Beautiful: European Snow Pride 2014

IT RAINED UPON ARRIVAL AT THE TRAIN STATION IN BOURG ST. MAURICE, AND, WHILE TAKING THE BUS TOWARDS OUR END DESTINATION, THIS RAPIDLY TRANSFORMED IN A LIGHT BUT STEADY SNOWFALL. A SNOWFALL THAT WOULD LAST FOR MORE THAN A DAY. BUT THEN, ON SUNDAY, THE CLOUDS BROKE OPEN AND THE SUN CAME OUT TO JOIN THE ALMOST 700 GAY PARTICIPANTS FOR THE 2014 EUROPEAN SNOW PRIDE IN TIGNES-VAL D’ISERT.

We arrived Saturday afternoon, March 22, in a snow clouds covered Tignes-Val d’Isert. But that didn’t change our jubilant mood. After a long train ride from Paris, we were rapidly guided towards our comfortable room in the Hotel L’Ecrin de Val Claret where the usual European Snow Pride welcome envelope with vouchers, ski passes and an extended program for the week awaited us. All we had to do was go out and collect our membership bracelet and ski outfit and we were ready for a week of exercise and fun in every way you can imagine.

The traditional welcome buffet on Saturday evening was nice and cosy. Enjoying a rich offer of snacks and fingerfood, this evening is by definition the moment to reunite with old friends and meet new people. The ambiance was good right from the start, which, as it turned out later, would be an indication for a successful and enjoyable ski week. With a snowy Sunday morning most people decided to take it easy but as soon as the sun came out in all her glory most participants took to their skies and boards and started their first descends. From that moment on the weather didn’t change. Or actually it did. It got better every day. As it was the end of the season, their wasn’t much waiting for the many ski lifts the resort has to offer, so ski and board fun was optimal. As was the daily après ski which was a spectacle not only for the participants but also for the other tourists, thanks to the glamorous drag queens and the StripNDance go go dancers Anthony and Sofiane.

Regarding the evening entertainment we couldn’t have wished for more. Every day one could meet their friends in Crazy Chalet or Snow Beat evenings and of course there was the choice to join a main party every night of the week. Monday started with the Matinee World Tour Party, Tuesday one could bring out their inner beast at the Animals Party and Wednesday it was the turn for the Giant ES Pool Party hosted by ES Collection and BeautifulMag. Thursday evening the heat was on at the erotic tinted Lust party and Friday Tignes was thrown back in the time of the French decadence at the Revolution Closing Party. A selected group of international DJ’s such as Taito Tikaro, Little Nemo, Elias, Tommy Marcus, Nicolas Nucci and Sharaf Moran, Thy San, Lady Power and Bruno Kauffmann guaranteed a great ambiance night after night.

Once again the European Snow Pride was a complete success, proving once and for all that ESP is the number one European gay winter sport and music festival. Sadly on Saturday March 30, this edition of ESP came to an end and everyone left Tignes to itself and its welcoming and generous inhabitants. With small eyes from the Revolution Party the night before, but a glimmer of pleasure knowing that the European Snow Pride will be back in March 2015. –BM-

For more information about the European Snow Pride 2014 and future events, visit the ESP official web page. You can also see many photos, read stories and follow the European Snow Pride Facebook page.