue sky in the mountains.”

Arriving in the town it was hardly recognisable, totally taken over by the fun and festival madness. Making our way into the crowd Radio One DJs got us dancing, before the almighty Stormzy took to the stage with a set that made even the mountains shake. As the music played into the night, we finished our drinks and headed back to camp for the night.

No two man tent in a muddy field for this festival however, heading to a friendly chalet and a warm bed, you can’t help but wonder if snow festivals might have the edge on their summer counterparts. When we woke up in the morning, warm and ready to hit the slopes, we were pretty sold on the idea that they do.

Over the next few days, exploring the ski area surrounding the festival we found that no matter what level skier or snowboarder you are, you’ll never find yourself looking for new places to ride.From amazing tree lined slopes to wide open pistes, it’s one of the best areas for a snow holiday, even without a festival surrounding you.

With the festival however, half the fun is riding along and finding parties on slopes, groups of mates having blast and awesome activities put on all day long. It’s the only place in the world where you can come across the mighty Eton Messy playing a set in the middle of an igloo.

“Basement Jaxx are joined by Chinese Man, Caravan Palace, A Skillz, High Contrast,  Wilkinson, Bicep, Hannah wants and many more”

On the morning after a big night out, we found that this mountain festival has the world’s greatest hanogver cure. Over on the swiss side of the slopes we flew away our aching heads on a giant 140 metre high zip wire called ‘Fantasticable’ – hitting speeds of 100km/h. Team that with a good ski and a hair of the dog and you’re feeling fine in no time.

While Snowboxx is focused on the dance music, Rock The Pistes offers a little more for the rock and pop and alternative music lovers on the mountain. We found that the chilled out vibe of these stages were more similar to a sumer festival in the Uk, with the crowd hanging out at the mains stage, drinking cider in the sun. the only difference is the blue run down from the stage to where you’re staying. This year’s Rock The Pistes headliners (available also to Snowboxx ticket holders)  looks to set the bar this year, with Rag N Bone Man, Chinese Man and Caravan Palace among the big names.

Over at Snowboxx the lineup is begging for a party, the incredible Basement Jaxx are joined by A Skillz, High Contrast,  Wilkinson, Bicep, Hannah wants and many more, with acts playing sets up and down the mountain at all times of the day.

 

If you want to escape to the mountains this year before it’s too late, don’t wait long! Tickets to the festivals sell out every single year, along with accommodation.

Grab your board, your boots, a good apres ski outfit and a group of your best mates and get ready for boozy brunches in the sun, long days on the pistes, world class DJ sets. Mountain life doesn’t get any better than this.

For more information on this year’s Rock The Pistes and Snowboxxvisit the websites. A thanks, also, must go to Crystal Ski Holidays for keeping a roof above our head during the entirety of our stay.

Getting There:

Crystal Ski Holidays (www.crystalski.co.uk; 020 8939 0726) offers a week’s half-board at the two-star Hotel Beau Regard in Morzine from £555 per person (based on two sharing) and a week’s self-catering at the four-star les Chalets D’Angele in Chatel from £545 per person (based on four sharing), both including flights from Gatwick to Geneva and transfers (price given is for departure on 18 March 2017). Direct flights available from all major UK airports.

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