In the east of France, in the Rhône-Alpes region, there is a young but very ambitious ski resort of Tignes. In a very short period of time, it has become a worthy competitor to the aristocratic Courchevel.

Tignes has what many people go to the mountains for – excellent skiing, guaranteed snow and modern lifts. You can ski above Tignes even in summer: the Grand Motte glacier is open all year round, and skiing there is well worth coming there for at least a few days. In winter, Tignes is famous not only for its democratic nature, but also for its excellent opportunities for freeride. Tiné, which has suffered somewhat from the architectural fashion of the mid-60s of the last century (almost all the villages of the resort are built up with high-rise buildings), lacks a bit of typical Alpine charm. But this is more than compensated for by the variety of programs and entertainment offered, as well as very reasonable prices for literally everything – from accommodation to restaurants.

Tiné is located on the other side of the mountain range from Val d’Isere and is connected to it by ski lifts. Access to the Grande Motte glacier (3500 m) makes the area even more attractive. The resort consists of small villages – Tiné le Brevière, Tiné le Lac, Les Levaches and Val Clary, between which a free bus runs. Thanks to the convenient location of hotels and lifts, you can live in any village, and almost everywhere you can return to the hotel / apartment on skis. If you plan to ski on the glacier, it is more convenient to stay in Val Clara, from this village it is easy to get to the other main slopes of the resort. Another optimal accommodation option is in the village of Tignes le Lac. Tignes le Brevière is the lowest of the Tignes, it is located at an altitude of 1550 m, you can find quite affordable accommodation options there, but it takes longer to get to interesting slopes.

The difference in altitude from 1,550 to 1,906 meters attracts skiers from all over the world. This is where famous athletes – skiers from all over the world prefer to train.

With the appearance of the first snow on the Grande Motte glacier, extreme sportsmen appear, ready to be the first to conquer its slopes. This happens already in mid-October, although the best period for skiing is the end of November – the beginning of May. In fairness, we note that Grande Motte is an excellent place for summer skiing at an altitude of 3,000 m to 3,456 m.

History of Tignes

The first skiers in the village of Tignes appeared back in 1936, they were lifted to the slopes by a single tow lift. It would seem that the village could develop and develop, but the war made its adjustments.

After World War II, France needed electricity, then it was decided to build a hydroelectric power station and install a dam in the Isère River valley. To do this, the village of Tin, which was located at an altitude of 1500 m, was flooded. Five years later, a new village of Tin appeared at an altitude of 2100 m, and it was from there that the development of alpine skiing in the region began.

Today, Tin, together with Val d’Isere, is part of the Espace Killy ski region, which consists of 300 km of combined slopes of varying difficulty. The ski area is officially open from October 4 to May 3. The region is named after a local resident, Olympic alpine skiing champion Jean-Claude Killy. Espace Killy is ranked alongside the Three Valleys and Paradisi regions.

In 1992, the resort hosted the Olympic freestyle competitions. The Winter Paralympic Games were also held here.

Where to stay

There are no luxury hotels here. There are only 21 hotels, mostly in the middle and lower-middle price categories. They are located mainly in Lac de Tignes. There are numerous apartments and chalets.

You should think about accommodation in the Tignes ski resort in advance. The choice of hotels, chalets and apartments is small. If you look for options closer to winter, 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

Langley Tignes 2100 is located in the heart of Tignes-Les-Lac, 250 meters from the lake and 150 meters from the ski slopes of the Espace Killy region. A great hotel for a week’s stay in Tignes. Excellent location – close to the lifts. The building where the hotel is located has absolutely everything you need. Small cozy SPA. Sauna with mountain views. Outdoor jacuzzi. Excellent masseur. Lounge areas with fireplace.

Chalet Les Melezes

Chalet Les Melezes is a bed and breakfast located in the commune of Thiens, 3 minutes walk from the Boissaut ski lift and a 5-minute drive from the center of the commune of Thiens.

Le Palafour 914 3 star hotel

Le Palafour 914 is a self-catering accommodation located in the city Shadow, in the Espace Killy ski region, 1 minute walk from the Palafur and Aeroski ski lifts.

Vacancéole – Le Borsat IV

Aparthotel Vacancéole – Le Borsat IV with ski-to-door access slopes is located in the ski resort of Tignes, where you can ski all year round, and also 32 km from the train station … Exit from the ski storage directly onto the slope to the lift! We pre-booked 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 there was a huge amount of snow, and they are clearing the roads for traffic first. Sherpa supermarket is a five-minute walk away, there are all the necessary products. Literally next to the front door on one side – a bakery, on the other – equipment rental, very convenient! The beds are separated into five separate single beds and are raised / folded to slide under each other, then the space is freed up.

Le Dôme 2-star hotel

Le Dôme is located at an altitude of 1,850 metres above sea level in the Tignes ski resort.

Skiing

The resort has 64 pistes, which are connected to the Val d’Isere slopes on the south side, from which they differ in a slightly lower gradient and greater width. But this does not mean that all the pistes here are easy – in Tignes only about 20% of the slopes are classified as “green”, 50% – as “blue”, 20% – as “red” and 10% – as “black”. Relatively easy slopes are scattered throughout the ski area, so you can find excellent conditions for beginners here, while more difficult trails are concentrated on the slopes of the peaks of Le Grande Motte (3656 m) and l’Aiguille Noire de Pramecou (2971 m).

Thiñ ski resort is great for snowboarders. The XXL halfpipe is one of the largest and fastest in the world. Its length is 220 meters, width – 19 meters, depth – 7 meters. Both professional athletes and experienced extreme amateurs train here. In addition, Thiñ is built annually snow park, which hosts the popular extreme competitions X Games. There are four tracks of “red” and “black” difficulty level with various rails and jumps, a track for bordercross, there are two zones for beginners and an inflated Air Bag cushion, which is nice to land on after tricky somersaults. Not far from the Palafour track is a winter fun park, and at the end of the FacedeBellevarde track – another halfpipe. There is also a huge snow park with four lines of varying difficulty. Every year the world championships in snowboarding and freestyle are held here. The snow park is closed from 16.00 to 9.30 and during snowfalls.

Be careful: there is a possibility of avalanches at the Tyn ski resort.

80% of the resort is suitable for off-piste skiing. 10 areas marked on the maps as Naturides are checked daily for avalanche safety, but are never treated with snowmobiles and snow guns. It is absolutely safe to ski in these areas even on your own, but for your first steps in virgin territory it is recommended to take a guide-instructor.

One of the highest mountain resorts in the world consists of three centers: Tignes-le-Lac (2150 m), Tignes-Lavachi (2100 m) and Tignes-Val-Clary (2300 m). All of them are connected by modern lifts. This place is popular with snowboarders, and it is also ideal for off-piste skiing.

The maximum altitude of the resort is 3,456 meters.

The Grand Motta glacier, which is skied all year round, is also suitable for beginner skiers. There are blue runs here. Panoramic views of the Alps open from the glacier. According to experts, if you like extreme downhill skiing, choose the “black” Sache run. It starts at L’Augille Percee, is 2765 m long, and has a height difference of 1200 m.

The winter ski season in the Thiès region lasts from late November to April-May. For a couple of months in the summer, the glacier is also open for skiing.

Lifts and schools

The pride of Tignes is its 79 lifts. The cable car carries 3,000 passengers in 47 cabins.

The Percy-Neige funicular, at a speed of 12 m per second, will bring you closer to heaven, taking you to the terrace of the Panoramic restaurant at an altitude of 3,032 m or to Bellevar. And then you will have the opportunity to make a 25-minute descent with a difference of 1,300 m.

The resort has 7 ski schools (about 350 instructors), including specialized snowboarding, heli-skiing and freeride schools, 2 ski kindergartens for children from 3 to 8 years old (in Tignes-le-Lac and Val-Clair), about 30 rental points, 50 km of flat skiing and a snow park next to the Palafour slope. During the summer season, a half-pipe is being built on the Grande Motte glacier.

In Tignes, in the Marmottons children’s area, you can teach kids from 2.5 years old how to snowboard! A rope is stretched along the gentle slope, holding on to which young snowboarders move, controlling the direction and speed. The cost of the first snowboarding lessons for the youngest ones is from 5 euros, including equipment rental.

Children will find in Tines numerous entertainments created especially for them: sledges, skates, igloos (ice huts). Kindergartens and ski schools introduce them to alpine skiing and organize training for them, combining it with play. “French Ski School in Tines” is one of the largest. It employs 200 professional instructors.

Features of ski-pass

Ski-passes are sold separately for the Tines and Val d’Isere areas. There is a ski-pass for the common skiing area.

For 1 day of skiing in autumn on the Grande Motte glacier, adults will pay €33, children €27, and 6 days will cost €198 and €162 respectively. 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 skiing in the winter in the Tignes and Val d’Isere region will cost €59 for adults, and for children you will pay €47.50. A ski pass for 6 days will cost €294 and €234, respectively.

Summer vacation

In the summer of 2012, a combined ski area for cyclists began operating in Tignes and Val d’Isere. Here, lovers of active recreation will be provided with a wide selection of carefully selected prepared trails with a total length of 150 kilometers, from the easiest areas for beginners to the most difficult descents for experienced athletes, 5 lifts and a variety of routes. The combined bike park is open daily from June 30 to September 2. 13 special patrols take care of the territory, equipment and visitors.

Apress-ski

The Tignespace sports and conference center is open in Tignes (a beautiful hall is equipped for athletes, 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, jacuzzi, gym and fitness room), paragliding clubs, outdoor ice rink, Le Lagon aqua center (area 5000 sq. m) in Tignes-le-Lac and other facilities. There are also 78 restaurants (including Le Panoramic on the Grande Motte glacier) with traditional French, Savoyard, Alsatian, Italian, American, Mexican and international cuisine, 65 pubs and bars, nightclubs, 2 cinemas, bowling, discos, bridge club, library and museum.

Winter diving under the ice of Lake Tignes is one of the most unusual entertainments in the Alps. At an altitude of 2100 meters, both old and young can dive under the ice, and you can do it both during the day and after dark. The lake freezes from mid-December to mid-April. Daytime “diving” is possible daily from 11:00 to 16:00. Evening party – on Wednesdays and Fridays after 18:00. Cost – 80 and 100 euros respectively.

From December to April, you can go bungee jumping in Tinia.

Private cars are prohibited in Tinia out of concern for the environment. Since the 2014/15 season, 40 Twizy electric cars have been delivered to the resort from Keymoov. 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 purchasing a ski pass or through the i-moov application, you need to issue a subscription for 1, 2 or 6 days.

A free bus runs between the villages in the resort until midnight. Even in a week you will not be able to get around all the restaurants and bars.

The city hosts many festivals, competitions, 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. The flight options will be suggested to you by the flight aggregator. It takes 3.5 hours to transfer by bus or taxi from Geneva. In winter, on Saturdays, Ben’sBus buses run from Geneva Airport to the resort. It is better to book tickets in advance online.

If you rented car, then think about parking in advance. Tinj is a “green resort”, where private vehicles are prohibited.

From most European cities you can take a train to Bourg-St. Maurice station, and then take a bus to Tinj.