Easter Repping - Memories of the Folie Douce

---

This was just another week of wonderfulness repping with the dream team! Drove down from London with Lordan and met Walker and Ricky in Portsmouth, along with all the committee and awaiting ski club peeps . Had a couple in the union and set off. I was on a coach with Oli, the president and so we got loads of games going. Our drivers were actually fairly sound and so we got away with a fair bit. Got them doing speed dating, with a megaphone and playing 'Take me Out' with their reading lights. One legend stood up and sung Bohemian Rhapsody from beginning to end, with virtually no prompting whatsoever. When all 5 coaches arrived in resort, we were met by a beaming Plummer, who looked well chuffed to see us all.
Generally the week consisted of shouting ‘ay baby what’s your name?’ and all talking at the same time, as Plummer readily and regularly pointed out. The usual day would be waking up hungover, lots of morning music, packing our backpacks with sandwiches and bottles of beer (a lot of faffing around - much to Ricky and Plummer’s frustration) and getting out on the slopes. We’d be singing and shouting on the chairlifts, having a cheeky beer and just generally having brilliant days. The Folie Douce had opened and was unreal. You’d see it as you came over it on the chairlift and it would look amazing, you could just see everything from above and wanted to get off the chairlift right there and then to join in. There was a balcony with DJs, a camp singer and a legendary saxophone player. Every single person would be on the tables dancing and drinking pints in their ski kit. There was this and bar 360, the outdoor bar next to Chalet du Thoren. We’d sit up there in the boiling sun, in salopettes, drinking and messing around....it was like heaven. Eventually we’d head back down for reps meeting and then head to room rounds. I had some real fun rooms, but still never enough time to have a few bevs with all the other reps before we went out for the night. This time I was on night patrol by myself, which meant I had to be with the TDS guys by rights. What actually happened is I ended up back in our room with Mark or Starr, listening to music, having a few drinks and waiting for everyone to get back.
There were a few funny times with Plummer this time, I don’t really know what was going on with him, I think he struggled with being our mate and our boss at the same time really. And I suppose we didn’t do a lot to help him on reflection. Anyways, it was a bit of a communication breakdown if anything, but nothing really happened about it, just a bit baffling. He ended up coming back on the coach with me...thank God, coz we had so much shit with our drivers, who insisted that we were to stop and wait 5 hours in Reims on the return drive home. No deal! In the end Walker did a runner and just abandoned her coach and jumped on another one - which was very much not allowed, but well funny all the same. Anyways, by the time we got to London I was half asleep and all over the place. Plummer proper sorted me out and got my board off, got us in to a taxi and took me to his. There he promptly sorted me out with a shower, tea and Carbonara before we started drinking again. Anthony and Lordan came round for a couple of pre drinks, and we just got straight back on it. Anthony was going on and on about these ‘beeeeeeeeeautiful New York girls he’d arranged to meet out, that were real classy and apparently, up for it’. Plummer’s eyes lit up. However, by the time we finally got out and met Ricky I‘d almost forgotten this completely. Anyway, it was only when we eventually realised 4 Chinese, giggly girls hovering behind us all night ( I’m not even sure they spoke English) that it finally clicked who they were. Anthony shrugged at Plummer doggedly as he glared back.

---