Tignes ski resort

I tested the station and the Tignes ski area. Tignes is a high-altitude ski resort made up of several hamlets. It is an internationally known ski area which is linked to the ski area of Val d'IsereThis area was called Espace Killy, after the French Olympic champion, but later took the more neutral name of Domaine Skiable Tignes – Val d'Isère.

We are in Upper Tarentaise. On one side the Vanoise massif, on the other side the Italian border. The characteristics of the sector are a specific climate different from the rest of Savoie and the presence of larches. Moreover, the two are linked: they are found in all the border massifs, Maurienne, Briançonnais, Queyras, and Ubaye.

The climate is drier than in the other valleys of Tarentaise because it is sheltered from disturbances by the imposing massif of the Vanoise, feels the weather conditions of northern Italy. When the weather is bad, in Haute Tarentaise there are cloudy overflows, precipitation and often a strong wind, the foehn or the Lombard wind. The bad weather is really bad. You have to keep it in mind when you venture into this high valley of the Isère.

But this allows to give to Tignes exceptional snow conditions during the long winter season.

Follow me, let's take a tour of the Tignes ski resort.

The villages that make up the Tignes ski resort

Historically, the village of Tignes was located where today you see the Chevril lake. The one between the junction of the only road that goes up to Tignes and the one that goes to Val d'Isère. Besides, you most likely drove over the dam that created the lake.

The old village having been definitively submerged in 1953, it was decided to move the commune. First, part of the village and the church were rebuilt on the site of Les Boisses (today Tignes-les Boisses, we will come back to this); then, in 1975, the town hall and therefore the main town were transferred a little higher up, in a valley at the foot of the Grande Motte glacier. This was the start of the brand new ski resort. It is located on the banks of a small glacial lake. In summer you can walk around it and go paddle boarding, but in winter it is completely frozen, covered in snow and you can cross it on foot to get to the district opposite, at the bottom of the valley.

The center of the station is called today Tignes-The Lake and this is where you will have all the important services of the resort, a starting point for the ski lifts and accommodation facilities with a few hotels and many rental residences. From an architectural point of view, we find the lack of coherence and the urban side of the 70s. Fortunately, however, the assets of Tignes are mainly in the activities related to winter sports.

On the other side of the lake, about two kilometers from the city center, and about twenty minutes walk along or across the lake, is the district of Val Claret.

If the new buildings try to bring a bit of wood and stone, here we find mostly concrete and building shapes that are not in my opinion architectural successes. But I am not an expert, it is just my personal opinion. This annex of the resort is today a district with its own soul. Tignes-Val Claret is the party district of the Tignes resort. There is also a very nice area converted into an open-air nightclub. The many bars and restaurants of the small pedestrian street that passes through the buildings encourage passers-by to take a festive break.

An extended ski season in Tignes — Tignes Val Claret

Tignes-Val Claret is located at the foot of the Grande Motte glacier. The glacier ski area is reached by a funicular, a sort of snow metro. This area is also a strategic point in the ski area since you can ski in the Tignes and Val d'Isère areas from the chairlifts grouped together at the exit of the village.

After these first districts built in the 70s, other villages gradually emerged.

Close to the city center, a quieter, residential area with a few cottages and more harmonious architecture has grown over time. This is the neighborhood of LavachetThe ski lifts at the exit of the district towards the centre of the resort also connect this district to the entire area.

Further down, on the edge of the dam, we find Tignes – The Boisses. Small hamlet built in the 2010s around the replica of the church of the old village of Tignes. Made up of rental residences, you will find everything you need to live in the resort for the duration of your stay.

At the foot of the dam, a village of chalets completes the range of hamlets that make up the Tignes resort. These are: Tignes-Les Brevieres, connected by chairlift to Tignes-Les Boisses. At an altitude of 1550 meters, its architecture takes up the codes sought for mountain stays: chalet, woods and fireplaces. Ski slopes descend to the village from the Tignes ski area. Be careful, these are black or red slopes which are not suitable for all levels of skiers. In addition, in the afternoon they are in the shade which makes them more frozen.

If you can, choose accommodation in Tignes-Le Lac or Tignes-Val Claret instead. You will be in the heart of the ski area and at the heart of the après-ski activities.

Glacier skiing in Tignes — The ski slopes of the Grande Motte glacier in Tignes

Tignes ski area

The Tignes ski area occupies the entire mountain slopes surrounding Lake Tignes and its two central resorts, Le Lac and Val Claret.

It consists of 78 slopes over 150 km (half of the entire area with Val d'Isère), served by 38 ski lifts. Half of the slopes are red or black.

Le The estate is open from the end of November to the beginning of May.You can ski a little longer in the Grande Motte Glacier sector, accessible by funicular from Tignes-Val Claret.

It overflows onto the other side of the Tovière, a summit that overlooks the lake from its 2704 meters of altitude. This summit is accessible from Tignes -Le Lac by the Tovière gondola and from Val Claret by the Tufs chairlift. By continuing the descent on the opposite side and crossing the limit of the Tignes ski area pass, you can go down on skis to La Daille, a district of Val d'Isère. To stay in the Tignes ski area, you have to go back up with the Tommeuses chairlift. The descent from Tovière is done by an easy blue run towards Val Claret but by very sporty black runs, due north, towards Tignes-Le Lac. It is worth knowing this before setting off. There is no other easier level run in this sector.

On the same slope, the Fresse chairlift allows you to go back and forth above Val Claret on the Prariond slope. However, this is a connecting slope used by skiers returning from Val d'Isère and in the late afternoon it is often crowded and damaged.

The other side, the one facing south, is more pleasant to ski on. Firstly because we don't have all the "border commuters" who ski on the two areas of Tignes and Val d'Isère and secondly because this part of the area is mainly in the sun.

On the Val Claret side, you can enjoy the large boulevards that descend from the Col du Palet and the Aiguille du Chardonnet from an altitude of around 2700 metres, which is a good difference in altitude to take the time to ski well. Good skiers will try their hand at the Pramecou black run above the altiport in the same area.

On the Tignes-Le Lac and other hamlets side, the summit on this slope is the Aiguille Percée at 2748 meters above sea level. At the summit, you can indeed check that the Aiguille is pierced before going back down through red and blue slopes towards the valley.

A circuit between 2400 and 2700 meters above sea level, in silence and calm away from the crossings of tracks could be the following:

Ascent to the Aiguille Percée by the chairlift of the same name
Descent via the Cyclamen trail
Continue the descent via the blue Lys to the Merles chairlift
Descent via the Lacs trail, to the departure point of the Grand Huit chairlift
Descent by the red Ancolie trail, and return to the starting point.

From the Aiguille Percée, you can also access the area above Boisses and Brevières via difficult black or red slopes.

Between the two facing slopes, let's now explore the Grande Motte slope. This is where you will reach the maximum altitude of the area, 3456 meters.

A first step to get there is the climb to the foot of the glacier. You can take the Perce-Neige, an underground funicular. Or a series of two classic chairlifts. The starting point is at the same place, at the end of Val Claret.

Already at this station, at an altitude of 3000 metres, the landscape is magnificent. We can see the dark glaciers of the Grande Motte, whose northern-facing part seems suspended in an uncertain balance. We can also see the glacial heights of the Grande Casse, the highest point of the Vanoise and the Savoie department. And of course the Montblanc.

Beautiful views from the Tignes ski area — View of Mont Blanc from the Tignes ski area

We can also see the Gran Paradiso massif, towards the east, above the valley occupied by Val d'Isère.

Climbing higher, to the summit, is only worth it if you are not in a hurry (the queue is sometimes long) and if you are looking for altitude records. The glacier slopes do not have any specific features that make them worth spending a lot of time on. Well, for fans, there is a black slope, anyway, up there.

The descent from the funicular arrival station is done on one of the two slopes. The red slopes to the north, the blue slopes to the south. Depending on your level and your desires, you know how to choose. The walk on the blue slopes, on a sunny slope in quiet valleys is certainly less sporty but it is a feast for the eyes. On the red slopes, it goes down quickly, very quickly on a long straight line that runs alongside the Lanches chairlift. Be careful!

We have thus toured the Tignes ski area. There is clearly plenty to enjoy.

Beginners can also have fun, because for them, some lifts (short and serving green slopes) are free. There are some in Val Claret, Tignes Le Lac, Les Boisses and Les Brevières. And that's great to make you want to ski if you've never tried!

If you purchased a package for also skiing in the Val d'Isère area (and it's also a very good idea, because it's magnificent) I'll meet you in the article concerning Val d'Isère to discover this part of the area.

What to do in Tignes besides skiing?

If sliding down a sled is your thing, head to the Palafour sector in Tignes le Lac. From the top of the chairlift, a long 3-kilometre run, including 40 metres of tunnel, awaits you. You'll love it! This is the Cobra expedition sled run, open from 17:30 pm.

Lake Tignes gives you the opportunity to try a glacier dive in the waters of the lake under the ice, or float on the surface. A full northern experience that you can't do anywhere else in France.

You can also soar into the air like a bird. This takes place on the Lac slope, below the arrival of the Merles chairlift. This is the Bun J Ride. You take a run-up on a springboard, you jump into the void, but you are held by a harness that suspends you from a cable. The impression of flying is complete and hearing the cry of the "jumpers" the experience must be very exciting!

Other activities are typical of winter sports resorts; dog sledding, cycling activities, etc.

I hope this sharing of my experience of the ski resort of Tignes made you want to discover its magnificent ski area.

Happy holidays in Tignes!

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