Mendip Activity Centre’s Après Ski nights are a great way to end the working week, mixing skiing and snowboarding under floodlights with pizza, live music and a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere.
Running on selected Fridays in January and February, these evenings are open to recreational skiers and snowboarders of all standards who can use the drag lift and control their speed. There is a special shout-out encouraging everyone to wear retro snow gear, which adds to the fun before you even clip into your skis.
The slope is open for several hours in the evening under floodlights, with instructors on hand throughout to help, run games and keep things moving safely.
As always, the welcome at Mendip is warm and friendly. I had hugely enjoyed my return to skiing a couple of years ago after my last ski trip on snow 30 years earlier, thanks to a series of lessons at Mendip, so this felt like a great chance to see how much I remembered. In no time, I was kitted out with skis and boots from Mendip’s own boot room and making that familiar ungainly waddle up the stairs that you get in ski boots.
Should I join the complete beginners for a quick refresh? No, blow that. I went straight to the drag lift and up to the first stop-off point halfway up the slope. Come on, I can do this. Lean a little forward, look ahead, start off slowly and carefully – and I was off.
I had forgotten how much fun this was. I love it here. Around me, a group from a local school were enjoying their lesson while more experienced skiers whizzed past. Of course, the coolest of all are the snowboarders – younger, quicker and effortlessly cool. Next time, maybe.
With 80s disco blaring out – think ABBA and Boney M – the instructors were soon joining in with a few dance moves between helping anyone who needed it. Before long, I had ventured right to the top of the slope, just as they were inviting everyone to join in with some fun ski games, adding even more to the party atmosphere.
With around three hours to play, there is plenty of time to stop for food and drink too. People dipped in and out of the Alpine Lounge for pizza, a beer or hot chocolate, while live music played in the background, giving the whole evening a proper après-ski feel without having to leave Somerset.
Among the skiers on the evening were young ones, old hands and a few families, including Carl, who was there with his 10-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son. “They’re loving it, and already better than me,” he grinned, watching his children with the look of pride that only parents can give.
Après Ski at Mendip is not about being perfect on the slopes. It is about skiing or snowboarding under the lights, enjoying music, sharing food and doing something different together at the end of the week. For families with older children, or parents who fancy rediscovering their ski legs, it is a lively and memorable Friday night out. Ian Waller
