Night skiing on the Tourchet piste

It feels a little strange to be pulling on the ski gear and digging out your helmet and gloves when it's already dark outside, but lapping the mellow green run by the ice rink in Les Houches is a graet way to spend a Thursday evening.

I got a few strange looks as I waited for the bus in Les Bossons clutching my snowboard at about 7.30 in the evening and then when it arrived, it was impossible to say whether the skiers and boarders on board were heading home after a few apres ski beers or heading out skiing for the evening.

On arriving in Les Houches half an hour before the lift opened, there was already a crowd gathering - probably racing to get those first floodlit turns, or maybe (probably) to get a good spot in the vin chaud queue!

Once the drag lift got going, the piste was soon littered with people trying out every kind of descending-down-a-snowy-slope method you can think of! Lots of skiers and snowboarders were challenging themselves to ride differently on the beginner run by swapping to the other discipline or riding switch, but there were also sledges, parets, snow bikes and snowskates (a skateboard with a tiny deck on the bottom which has contact with the snow). The run also has a little jump half way down.

Whatever people were riding, everybody seemed to be enjoying the fun atmosphere, the beats blaring out and the vin chaud.

This is a great event run by the Les Houches Tourist Office every year completely free of charge. Unforuntately it doesn't take place through the school holidays, so won't be on for the next few weeks, but is generally made available in January.