A LIVELY SCENE FROM THE END OF THE AFTERNOON THROUGH TO THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, WITH PLENTY OF CHOICE FOR ALL AGES AND TASTES

There are few more satisfying ends to a good day’s skiing than sitting on the terrace of the Carrefour restaurant in the late afternoon, watching the sunshine mysteriously refracting in your glass of beer and simultaneously admiring the distant mountain panorama. This place is under new management now and the party atmosphere is better than ever, with a small new umbrella bar beside the terrace.

At the foot of the slopes at Medran, there is the Kings Champagne Bar sponsored by Veuve Clicquot. Just above the Medran lift station the throbbing Pub Mont Fort is the key place to trade stories of the day’s off-piste adventures, although a more select crowd, including lots of boarders, can be found at the nearby Offshore bar-cafe, which is distinguished by having a bright pink VW Beetle in the middle of the room and is also a key breakfast rendezvous point. Another popular meeting place is Murphy’s, named after the Irish stout which it serves in great quantities. A little further down the hill, the Fer a Cheval is much favoured by locals and regular visitors and has two great terraces.

Le Farinet on the main square has a huge terrace (glassed over in bad weather) and live music that varies in quality, but even the worst of it does not deter the crowds. Modest barbecue snacks are usually available here. Adjacent to Le Farinet is the Central TBar, a stylish, contemporary establishment with a sunny terrace. It is always a popular place to watch international sporting events on big screens. Those craving interesting but non-alcoholic refreshment can head for the Milk Bar which has a great terrace. Bar'Jo has a new wine bar called La Suite with an excellent range of Swiss wines by the glass.

After dinner drinks venues include the Bar Crok No Name, a jolly place that sometimes has live music, the cellar-style King’s Bar and the somewhat glitzy New Club piano bar. The renowned Farm Club nightclub is alpine institution, run in the same impeccable style for over 30 years by the Berardi brothers, Serafino and Giuseppe is as good and as expensive as ever. (Buying bottles of spirits, which come with free mixers, is actually the most economical way to drink here, by the way.) The Farm is as popular as ever, and long queues outside the door form on Friday and Saturday nights. It is best to reserve a table if you can. Big spenders and pretty girls are given admission priority. How much longer the famous brothers will carry on here, no-one knows. Catch them while you can. The Lounge Bar at the Hotel Farinet is a more relaxed spot for a whisky and cigar in front of the open fire.

The newest addition to the late-night scene is the Coco Club on the site of Tara's. It boasts the "most expensive cocktail in the world" which also includes life membership to the club.

Younger, cheaper dancing places include Wonderbar which claims "the best original live music in the Alps" and is equipped with pool tables, darts boards and a launderette. Casbah , as the name suggests, has a Moroccan theme. Icebox is now closed but rumoured to be reopening in a new guise for 2009.