Tignes Ski Resort Guide

Tignes Ski Property 

• Large, high altitude snow-sure resort with extensive terrain and glacier skiing
• Part of the Espace Kill with Val d’Isere – the most popular resort in the Alps for British visitors
• Long winter season (Nov-May) with summer skiing on the Grande Motte glacier
• Made up of 5 small purpose-built villages
• A 2 hr drive from Chambery, or 2 hr 45 min from Grenoble, Geneva or Lyon 

Summary

Tignes is one of the most dependable winter destinations in the alps. Linked with Val d’Isere, together they have some of the most snow-sure and varied terrain on offer in France. With 78 lifts covering 300km of piste and 10,000 hectares of off-piste to explore, there is something for everyone from cruisy pistes to wide open powder bowls and near-vertical chutes and couloirs higher up. The purpose built villages of Tignes are placed at varying altitudes on the mountain. The main villages (Tignes-le-Lac and Val Claret) are set on a beautiful plateau and the pedestrian centre has some of the best immediate lift access in Europe. The fragmented nature of the resort means it may sometimes lack in atmosphere, but there is always something to be found, particularly in Tignes-le-Lac and Val Claret, but it really is the skiing that most people come to Tignes for, rather than the après.

Access

Tignes is a relaxed 2 hr drive from Chambery airport, or 2 hrs 45 from Grenoble, Geneva or Lyon. The train station of Bourg St-Maurice is just 40 minutes away.

Winter

Best suited for confident intermediates and experts, the riding in Tignes is unlike anywhere else. Sitting at 2100m, the snow is almost always in good condition, especially up on Grande Motte Glacier where the cable car carries you to 3,456m high to some of the most spectacular descents the resort has to offer. From Val Claret and Tignes-le-Lac high speed lifts take skiers up to either side of the resort – one towards Val d’Isere via Toviere and the other towards the 2750m high Aiguille Percée which also links to the satellite villages of Tignes Les Boisses and Les Brévières. If you want to venture into Val d’Isere, the main run from Toviere is a steep and challenging black though there is an alternative route towards the hamlet of La Daille. La Grande Balme and La Petite Balme at the end of the valley are where you will find some couloirs that even the pros are weary of. Freestylers will find some great ski parks as well as the largest half pipe in the French Alps.

Summer

There is so much on offer in Tignes during the summer season. There is of course skiing on the Grande Motte glacier which has 20km of pistes, a snow park as well as cross-country skiing for those who just don’t want to leave winter behind. If summer activities are more your thing, there is mountaineering, extensive hiking, rock climbing and a mountain biking park with over 100km of trails to explore.  

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