Tignes: piste guide
Expert guide to Tignes
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Tignes-Val d'Isère’s 300km of varied terrain reaches from Tignes Les Brévières at one end of the ski area to the Pissaillas glacier above Val d’Isère at the other. It's not essential to be an expert to ski or snowboard here, but to get the most out of it takes strong legs and the confidence to tackle dark blue runs and testing reds that sometimes seem to go on forever.
From the main accommodation centres, Val Claret and Tignes Le Lac (2km apart and jointly known as Tignes 2100), lifts travel up either side of the resort, in one direction towards Val d’Isère, and towards the 2,750m Aiguille Percée in the other. The latter is also the route to long runs down to the lower satellite villages of Tignes 1800 and Tignes Les Brévières.
Tignes' pièce de résistance is the Grande Motte glacier, reached from Val Claret. The top cable car station at 3,456m is the starting point for some of the resort's most spectacular descents, both on and off piste, and the highest slopes here are also open in the summer. By the middle of November it's possible to tackle the thigh-burning 1,350m vertical red all the way back down to the funicular station in Val Claret – a greater drop than many North American resorts can offer in midwinter.
To reach Val d’Isère from Tignes, a chairlift from Val Claret or gondola from Le Lac ascends to Tovière, the ridge separating the two resorts. The main run back down into Tignes, the black Trolles, is steep and challenging. The alternative is to head down towards the hamlet of La Daille and everything Val d'Isère has to offer.
Tignes is home to some truly outstanding powder terrain, including a selection of horribly steep couloirs around La Grande Balme and La Petite Balme, two rocky outcrops at the southern end of the valley.
There is also an array of freestyle terrain park and boardercross fun and games to be had. The resort's terrain park is accessed by the Grattalu and Merles chairlifts towards the Col du Palet and has lines for all abilities; the main boardercross course is also here, along with an easier extension. There’s a halfpipe – the largest in the French Alps – at the foot of the Carline piste in Val Claret. The beginners’ Gliss'Park, reached by the Les Almes four-person chairlift or the Palafour chairlift, has a mini boardercross course and parallel slalom course. The main boardercross course is reached by the Col du Palet lift. During the summer season there is also a terrain park up on the glacier.
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