Nightlife Previews and reviews in Tignes

The first week of 2013 has been a rollercoaster. Sad goodbyes, great food, amazing weather and no new snow. This has resulted in a number of hangovers, half days and the purchase of a couple of toboggans.

After a week of solid snow and Arctic temperatures, the heavens cleared for two of the most amazing days riding I have ever experienced. Coming from New Zealand I think I misunderstood what true powder actually is and last week  I was completely spoiled with two days of fresh tracks, waist deep pow and bluebird skies. 

The snow is here and don’t we know it? The grassy area and rocky terrain is a distant memory and Tignes has truly turned into a winter wonderland.  

This winter in Tignes, seasonnaires and holiday makers in-the-know have been lucky enough to bear witness to a new epic night out. An alpine music initiative described by its creator as “summer festival vibes in the snowy alpine playground” known by the name of Bass Station.

One of the great things about living in a ski resort is that from time to time, great bands, people and brands are often touring around the Alps and passing through your town, meaning that you are often exposed to the newest, hottest products before anyone else. 

There was no shortage of live music and fun to be had in Tignes this week. On Wednesday night, there was a big outdoor concert in Le Lac – nothing like free music to get the season started. Tignes is hosting the shooting of the TV show “Les Copains D’Abord”, and if you have been wondering about the giant tent in front of Maison de Tignes, it was for the concert (sadly not a magic snow-making tent).

Tignes has a history of putting on spectacular concerts and performances, both outdoors and in the very well equipped Tignespace centre, and Lilly Wood and the Prick was certainly no exception. 

This week has reminded me of a favourite Crowded House song named, "Four Seasons in One Day". We have had rain, heavy snow, a 12 degree bluebird day and freezing temperatures. This has lead to a couple of outdoor Après sessions as well as a couple of indoor boozing events. We've certainly been carrying on the recent trend of being large, but also entertaining.

The snow storm finally cleared late last week after three crazy weeks of constant fat snow flakes in Tignes. That made for a couple of special blue bird - knee deep days with the mountain covered in smiles from the Grand Motte tothe Solaise. However with it now being the French half term holidays at the moment, the mountain on piste is a crowded affair so heading over to some secret spots is a must over the next couple of weeks. With the sun out, the kiwis thought it was time to dig out the BBQ, soak up the rays and get some Après wets in us.

X marked the spot this week in Tignes with the most anticipated event of the season finally arriving. The X-Games were held in Val Claret mid week, with most of the biggest names in the sports we love attending.

As it has done so often throughout this season, the snow has stopped and the near tropical weather has set in.

This month has seen two offerings from the local’s new favourite night, Bass Station. Monday 16th March saw a serious number of party-goers congregating in the seasonnaires’ favourite after-hours joint, Jack’s, to enjoy the third monthly installment from Bass Station, followed by a special one-off gig in Loop Bar from the amazing duo Dr Syntax & Pete Cannon on Friday 29th.

The temperature has noticeably gotten warmer this week, and with it the snow has become a lot wetter. By midday typically now, your pants are wet and your gloves are dripping. This week we managed to get up early, before the peaks got too much sun and do some hikes which treated us to some amazing spring riding!

After a frustrating discussion with the local butcher, the Christmas ham was purchased, the list for santa was sent to our friends in London and the finishing touches to the flat were made. The Kiwi’s were ready for their first white Christmas and we were all pretty pumped.

It’s mid December, and for the first time this week I was reminded that Christmas is around the corner. The markets are out with their amazing French cheeses and meats. I think my family might miss out on Christmas presents this year, however the local arts and crafts would make perfect gifts for them back home. The festive decorations are now out in full force and I am now excited to embark on my first white Christmas.

As the hype from the X-Games slowly died down this week, Tignes was again swamped with visitors gathering in the resort for The Brits. This is a competition for UK riders competing in different age group competitions. They were using the X-Games super pipe but occupied the Tignes park for the week, much to my disgust! For me having them here was more annoying than anything, as their riding was nothing on the athletes from the week earlier. However with The Brits comes parties, which to my delight was better than the previous week!