Tignes - slopes

Even before the 1992 Winter Olympics, which it hosted, Tignes had a strong reputation as a “sporty resort”. Although its tourist office has moved towards a more family-friendly image in recent years, with several initiatives designed to attract parents (including free lift passes for under-eights), that reputation remains, and it’s easy to see why.

In addition to the 150km of pistes Tignes shares with Val d’Isère, the resort holds another 150km of local slopes, adding up to one of the biggest contiguous ski domains in the Alps. The terrain is spread across four main areas: La Grande Motte, Col du Palet, Tovière and Brévières.

Off-piste, Tignes boasts some of Europe’s finest, most accessible freeriding terrain, making it a hotspot for backcountry and big air aficionados, including the legendary Candide Thovex. Thanks to this, Tignes hosted the first Winter X Games outside Aspen in 2013, where the best snowpark riders competed in front of admiring crowds.

Photo: Andy Parant

Ski highlights for all abilities

Beginners: best-suited for beginners keen to learn fast, Tignes offers some good nursery slopes serviced by free lifts, with gentle greens to progress to. Start at Le Lac and Le Lavachet nursery slopes before progressing to Val Claret’s Bollin greens and the long Henri blue down into Val Claret.

Intermediates: from long, sweeping blues to rollercoaster reds, with stunning views of Mont Blanc and the Tarentaise Valley, Tignes has so much to offer intermediates. In addition, Le SPOT (Skiing the Powder of Tignes) above Val Claret is a dedicated off-piste area, with zones for experts, less confident skiers and freestylers—it’s a must for intermediates keen to hone off-piste skills in a controlled environment.

Experts: Tignes’ pisted highlights include the long black Sache from l’Aiguille Percée into les Brévières (1,200m of vertical descent); Val d’Isère’s infamous Face de Bellavarde first thing in the morning (accessed via the Marmottes chair); and the blacks down from Tovière. Best after heavy powder dumps, 12 avalanche-patrolled but ungroomed itineraries (known as ’Naturides’) have recently been introduced in Tignes.

Off-piste

As mentioned above, the magic of Tignes is in its endless off-piste, accessed directly from the lifts or by a short walk. Incredibly high, with plenty of north-facing terrain, Tignes keeps its snow well but doesn’t always get huge amounts of it, so powder is skied quickly. Hire a guide and get an early start for the best tracks.

Tignes is renowned for its off-pistePhoto: Andy Parant

Besides a mobile app complete with snowcams and live weather updates, you can find information about conditions and where to ski, plus advice on training, at the Maisons de Tignes.

Ski schools and guides

Tignes has an extensive choice of ski schools, virtually all of which have English-speaking instructors as standard.

The French national ski school ESF have two branches: ESF Tignes Le Lac and ESF Tignes Val Claret. Besides teaching children, they offer women-only classes and freestyle courses for teenagers. For more adventurous skiers looking to explore Tignes’ off-piste, Evolution 2 is an ideal ski school and general adventure company. For private groups and lessons, Snocool is a fun, relaxed outfit that can tailor their classes to fit any needs.

Lift system

The lift system at Tignes is generally efficient, with fast new lifts alongside the odd antique chair. Queues are much less common here than in neighbouring Val d’Isère, thanks to the spread-out placement and ample base lifts (especially in Val Claret). That said, they’re almost unavoidable coming up from Les Brévières after lunch, especially during peak season.

Tignes is a snow-sure resort with excellent public transportPhoto: Tignes Office du Tourisme

Snow reliability and snowmaking

The resort of Tignes begins at 2,100m and rises to 3,456m, making it one of the most snow-secure, if not snowiest, resorts in the Alps. Even so, there are more than 300 snow cannons, keeping even the lowest slopes well-covered all season long.

Terrain park

Tignes has a sizeable snowpark above Val Claret, accessed via the Grattalu chair, with various boxes, rails, jumps, and a half-pipe. Not far from this is Tignes’ boardercross, which features over 1200m of banked turns and is open everyday from 10 am to 4 pm.  

If you fancy a little competition, in the Lac area, at the foot of the Anémone blue (accessed via the Palafour chair), head to the Commencal slalom track, where you can race against your fellow skiers under timed conditions.