In the east of France, in the Rhône-Alpes region, the young but very ambitious ski resort of Tignes is located . In a very short period, he became a worthy competitor of the aristocratic Courchavel .
Tina has what many go to the mountains for – excellent skiing, guaranteed snow and modern lifts. You can ski over the Thien even in summer: the Grand Mott glacier is open all year round, and skiing there is well worth coming there for at least a few days. In winter, Tyn is famous not only for its democracy, but also for excellent opportunities for freeride. The shade, somewhat affected by the architectural fashion of the mid-60s of the last century (almost all the villages of the resort are built with high-rise buildings), lacks a little of the typical alpine charm. But this is more than compensated by the variety of programs and entertainment offered, as well as very reasonable prices for literally everything – from accommodation to restaurants.
The shadow is located on the other side of the mountain range from Val d’Isere and is connected to it by lifts. Access to the Grande Motte glacier (3,500 m) makes the area even more attractive. The resort consists of small villages – Tines les Brevieres, Tines les Lacs, Les Levacheves and Val Clary, between which a free bus runs. Thanks to the convenient location of hotels and ski lifts, you can live in any village, you can ski back to the hotel / apartment almost everywhere. If you plan to ski on the glacier, it is more convenient to stay in Val Clara, from this village it is easy to reach other main routes of the resort. Another optimal accommodation option is in the village of Tin le Lac. Tigne Le Breviere is the lowest of the Tignes, it is located at an altitude of 1,550 m, you can find quite affordable accommodation options in it, but it takes longer to get to the interesting trails.
The height difference from 1,550 to 1,906 meters attracts skiers from all over the world. It is here that famous athletes – skiers from all over the world prefer to train.
With the appearance of the first snow on the Grand Mott glacier, extremes appear, ready to be the first to conquer its slopes. This happens already in the middle of October, although the best period for skiing is the end of November – the beginning of May. In fairness, we note that Grand Motte is an excellent place for summer skiing at an altitude of 3,000 m to 3,456 m.
The history of Tignes
The first skiers appeared in the village of Tin back in 1936, they were lifted to the slopes by a single cable lift. It would seem that the village will develop and develop, but the war made its adjustments.
After the Second World War, France needed electricity, then it was decided to build a hydroelectric plant and install a dam in the Yser valley. To do this, the village of Tin, which was located at an altitude of 1,500 m, was flooded. Already five years later, at an altitude of 2,100 m, a new village of Tin appears, which is where the development of alpine skiing in the region begins.
Today, the Shadow together in the Val d’Isere are part of the skiing region Espace Killy (Space of Killy), which consists of 300 km of combined tracks of varying difficulty. The skating area is officially open from October 4 to May 3. The region is named after a local resident, Olympic champion in alpine skiing Jean-Claude Killy. Espas Killa is placed in the same row with the Three Regions of the Valleys and Paradiski.
In 1992, the Olympic freestyle competition was held at the resort. The Winter Paralympic Games were held here.
Where to stay
There are no luxury hotels here. A total of 21 hotels, mainly of the average and below average price categories. Located mainly in Lac des Tines. There are numerous apartments and chalets.
You should think about staying at the Tin ski resort in advance. The choice of hotels, chalets and apartments is small. If you look for options closer to winter, then the cheapest room will cost €182 for two per day. For a chalet that can accommodate a company — from €225.
20 km from the resort in the commune of Bourg-Saint-Maurice, you can stay in apartments from €55 per day for two.
Langley Hôtel Tignes 2100 3-star hotel
Hotel Langley Tignes 2100 is located in the heart of Tignes-Le-Lac, 250 meters from the lake and 150 meters from the ski slopes of the Espace Killy region. A wonderful hotel for a week’s rest in Tina. Excellent location – not far from lifts. The building where the hotel is located has absolutely everything you need. A small cozy SPA. Sauna with a view of the mountains. Jacuzzi outside. Excellent massage therapist. Lounge areas with a fireplace.
Chalet Les Melezes
Chalet Les Melezes B&B is located in Tignes, a 3-minute walk from the Boisseau ski lift and a 5-minute drive from the center of Tignes.
Le Palafour 914 3 star hotel
Le Palafour 914 is a self-catering accommodation located in Tignes, in the Espace Killy ski region, a 1-minute walk from the Palafour and Aeroski ski lifts.
Vacancéole – Le Borsat IV
The ski-to-door aparthotel Vacancéole – Le Borsat IV is located in the Tignes ski resort, where you can ski all year round, and 32 km from the train station… Ski storage directly on the slopes to the lift! We pre-ordered an underground garage for 60 euros per week and did not regret it, it is problematic to find a parking space on the street, because a huge amount of snow has fallen, and the roads are being cleared first. Sherpa supermarket is a five-minute walk away, it has all the necessary products. Literally next to the entrance door on one side – bakery, on the other – equipment rental, very convenient! The beds slide into five separate singles and lift/fold to tuck under each other, then free up space.
Le Dôme 2-star hotel
Hotel Le Dôme is located at an altitude of 1,850 meters above sea level in the ski resort of Tignes.
Alpine skiing
The resort has 64 trails, which on the south side are combined with the slopes of Val d’Isere, from which they differ in a slightly lower slope and greater width. But this does not mean that all the tracks here are simple – in Tina, only about 20% of the slopes belong to the “green” category, 50% – to the “blue”, 20% – to the “red” and 10% – to the “black”. Relatively easy slopes are scattered throughout the skiing area, so you can find excellent conditions for beginners, while more difficult runs are concentrated on the slopes of the peaks of Le Grande Motte (3656 m) and l’Aiguille Noire de Pramecou (2971 m
Ski resort Tingreat for snowboarders. The XXL halfpipe is one of the largest and fastest in the world. It is 220 meters long, 19 meters wide, and 7 meters deep. Both professional athletes and experienced extreme amateurs train here. In addition, a snow park is built annually in Tina, which hosts the popular X Games extreme competitions. There are four tracks of “red” and “black” levels of difficulty with different rails and springboards, a track for bordercross, there are two zones for beginners and an inflatable Air Bag cushion, which is nice to land on after tricky flips. Not far from the Palafour track is a winter fan park, and at the end of the FacedeBellevarde track there is another halfpipe. There is also a huge snow park with four lines of varying difficulty. World championships in snowboarding and freestyle are held here every year. The snow park is closed from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Be careful: there is a possibility of avalanches in the Tyn ski resort.
80% of the resort is suitable for off-piste skiing. The 10 areas marked on the maps as Naturides are checked daily for avalanche safety, but are never treated with snow plows or snow guns. It is absolutely safe to ride in these areas even on your own, but for the first steps in the wilderness, it is recommended to take an instructor guide.
One of the highest mountain resorts in the world consists of three centers: Tines-le-Lac (2,150 m), Tines-Lavache (2,100 m) and Tines-Val-Clary (2,300 m). All of them are connected by modern lifts. Snowboarders have chosen this place, it is also ideal for off-piste skiing.
The maximum height of the resort is 3,456 meters.
The Grand Motta glacier, which can be skied all year round, is also suitable for beginner skiers. There are blue tracks here. The glacier offers panoramic views of the Alps. As experts note, if you like extreme downhill, choose the “black” Sache track. It starts at L’Augille Percee, its length is 2765 m, and the height difference is 1200 m.
The winter skiing season in the Tyn region lasts from the end of November to April-May. For a couple of months in the summer, the glacier is also opened for skiing.
Lifts and schools
The pride of Tyn is the lifts, there are 79 of them. The ropeway carries 3,000 passengers in 47 cabins.
The Percy-Nage funicular, with a speed of 12 m per second, will bring you closer to the heavens, will take you to the terrace of the Panoramic restaurant at an altitude of 3032 m or to Bellevue. And then you will have the opportunity to make a 25-minute descent with a drop of 1300 m.
The resort has 7 ski schools (about 350 instructors), including specialized snowboard, heli-ski and freeride schools, 2 ski gardens for children aged 3 to 8 (in Tines-le-Lac and in Val-Claire), about 30 rental points, 50 km of cross-country skiing and a snow park next to the Palafour track. During the summer season, a half-pipe is being built on the Grande Motte glacier.
In Tina, children from 2.5 years old can learn to snowboard in the Marmottons children’s area! A rope is stretched along the gentle descent, holding on to which the young snowboarders move, controlling the direction and speed. The cost of the first snowboarding lessons for the little ones starts at 5 euros, including equipment rental.
Children will find numerous entertainments in Tina, created especially for them: sledges, ice skates, igloos (ice huts). Kindergartens and ski schools involve them in mountain skiing and organize training for them, combining it with play. “French Ski School in Tina” is one of the largest. It employs 200 professional instructors.
Ski-pass features
Ski passes are sold separately for the Tinha and Val d’Isere areas. There is a ski pass for the common skiing area.
For 1 day of skiing in autumn on the Grand Motta glacier, adults will pay €33, children €27, and 6 days will cost €198 and €162, respectively. A ski pass for the Espace Killy region (1 day) in the period 24.11 – 21.12 will cost €53 for adults and €43 for children. For 6 days, adults will pay €265, and a children’s ski pass costs €212.
One-day winter skiing in the Tignes and Val d’Isère region will cost €59 for adults, and €47.50 for children. A ski pass for 6 days will cost €294 and €234, respectively.
Summer vacation
In the summer of 2012, a combined cycling area for cyclists started working in Tina and Val d’Isere. Here, lovers of active recreation will be offered a wide selection of carefully prepared tracks with a total length of 150 kilometers, from the easiest areas for beginners to the most difficult descents for experienced athletes, 5 lifts and many different routes. The combined bike park is open every day from June 30 to September 2. 13 special patrols take care of the territory, inventory and visitors.
Apress-ski
The Tignespace sports and conference center is open in Tina (for athletes, a beautiful hall is equipped, unique in France and the second highest in Europe; as well as three squash courts and a 16-meter climbing wall, 2 saunas, a Turkish bath, a jacuzzi, a gym and fitness room), paragliding clubs, outdoor skating rink, Le Lagon water center (area 5000 sq. m) in Tines-le-Lac and other facilities. There are also 78 restaurants (including Le Panoramic on the Grande Motte glacier) with traditional French, Savoy, Alsatian, Italian, American, Mexican and international cuisine, 65 pubs and bars, night clubs, 2 cinemas, bowling, discos, bridge club, library and museum.
Winter diving under the ice of Lake Tin is one of the most unusual activities in the Alps. At an altitude of 2,100 meters, both young and old can dive under the ice, and it can be done both during the day and after dark. The lake freezes from mid-December to mid-April. Day diving is possible every day from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Evening service – on Wednesdays and Fridays after 6:00 p.m. The cost is 80 and 100 euros, respectively.
From December to April, you can go bungee jumping in Tina.
In Tina, it is forbidden to use private cars to protect the environment. Since the 2014/15 season, 40 Twizy electric cars from the Keymoov company have been delivered to the resort. The cars are equipped with “snow” tires and have a trunk for transporting skis, boards and boots. You can use electric cars every day from 8 am to midnight. To do this, when buying a ski pass or through the i-moov application, you need to issue a season ticket for 1, 2 or 6 days.
A free bus runs between the villages at the resort until midnight. Even in a week, you won’t be able to get around all the restaurants and bars.
Many festivals and competitions are held in the city, you can go paragliding or ride a dog sled.
How to get there
The ski resort is located 165 km from Geneva airport, 240 km from Lyon and 130 km from Champery airport. Flight ticket aggregator will tell you flight options. It takes 3.5 hours to transfer by bus or taxi from Geneva. Ben’sBus buses run from Geneva airport to the resort on Saturdays in winter. It is better to order tickets in advance online.
If you rented a car, think about parking in advance. The shade refers to “green resorts” where personal vehicles are prohibited.
You can get to Bourg-St. train station from most European cities. Maurice, and then by bus to Tinja .