Ski area in Tignes

Tignes' main resort sits on the edge of Le Lac at an altitude of 2,100m, and the lower villages still boast altitudes of 1,550m and 1,850m. 

The Tignes ski area can be split into four areas:

• La Grande Motte Massif
• Palet/L'Aiguille Percée
• Tovière
• Les Brévières

The Grande Motte

• highest massif in the area; a mass of rock, ice and permanent snow cover on the glacier at the highest point
• only part of the ski area which is open every season
• accessible by either the Funicular railway or by the Lanches and Vanoise chairlifts, then finally the Grande Motte cable car
• the scenery is absolutely stunning at the top be sure to stop long enough to look across the mountains at the Vanoise National Park, the Grande Casse (3,852m), Mont Blanc (4,807m) and the Grande Sassière (3,747m)
• good choice of wide open blues and some more challenging reds
• often deceptively cold on the glacier, not always conducive to learning as some slopes are steeper than expected

L'Aiguille Percée - Palet

• accessible from Val Claret by the Tichot chairlift and from Le Lac by the Palafour
• a number of cruisey intermediate blue and red runs
• take the Grand Huit chairlift up and head down the Percée Neige blue - this run to be quieter than others in resort and with stunning views over the Tignes Valley it is one to head to
• for spectacular views head up the Aiguille Percée and enjoy the famous 'Eye of the Needle' rock formation and take the lovely long Corniche blue piste down to the top of the Chaudannes chairlift
• not a huge selection of blacks - try La Sache or Silene
• from the top of the Aigulle Percée chairlift if you head to the right there is some off-piste that you can tackle 

Tovière

• links with Val d’Isère, and is accessible by taking the Aeroski bubble from Tignes-le-Lac or the Tufs and Bollin chairlifts from Val Claret
• a number of gentle blues and more challenging reds, particularly the Combe Folle which leads into the mogul covered, steep black Trolles piste down into Le Lac
• tends to be busy as it is the link with Val d'Isère and the whole area

Les Brévières

• lowest part of the Tignes ski area
• a nice little sun trap from early on in the morning, making it the perfect resting point for a spot of lunch on a sunny day, especially in the warmer months of the season
• pistes in this area mainly consist of easy wide blues and slightly more challenging red runs
• some lovely off-piste skiing to access here, handy in a white-out as there's plenty of trees

Snowpark

There is also a snowpark at the top of the Grattalu chairlift.

Probably the best freestyle feature that Tignes has to offer is its halfpipe. The pipe itself is impressive, not many resorts in France have one.

Summer skiing

Tignes also has a vibrant summer ski scene with snowparks up on the glacier, well-groomed pistes as well as gentle nursery slopes. It attracts ski teams, racers and freestyle skiers and snowboarders from around the world.

One of the most beautiful French ski resorts, nestled in a valley at the foot of the mountains with its chocolate box chalets and hotels, spread between the central town and its outlying villages. It remains a firm favourite with both British and French holidaymakers, many who come here year on year, to take advantage of some of the best skiing and snowboarding in the world. 

The three areas to know are:

• Le Solaise
• Bellevarde
• Le Fornet

Le Solaise

This is the resort's central skiing area and it's very popular, meaning at times it can be the busiest. 

Bellevarde

If you want to enjoy some gentle rolling pistes to get the legs warmed up then head over to the Bellevarde side of the mountain, and take a few laps of the beautiful green Grand Pré piste and the blue Club des Sports pistes off the top of the Grand Pré chairlift. 

This area offers a wide range of skiing because it has slopes facing three different directions in a triangular shape bowl. 

The West/North West facing slopes offer an excellent view of the Grande Motte, Grande Casse and Mont Blanc. 

Bellevarde is accessible via the Olympique cable car or the high-speed Bellevarde Express chairlift from the town centre. 

Le Fornet

A quiet part of Val d'Isère and has some easy long, open and often empty pistes and is guaranteed good snow since it has glacier skiing up to 3,456m. Also has some of the most easily accessible and best off-piste

Connections to this area are via the Fornet cable car from Le Fornet village, or on the Leissières chairlift from the Solaise area.

Snow conditions permitting, the ski season in Tignes usually runs from early December until the end of April. 

That strong southern sun means the snow can turn from ice to slush pretty quickly if you're here late in the season. But whenever you choose to come, the local pisteurs will make the best of the conditions and groom the pistes to perfection.

If you're coming early or late in the season

It's a good idea to check which lifts are open at Tignes. You might want to check the Tignes webcams too, for an up-to-the minute view of conditions on the ground.

Tignes has a number of extremely challenging and advanced pistes.

Val Claret

 The highest village of Tignes, and if you head off from the top of the Tommeuses lift and down Piste H from here you can go straight up the Grande Motte glacier. Once up here all the red runs are worth skiing, they hold fantastic snow and wonderful views. 

The challenging runs here are the red mogul run, Le Mur and Col des Ves, which is a naturide piste. Parmecou is a tough steep black run.  

The Piste H run down from the top of Tommeuses heads back into Tignes le Lac - it's a wide black run with a steep pitch, and once you've done that one go up Aeroski and do Paquerettes, a naturide run under the lift. 

Tignes le Lac

Go to the top of the Palafour lift, then take either Grand Huit and Aiguille Percée lifts for a host of red runs. Epilobe is a naturide run off the Chaudannes chair. 

Les Brévières

La Sache is the area's longest and most demanding run, an exhilarating 10km black run that descends from the top of the L’Aiguille Percée and 'the eye of the needle', through a spectacular valley. Providing the snow conditions are good, it can be a fantastic run. There is an escape route on Echappatoire and Pavot if it does prove too tricky. 

Silene is a black naturide piste under the Marais lifts, it's not always open so if it is, it's definitely one to try.

If you do fancy heading out on the slopes (despite the bad weather) then one of the best areas to head to in poor weather conditions in Tignes is the bottom of the Les Brévières area, as the trees running down the sides of the lower pistes will provide much better visibility. 

Alternatively, you can try tackling some of the lower pistes of the Grande Motte where the cloud may be thinner and might provide better visibility. 

Bear in mind that even if the valley itself is shrouded in all-encompassing fog, the top of the mountains can be bathed in glorious sunshine. Best thing to do is to check out our Tignes webcams.

Also don't forget that if it’s lashing down with rain in the valley, that normally means it's snowing up top. If you can take advantage of days like these, you'll often have great stashes of fresh powder all to yourself. 

Tignes has four different nursery slope areas:

• Val Claret
• Tignes Les Lac
• Tignes Le Lavachet
• Tignes Les Brévières

Across these nursery slopes there are various beginner specific lifts ranging from drag lifts to chairlifts, and in Val Claret there's a specific children’s beginner area with a magic carpet. All these lifts are easily accessible from the villages.

"Ski Start"

Tignes has developed a three-step progression programme located on the gentle snow fronts of all four locations. These dedicated beginner areas have been designed so that you can learn by yourself or with an instructor (recommended!) on slopes suited to mastering new skills and building your confidence.

The "Ski Start One: Discover" and "Ski Start Two: Learn" areas will allow you to get used to the feeling of sliding on snow. Lifts here are free, and then once your confidence grows you can try the "Ski Start Three: Practise" areas, which consist of a series of gentle blue runs where you can work on your technique and style. Ski Start Three zones require a Tignes local area ski pass (half or one day options available).

If you're taking to skis for the first time in Tignes, it's unlikely you'll need to buy a ski pass for at least the first day or so.

Given the size of the resort, it's no surprise there's plenty of places to head to on a powder day.

Les Brévières

Lovely off-piste skiing and can be especially handy when it is a white-out as you can pick and choose some lines in between the trees. 

There are also plenty of off-piste sections to slide down by the side of the marked runs and pistes, and normally from the lifts you can spot the best off-piste snow next to the runs. 

Bellevarde 

This side has the most off-piste to offer, with three well known off-piste areas:

• Banana - very large vertical drop, snow heats up quickly so head here early
• Charvet Tour - best known off-piste in Val, again head here in the morning, it's south-facing and prone to sliding
• Face du Charvet - lots of challenging off-piste, high avalanche risk and stay high to avoid cliffs. The route down is full of long steep descents

In Tignes there are two snowparks found at the top of the Grattalu chairlift:

• Snowpark
• Easy Park 

Snowpark

Red and black jumps allow freestylers to pull off stylish, clean slides and rotations. If you're not quite there yet, go watch and be inspired by some of the greatest park riders that come to train in Tignes.

Easy Park

Better suited to beginners and intermediates

What else is there?

There is also a halfpipe, Gliss'Park and Boardercross.