[TIGNES, FRENCH ALPS

Tignes is one of the largest resorts in the Alps and due to its glacier location is also open all year round. In the summer it hosts one of Europe's most popular snowparks on the Grand Motte Glacier, while in the winter it has a huge area of explorable steep terrain set in its high altitude location.

Tignes is know by some as "Super Tignes", and when you see the extent of the ski area you'll know why; the resort itself has over 45 lifts, and it is also linked to Val D'Isere, which although has a reputation as a rather "posh" resort, does host an even bigger ski area and some better nightlife. These two areas combine to offer some of the best on and off piste snowboarding in Europe, and have long been recognised as snowboarding hot spots.

The mountains in mid-winter

The town of Tignes lies at 2100m next to a rather large lake. The resort is basically made up of three main villages, with buses running constantly between them and the ski area. Val Claret is the highest point and is closest to the glacier and main ski area. Due to this, it is also the most expensive place to stay so those on a budget should look to Tignes Le Lac, on the other side of the lake, which still provides great access to the mountains, and also has plenty of other activities going on. The third village is lower down by the impressive Tignes dam.
Tignes is a purpose built resort and viewed from a distance it looks a bit like someone has taken part of New York city and dumped it in the middle of the Alps, yes a bit out of place but all this does mean is that the services and lift system is shit hot. There's now a new system running out of La Lavachet which comprises two six person chair lifts!

The quality of the pistes here is very high compared with many of the large French resorts (anyone who's ridden in Chamonix will know what I mean...), the liftys here have certainly got it down...

Generally speaking the resort is very open and exposed, with few tree covered areas due to the high altitude. The only tree runs are in the lower part of the resort by the dam. This is the place to head if visibility is bad in the other parts of the mountain. There is so much variety it'd be hard to get bored here...

Freeriders should check out the runs under the Merle Blanc lift or the area known as Lognan. There's also a lot of hikes that can be done on the surrounding peaks that offer long untracked powder runs back towards the resort. Ask local guides for more info...local extreme skiers like the "fingers", which are the couliours overlooking the lake, very challenging runs.

<<<PHOTO: Fred Matting FS Rodeo 720 shot by Aril Tonnessen

Tignes also has a sick local freestyle scene both in the winter and summer. In winter, the HUGE Snowpark is located on the Palafour Combe. The park and pipe are serviced regularly and also have their own drag-lift. Tignes' halfpipe is definetely one of the better pipes in France. In addition the whole resort is full of good kicker locations, natural jumps, and cliff drops. It is easy to spot these, as the resort is so open.

In the summer the park and pipe are built on the Grand Motte glacier, which is open from 7am - 1pm (Yep you've gotta get up early!) This is a popular spot for British riders, home of the Snowboard UK board test and other events. This area is also a hot spot for freeriders in the winter, when the powder falls, get the cable car to the top and it's a long run down.

The summer ski area has a surprising amount of terrain, with a long network of pistes running down from the top of Grand Motte (3600m), and believe it or not there is even the odd powder day during summer! (We had a foot of fresh at the end of June!) The snowpark in summer is usually well maintained and has kickers of all sizes, a selection of rails (2 flat, 1 double kink, 1 rainbow), as well as two halfpipes (1 standard size, 1 superpipe size). Overall the vast area makes Tignes a great place to ride in the summer, as you are not just limited to a snowpark, but in fact plenty of ridable terrain. Just be careful when riding around off piste, as this is glacial and there are crevasses which may not be visible! In summer the ski area is usually open from 7am - 1pm. Best riding conditions are late morning, by which time the jumps are soft but not too slushy.

Off the hill activities in the summer include tennis, football, boating on the lake, golf, cycling, or why not try out the huge ski jump into the water (looks scary!)

Tignes Glacier & Val Claret village, as seen from Tignes Le Lac - june 2004, photo: Andrew Winter

Accomodation can be pretty expensive during peak season as this is one of the more prestigious resorts in the Alps. Val Claret, closer to the higher slopes, is more expensive. Tignes Le Lac is the best option as there are lots of apartments, or yet another option is to stay in the town of Bourg St. Maurice which is between 45 mins - 1 hour away by car (depending on snow cover), and is surrounded by resorts - Les Arcs, St Foy, La Rosiere, and La Plagne are all close by. Check our holiday finder facility for good snowboarding accomodation.

Due to the high mountain location, transport links are unfortunately not close by. The closest airport is Geneva (4 hours), closest train station is Bourg St. Maurice (1 hour). The drive to the resort is a great experience in itself though, as you pass through some of the nicest towns in France, and the drive up the mountains towards Tignes is just breathtaking.

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