For some, combining 650km of snowcapped slopes with a world-class house music festival might sound like an avalanche hazard. But for the thousands congregating in Avoriaz, France, in March, this is a festival to rival the world’s greatest. Now in its fifth year, Snowboxx has grown into a headline affair complete with festival village, downtown club nights and legendary igloo raves. With 2017’s acts ranging from Basement Jaxx to DJ Hannah Wants, there’s plenty for everyone to apres-ciate.
Spread over 14 valleys, Avoriaz is situated in what is arguably Europe’s largest connected ski area, with long, windy slopes and one of the longest runs in Europe, Le Col. With all accommodation right on the piste, allowing you to ski right to and from your front door, this is a seasoned skier’s dream even without the added extras. Newbies can take private lessons from the best instructors around or group sessions with likeminded Snowboxxers, while the more advanced can enjoy freestyle or off-piste clinics and guided ski days.
After a fun day on the white stuff, festival-goers swap their ski goggles for beer ones as Snowboxx drops its salopettes to step outside of the perennial... well, snow box. Apres-party culture has long been a pillar of any ski holiday, but never quite to this capacity. With the unrivalled scenery of the French Alps as a backdrop, the entertainment is famously camp (think half-naked men in angel wings dancing on tables in high heels while muscle-bound DJs spray Champagne over party-goers from their crotch).