Tignes france
Review of snowboarding and skiing in Tignes France.
Tignes Ski Holiday Facts
Established in 1936 the French ski resort Tignes lies at 3456 metres altitude in the Savoie region of the French Alps / Alpes. With the highest lifts and ski slopes above 2500m Tignes ski area is snow sure. Over 216 snow cannons ensure artificial Tignes snow making covers 50km of ski trails, which equates to around 17 of the ski slopes. The nearest airport transfer to Tignes (France) is Geneva at a distance of 165km or approximately 150 minutes driving time. Tignes ski season runs from November to May.
SNO-man says
Tignes shares the huge and wonderful Espace Killy with Val D'Isere, but the underground funicular accessed Grand Motte glacier officially belongs to Tignes. The glacier no longer offers skiing 365 days a year (but is open in all four seasons and in total for nearly 10 months). For eight months a vertical drop of 1400 metres is maintained, with the aid of snow-making if neccessary. The resort has five different base areas, the main one being Val Clartet with Le Lac and Le Lavachet nearby. Lower down the mountain is Les Boisses and a renovated old village Les Brevieres, at the lowest point in the system - 1550 metres (higher than many ski areas end, but with 2000 metres above it!). Night life is limited for such a large ski resort. Tignes is owned by the same Japanese company which formerly owned Steamboat in Colorado and Sahoro in Japan.
alpine downhill runs to ski in Tignes France
Beginner Trails
 22 runs 121km |
14% |
Intermediate Trails
 61 runs 100km |
39% |
Advanced Trails
 46 runs 58km |
29% |
Expert Trails
 25 runs 25km |
16% |
Tignes Resort & Holiday Info
| Beginners learning to ski |  |
| Intermediate Skiers | |
| Expert Skiers | |
| Snowboarders | |
| Apres Ski | |
| Family friendly | |
| Snowsure | |
| Ambience | |
| Value for money | |
| Ski Pass Prices (adult 6 day) | €154 - €185 |
Traditional Ski Village / Purpose Built Ski Resort |
| Ski Resort Opens | Nov 2011 |
| Ski Resort Closes | May 2012 |
| (snow conditions often influence resort opening & closing) |
Ski Area Tignes Mountain
| Downhill Ski Runs | 300km |
| total length of Tignes trails |
| Longest lift serve Run | 5.5km |
| longest piste or trail reachable by ski lift |
| Ski Slope Orientation | N S E W |
| direction Tignes ski areas face |
| Top Altitude | 3456m |
| top station of highest ski lift |
| Bottom Altitude | 1550m |
| bottom of lowest ski run |
| Resort Altitude | 2100m |
| centre of Tignes ski resort |
| Vertical Drop | 1906m |
| total descent from top lift to bottom piste |
| Skiable Vertical | ^v 1906m |
| can include extra hike up which may be possible above top lift - stat used by some resorts to con us about true "vertical drop" which is lift-served |
Skiing in Tignes
Skiing Tignes you'll enjoy 154 pistes and trails and that means approximately 300km of ski runs. Tignes lifts number 89 with the capacity to uplift 75535 skiers up the mountain per hour. The longest ski run in the French ski resort of Tignes is over 5.5km long. Ski Tignes summer or winter as there is also glacier skiing in Tignes.
SNO-man says
Many choose to ski Tignes because of the access to the Espace Killy , one of the best ski areas in Europe, and one the top ten largest areas in the world. Tignes skiing gives you access to 300km of pistes which include endless snowy cruisers for intermediates, whilst experts can be sure of enough challenges on and off the piste. With 5 free lifts, and the altitude ensuring snow at resort level, beginners don’t have to travel far or pay much to get started. But one of the best things about Tignes ski resort is that even confident beginners can enjoy the Grande Motte glacier with number of nice gentle runs with spectacular views. The linked area of the Epace Killy between Tignes and Val d'Isère present intermediates with more that 100 blue or red runs to enjoy, effortlessly with the modern lift infrastructure.
There are excellent black runs and abundant off-piste opportunities for the expert to tackle, with a high percentage of terrain suited to the more advanced skiers. Try a ski safari to other resorts in the Haute Tarentaise area. In high season, the ski school in Tignes organises weekly courses with competitions in the disciplines of giant slalom, special slalom, ski jump, downhill and speed skiing on the flying kilometre.
Tignes Ski Area
Tignes ski area has 14% beginner ski runs or nursery slopes, 39% intermediate, 29% advanced ski slopes and 16% for expert skiers - the most difficult Tignes piste is the ?km ? run, with a steepness/slope angle of ?%. You can ski Tignes after dark as there is night skiing on ?km of illuminated piste.
Tignes for skiing gets 4 stars out of 5 overall
Snowboarding in Tignes
If you snowboard Tignes you'll want to know that, of the 89 ski lifts in total, 34 are surface lifts or "drag lifts" - this gives a good indication of how modern the lift system is and well set up Tignes snowboarding is - especially for beginners learning to snowboard. Tignes snowboard facilities include 1 terrain parks and 1 half pipe (longest half pipe length is ? metres), 1 quarter pipe and 1 boardercross courses.
SNO-man says
In Tignes snowboarding has been embraced as much as all other winter sports, as is the reputation of Tignes ski resort to offer the best in all winter sports. With the biggest snowboarding area in Europe and offering tuition from three dedicated snowboarding schools, Tignes snowboard resort is one of the most exciting and challenging around. Snowboarding Tignes Palafour Comb snowpark, allows you to ride in dedicated terrain with around 600m vertical and includes , jumps, a free ride zone and a half pipe. Snowboard Tignes with one of the dedicated schools and get off-piste guidance, heli surfing and some even offer free riding courses with video analysis.
Tignes for snowboarding gets 5 stars out of 5 overall
Tignes Apres Ski
The apres ski Tignes scene and off-slope or "non-skier" activities include:
52 apres ski bars 78 restaurants 1 bowling 4 night club 2 cinema 0 billiards / pool 0 games room 0 concert 1 indoor swimming 1 outdoor heated pools 12 saunas 6 hot tubs 1 solariums 1 masseurs 0 indoor ice skating 1 outdoor ice skating 1 indoor sports centre 0 indoor tennis 1 squash racquetball 0 sleigh rides 0 ballooning 1 horse riding 0 prepare winter walks 1 climbing 0 golf 0 fishing 1 museum 0 library Plus these additional apres ski facilities Aquartic Center, Basketball, Cable TV (20 Channels), Bridge, Frozen Waterfall Climbing, Flying Club, Flights, Football, Fitness Centre, Step, Aerobics, Hydro Massage, Ice Diving, Ski Jöring, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Weight Training.
SNO-man says
Tignes has some unusual options for those seeking something different to without skis or a snowboard strapped to your feet - as well as some old favourites. Ski Jöring, the old tradition of being towed on skis behind a horse - popular in the old US West and traditionally in other cultures - is making a bit of a comeback but normally as a demonstration sport at festivals: in Tignes you can try it for yourself at the School of Equestrian Adventure and Ski Jöring. Traditional pony rides in the snow and over a frozen lake are on offer too.
Another unusual opportunity is the chance to dive under the ice in to that frozen lake and see the ice formations from below. A certain amount of courage is required, especially by the inexperienced, who are none-the-less welcome to attend.
Tignes for apres ski gets 4 stars out of 5 overall
More Tignes Snow Ski Area and Resort Information
Tignes resort - ski Tignes by any other name
The French ski resort of Tignes ski resort is also known as Tignes Espace Killy and has the following common misspellings: Dignes, Teens, Tegnies, Teignes, Tiges
Tignes ski area has ski slopes which face N S E W
The direction which the various Tignes ski slopes face can make or break your skiing or snowboarding holiday. If you want to guarantee good snow and ski conditions, you should choose a resort with ski slopes which face the right way for the time of year you're travelling.
- In the coldest winter months of January and February you need a ski resort with some sunny south facing ski slopes, so your days on the snow doesn't feel like a polar expedition. Conversely, in the warmest spring skiing months of March and especially April, a ski resort with some cool and shady north facing slopes will ensure you're not skiing on slush, but benefitting from best late season snow. The best ski resorts have ski areas and slopes which face in all directions so that you're guaranteed greating skiing whatever the weather. Tignes ski resort has ski slopes facing N S E W.
Tignes for snow gets 5 stars out of 5 overall