European Gay Ski Week 2019
26 people attending
24 places left
European Gay Ski Week is the largest LGBT+ skiing and snowboarding event in Europe, with more guests and bigger parties than any other. EGSW is the only ski week that travels to different resorts, so that skiers and boarders can explore new pistes and nightlife across the whole of the French Alps.
EGSW will be moving to the new host resort of Les Arcs 1950 / 2000. This will be the first ODL event to be based in Les Arcs, giving ODL members the opportunity to ski / board across the whole of the Paradiski domain.
Book your place at EGSW and you’ll get an exclusive €50 discount per person off the price, plus OutdoorLads will get a £10 donation from EGSW. (Full details and exclusions below)
To cope with the increased numbers attending and to make ODL even more visible during the event, Neil will be joined this year by Skip as the ODL Event Leaders at EGSW = We've been going to EGSW for years. It's a great place to learn how to ski or board, to have a great time on the pistes, or just to party with old and new mates. If you've any questions or queries about joining us at EGSW, please send us a message and we'll try to help - S&N
EGSW is a great place to learn how to ski / board. Each year, up to 60 virgin skiers & boarders come to EGSW and join a beginners class for their first on-snow lessons. EGSW is where Neil first learnt to ski.
EGSW also has group & private lessons, hosted on-piste groups and guided off-piste tours that will suit all other levels of skier and boarder.
A great thing about EGSW is that you can arrange everything - accommodation, ski / boarding equipment, lift pass, party / apres-ski event pass, mountain lunch - through the EGSW website as a package - it's cheaper and easier that way, and the total can be paid in monthly instalments between now and January, for those who may not want to pay the total upfront.
European Gay Ski Week (EGSW) supports OutdoorLads
EGSW will make a £10 donation to ODL for each ODL Full Member who has registered on the ODL website as attending this ODL Event at EGSW 2019 and made an EGSW booking that includes accommodation + EGSW Event Pass + 6 or more days Paradiski Lift Pass.
ODL Members can claim a €50 discount
ODL Full Members can receive a €50 per person discount off the price of an EGSW booking. To claim this discount, you must:
- Be an ODL Full Member at the time of booking and during EGSW 2019 (23rd to 30th March 2019).
- Book accommodation on the EGSW website.
- Book an EGSW Event Pass (note: an event pass is required to attend apres).
- Book a 6 or more days Paradiski Lift Pass on the EGSW website.
The discount does not apply if you book one of the EGSW promotional offers such as the Shared Accommodation package and it cannot be combined with other discounts. The process for claiming this discount is set out below.
What to bring
You can hire your ski / board equipment through the EGSW website. Your EGSW welcome pack will then include a voucher that you exchange for equipment in almost any of the hire shops in Les Arcs 1950 / 2000. We have access to Ski Guide discounts and even we can't hire equipment for less than what EGSW quote, so this is ## RECOMMENDED ##
If you don't already have your own ski / board clothing, you can hire this through the EGSW website for the week. The clothes for hire are okay, but if possible, we recommend instead that you borrow clothing off mates / family / ODL members, so that you know what fits before you arrive in les Arcs 1950 / 2000. You don't need to worry about whether or not your ski / board gear is in fashion. There will be some people at EGSW wearing this year's gear, but most won't be. The best skiers / boarders are usually wearing stuff from a few seasons ago that's held together with Duct Tape.
Les Arcs 1950 / 2000 is a ski in / ski out resort. Hopefully, the streets will be covered in snow, so we'll be wearing walking boots when out of ski gear, not trainers. EGSW guests wear white to the White Party / Snowball, Speedos (it's France so no board shorts!) to the Pool Party and not much to the Erotica Party. Apart from those three events, you can wear whatever you want; it's a ski resort.
A great thing about EGSW is that you can arrange your everything - accommodation, ski / boarding equipment, lift pass, party / apres-ski event pass, mountain lunch - through the EGSW website as a package - it's cheaper and easier that way, and the total can be paid in monthly instalments between now and January, for those who may not want to pay the total upfront.
Food & drink
At EGSW 2019, you can book into half-board accommodation that includes breakfast and dinner.
Most ODL Members stay in self-catered apartments, then take turns with their room-mates to cook. There are mini-supermarkets scattered around les Arcs 1950 / 2000 that have a reasonable variety of stock, but if you must have a specific herb for your Ottolenghi recipe, or insist on Marmite with every meal, then bring it from home. And dishwasher tablets. And bags-for-life.
Alternatively, you can book a breakfast or breakfast & dinner package through the EGSW website. The breakfast package is ## RECOMMENDED ## as you can fill up enough to keep you going for much of the day.
When you're out on the pistes, you should carry a few mini-chocolate bars (Neil recommends Freddos) and boiled sweets in your jacket, plus some water. (Neil uses the water pouches you can buy in Poundland or empty Capri Sun pouches filled from a hot tap at the start of the day.) And Tangfastics. And mandarin oranges.
There are lots of mountain-side restaurants for lunch. These will range in price from ~ €15 for self-service to much more for a sit-down meal that includes wine. You can get a 10% discount off your food bill by using EGSW tokens (see below) in partner restaurants around the Paradiski domain. There won't be many places where you can sit down to eat a packed lunch, especially if the weather is poor.
If you're self-catering and want a night off from cooking, then you should go to an EGSW raclette or fondue night. ## RECOMMENDED ## This is good value and a great way to meet others over a pot of burnt cheese. Book through the EGSW website early, as it often sells out.
As with lunch, you can get a 10% discount off your dinner food bill by using EGSW tokens (see below) in partner restaurants around les Arcs 1950 / 2000. It's best to book in advance because everyone tries to get a table at the same time.
EGSW has its own currency in the form of coloured plastic tokens. Using these helps to speed up the service for drinks at bars and entitles guests to a discount off their food bill in partner restaurants. The tokens are fiddly to use, but are worth the hassle for the savings you can make during the week. You buy your tokens at the EGSW check-in or at any other EGSW event. If you pay for them by credit card, your transaction will be processed by your credit card issuer as a normal purchase, not a cash withdrawal. You then use your tokens to pay for drinks at EGSW venues, or food at partner restaurants displaying an EGSW sign. The drinks at EGSW venues cost 1, 2 or 3 small tokens (=€3, €6 or €9 in real money), whilst your food bill will be discounted by 10% in partner restaurants.