Tignes station de ski — Attraction in Albertville

Ski trip in mid february. Here a detailed review:

Arrival: I stayed in Val Claret, the road up was clear and only on some parts covered with ice/snow. If there was recent snowfall, caution is advised. I liked that there is also a ski run going through the town of Val.

Ski runs: Now the ski area Tignes-Val d'Isère is pretty big and you have lots of variation. About 75-80% of all runs are above the treeline. There are a lot of kids areas (in every town), lots beginner areas (around the Borsat chairlift and Solaise). For experts there are plenty of ski runs: the stade olympice/face de bellewarde (can be very icy), the foret, la Sache, Chicherit, Aiguille Percée. The Tunnel (near Leissieres) was sadly closed due to lack of snow) You have some pretty long ski runs as well: skiing all the way down from Grande Motte to Val Claret, from Aiguille Percée to Les Brevières, from Cugnai to Laisinant, from Borsat chairlift to Val d'Isère or Daille and from Col de l'Iseran to Fornet. My favorite runs were: blue Génépy & black Descente on Grande Motte, blue Grattalu, blue Anemone, black La Sache (upper section, the lower section was very icy), black La Foret and of course the famous offpiste run "Vallée Perdue". This last run is pretty adventurous and shouldnt be missed (you should be an advanced skier though). Snow Conditions: Due to the higher elevation it was very snow secure, though there were still some spots where the wind blow off the snow. The weather was blue sky and sun for 6 days, so ski runs sadly tend to become very icy, especially steeper runs under 2000m elevation.

Lift infrastructure: The ski area is excellent interconnected, though compared to other european ski areas, you wont find any of those hyper modern bubble chair lifts. There are still some painfully slow and rough chair lifts, like Col des Ves, Grand Huit and Cema.

Crowding: I learned to NEVER again come to the french alps on saturday mid february. The roads were full of traffic jams (Lyon-Albertville-Moutiers) and the drive took 3h longer than expected. Mostly british and dutch tourists. Tignes-Val d'Isère was the most crowded I've ever experienced in any ski area and I've been before in ski resorts in switzerland and austria at the same holiday period. There were lines up to 15min at some chairlifts. On the ski runs, especially the main runs down to the valley it was more like an obstacle course to avoid colliding with others. Then there were the ski schools, there were just too many of them. Even in the Vallée Perdue, I encountered a ski school. During lunch time it calmed a bit down and there was a window for a less crowded ski run.

Staff: The staff at the lifts and desks were all very nice and helpful. When buying a ski pass via the Val d'Isère app, the machine wont get you your pass in Tignes, even though the ski area is connected, one of the guys easily helped me out and was really nice. The staff at the lifts were all cool except the guy at the bottom of Merles chairlift (at 3pm last tuesday), he was rudely yelling at me, stressing, even though there was no reason and there was no line of people behind. I signaled him to chill down and he became menacing. Pricing: The prices were in the middle to upper level. The ski pass for 5 days is around 355€. A little takeaway burger can be around 18€, a 1l beer is 21€ (!!). Its certainly not a place if you want to eat/drink on a budget.

Scenery: The landscape is amazing, you can see Mont Blanc. Also check out the Aiguille Percée arch and the Vallee Perdue canyon (if you are a good skier). To even more enjoy the landscape you can even do a tandem ULM flight. I think though some people might prefer a bit more forested hills, if the weather would be foggy I bet its easily a whiteout in the ski area.

Verdict: ++ variety of runs & area size beginner & expert offer nice offer of activities outside of skiing (ULM flight, Bungee ski jump, sledding etc.) pricey ski area (especially concerning food drinks and hotels) -- can be severely crowded during...

The resort is really big which encompasses a range of areas with different levels. Les Brevieres and Tignes 1800 is lower on the mountain with Le Lac, Val Claret, and Le Lavachet higher up. We brought passes online before arriving but it looked like most accommodation places are able to sort out passes and gear on booking. Try and book a place that is close to the lifts, we were in the Palafour Building. We stayed in Le Lac and that was very central to the resort. All of the different areas do have interconnecting chairs and gondolas so you can get from one place to another using the lifts. Keep an eye out for the signs to the different areas while on piste and they will lead you to where you wanted to go. If you don't want to ski/snowboard then there are free buses available going between the areas. All the areas also had a range of living facilities as well as shops and restaurants but I felt that both Le Lac and Val Claret had the most selection. Best place to eat is probably A La Creperie Bretonne in Le Lac, fairly cheap and very tasty galettes and crepes. Access to the Grand Motte Glacier is through Val Claret. The area has amazing views and the lifts are all quite modern, particularly the gondolas. You can also take photos using your ski pass at some lookout points and then pick up the photos online afterwards. Lots of pistes to choose from but there were a lot of skiers (I'm a snowboarder) so it did get quite moguly near the end of the day so it wasn't as nice to ride, particularly the more difficult runs. The snow was alright since it was sunny for a few weeks before we arrived. The last day was snowing and that was really nice to ride. All the lift show the area map, as well as times the other lifts close, so its a good idea to keep an eye on that so you know if you are able to head back using the lifts. If you're up for something challenging, you can try the 10km run Sache which you can access from L’Aiguille Percee. It's a black run but only difficult in some parts (which gets really mogully) and leads to Les Brevieres. There is a long flat bit though which required unclipping on a snowboard. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable ride. Tignes is a really nice resort with a myriad of pistes for people of every level. They also have other things aside from snowboarding such as Le Lagon pools, TigneSpace rec center, and Pala'Fou tobogganing (which is something you should do if...

Having been to the relatively nearby Les Trois Vallées, I can say Tignes is comparable in many ways and offering a ski experience on par with its more premium cousin.

The resort boasts a large piste playground stretching over several key areas from the family-friendly Tignes (Le Lac, Val Claret, 1800) to the more advanced terrain of Val d'Isère with a wide range of pistes for different skill levels. Runs are great as they're groomed daily and the slopes receive tons of powder. Weather conditions can vary drastically throughout the week but we experienced some of the best conditions during our time with lots of bluebird days. And just as you think the snow's getting a little packed, fresh snow gets dumped to refresh the pistes. The resort is generally well-connected, allowing you to easily reach new areas to explore - otherwise, they have frequent shuttle buses that go between major stops around the resort.

The town is very walkable and has a decent range of dining options both on and off piste throughout the day and to kick back après ski.

Overall, it's a great resort with lots to offer for beginners and...