Resort has settled down into its usual January post-party recovery mode this week, and we’ve said goodbye once again to the mobs of Italian youths apparently intent on dismantling the place. It appears that Timberland boots are the mutt’s nuts on the Turin fashion scene for the third year running, and every Italian under 30 arrived sporting spanking new box-fresh boots paired with skinny jeans rolled up to show the brandname, a look which always makes me laugh.
Still, that’s all we’ll see of them until next summer, and meanwhile January low season gives the bars a chance to catch their breath and get their regular party/band/footy nights in place for the rest of the season.
The ever popular Smithy’s Tavern, needless to say, already has its party programme up and running, with regular bands, DJs and promotions on offer all week. Next door, the Minibar is once again promoting its Super Saturday evenings, with a live DJ set for those of you eager beavers keen to get out on the town on arrival day despite the fact that you crawled out of bed at 2am to make the flight. Nutters.
The Pano Bar at 2600 is punting out its trademark aural sledgehammer musical experience every day at 3pm, and was rammed to the gills this afternoon despite the fact that it’s an otherwise quiet week. Those of you who prefer music not designed to turn their brains to jelly should consider Smokey Joe’s for a spot of apres ski acoustic from regular act Mark Morton.
Anyone with apres ski munchies should have a look at the new crepe stands which have sprung up this year in front of both the Boardroom and the Polar Bear – I was hard pushed to resist a Nutella pancake from the Bear Staff this afternoon, particularly since the bloke in question had gone to all the effort of actually dressing up as a polar bear.
But considering this is post Christmas indulgence time, maybe you’d like to go for a bit of healthy, teetotal fun instead. The ice rink is open for business daily, as usual, as is the outdoor pool. Outdoor pool, are you mental or what, I hear you cry. Fear not, it’s heated to a good 30°C so we’re not talking New Year’s Day in the Serpentine here. It’s possibly at its best in a snowstorm, in fact, offering a distinctly surreal swimming experience.
If you still think getting (nearly) naked in the outdoors in the Alps in January is bananas – and I don’t necessarily blame you, we’re not Scandinavians after all – try roasting your abused body in the sauna and steam room at the Acqua Center. This is my kind of apres ski activity – when JC finally buys the right Euromillions ticket and we have our own luxury chalet it will certainly have at least one sauna. Not to mention an outdoor Jacuzzi with mountain view and champagne-toting private barman.
In the meantime though, we might all have to make do with public sauna followed by a trip along the road for one of the Windsor’s champagne cocktails. These look a bit pricey until you see exactly what goes into one and just how big it is – I was once dissuaded from having a second, which was probably just as well as I might not have made it home afterwards.
We seem to have strayed off the teetotal straight and narrow here (oops, dammit), but come on, you are on holiday after all. And you have been out skiing all day, which has to count as healthy exercise, even if you did spent two hours over lunch scoffing one of the Toura’s monster omelettes.
