The History of Méribel Nightlife: From the Red Dragon to Today’s Après-Ski

How Did Méribel Begin as a Ski Resort?

Méribel’s story as a ski resort began with a Scottish colonel who left Austria as the Nazis advanced and arrived in France just before the Second World War. He discovered the Méribel Valley and immediately saw its potential. With the help of locals, he installed a rudimentary ski lift powered by a tractor engine, which he nicknamed the Red Dragon. When the Germans occupied France, he returned to the UK to serve, but he came back after the war. Together with local architects, he founded the Méribel Lift Company, and the resort as we know it began to take shape around 1947.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, skiing remained the preserve of the wealthy. It was only in the 1970s that the sport really opened up to a wider British audience, thanks in large part to package-holiday companies such as Inghams. Even then, true après-ski barely existed in the French resorts. Austria, by contrast, already had a well-established and lively après-ski culture.

The Early Days of Après Ski and Méribel Pubs

In those early days, Méribel itself had only one real bar: the Capricorn, better known as THE CAP, though we called it Smoky Joe’s. Walking inside was like entering a fog, because everyone smoked. It also served only one notoriously strong beer, called Mutzig! Up the mountain in Mottaret, the first dedicated après-ski bar arrived in 1986. Called Le Rastro, it was owned by a German-Austrian couple and built in a heavy, wooden Austrian chalet style. It quickly became the first place in Mottaret where skiers could properly carry on after the lifts closed.

Around the same time, the ski company Snowtime Holidays ran a bar in Méribel called the French Connection. This was the scene of the resort’s first proper après-ski session, featuring a band called the Avant Gardeners. The band later moved on and began playing at Yorkies in 1992. Two years later, Yorkies was transformed into what is now the Rond Point, nicknamed “The Ronny”.

Live Music Nights at Le Rastro

Meanwhile, the Rastro was packing out every afternoon. Rob Smart, a British DJ, started running live DJ nights there on Tuesdays. The bar held around 200 people and was regularly full to the doors. From 1990 until 2010, Rob played every single Tuesday night. Those nights became legendary, not least for the sight of people dancing on the tables. For many years, the Rastro was regarded as the most famous bar of the early entertainment era in Méribel and a cornerstone of the resort’s nightlife.

Méribel Pubs and Nightlife Through the 1990s and 2000s

Through the 1990s and into the 2000s, more venues began offering music. Dick’s T-Bar became a well-known discothèque in Méribel, while the Rond Point continued to grow in reputation. Other Méribel pubs and bars appeared or found their audience:

Jack’s Bar (later the Barometer), The Pub and Le Poste in the centre of Méribel
The Tsaretta in Les Allues
Plein du Soleil in Mottaret, which hosted live bands for a few seasons
Lodge du Village in Méribel Village

Over in La Tania, the Pub Ski Lodge was so popular that even resort workers from Méribel would travel across to it. A few years ago, Folie Douce opened in Méribel, bringing a more

modern party atmosphere and also making it easier for people to head over to Courchevel.

Méribel Nightlife Today

Today, Méribel is widely regarded as one of the most lively party towns in the French Alps. Not everything has survived: Dick’s T-Bar (later renamed Sullys) has closed, the Rastro is now primarily a restaurant, and Jack’s Bar is being redeveloped into accommodation. The Tsaretta in Les Allues still entertains from time to time, while Lodge du Village and the Rond Point currently stand out as the main contenders for the best live music. Long may it all continue.