Tignes

Tignes: reviews

• skiclub.co.uk visitor (14 April 2010)

  I've skied in quite a few of the Alps' major areas, including Verbier, Zermatt, Chamonix, Flims-Laax, Monterosa and Crans Montana, but until a visit with my teenage daughters (both good skiers) earlier this month, never Tignes-Val D'Isere. I have no hesitation in saying that it's simply superb. It has the best lift system I've encountered, a colossal and varied amount of skiing of all standards both on and off piste, and tremendous scenery, while its altitude ensures good snow. We stayed in Tignes Brevieres, which was quiet but pleasant and meant we could end each day by skiing down the long and splendid Sache valley. It was easy to access the whole area from there. We will most certainly be back.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (25 March 2010)

  Spent a week in Tignes Val Claret. The pistes were, for the most part, well maintained and there were few queues at the lifts. We bought an area lift pass which included the Val D’Isere area, and there were sufficient blue and red runs to keep us (intermediates) going for a week. The main downside to Tignes is the high price of everything.

  
  An excellent place to eat in Val Claret is the Couloir restaurant, situated on a cosy mezzanine over a bar. The food was absolutely brilliant, reasonably priced (for Tignes), the staff were friendly and there was not a fondue or tartiflette in sight. However if it’s pizza, pasta or regional dishes you’re after Pepe’s is quite good, and there’s also La Pignatta, not bad food but the service deteriorates badly once the restaurant gets about half full. Avoid the Le Studio bar, the staff are rude and aggressive. On the mountain Le Chalet du Bollin, on Piste H, is one of the better places to eat, reasonably priced, wide range of food, good sized portions and, unlike many of the mountain restaurants, they don’t expect customers to pay to use the toilets. Avoid skiing down to Val D’Isere for lunch, restaurants are ridiculously expensive and the staff are openly hostile if you only want something cheap and simple such as a beer and a sandwich.

  
  Stayed at the Rond Point apartments which are in a brilliant location, pretty much ski-in ski-out. However that is the only thing in their favour. Our apartment (200) was a dump, it had clearly been neglected for years (broken furniture, electric heater hanging off the wall, stained/dirty soft furnishings, water damage to walls, floors and carpets) . The apartment block itself also suffers from a lack of maintenance, the roof leaks causing water to drip into the apartment in several places, the only lift broke down on changeover day and the public areas are dirty and smelly.

  
  Overall the skiing in Tignes is good, but the high prices in France and general lack of courtesy we encountered in many of the eating and drinking establishments means that we’ll be looking at Austria or Italy for our next skiing holiday.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (24 March 2010)

  It's great to hear everyone's review of Tignes. I first skied here 15 years ago and was overcome by the scenery and snow conditions. Although I have skied most of the top resorts in Europe and USA, Tignes has always been the best all round resort for me. So much so that I have bought an apartment in Les Almes.

  
  The answer to the crap Euro? Go self catering. MGM are transforming self catering in the French resorts with large comfy accommodation with heated ski lockers, swimming pool, jacuzzi and underground parking. You can rent via CGH website. You literally ski out of the front door with no hassle which is a great bonus for the kids.

  
  The ski lift system is fantastic with hardly any queues and the ability to cover great distances in a very short time. All the skiing is challenging and interesting with a huge variety of on and off piste to suite everyone. Evolution 2 ski school is the best in the Alps. The downside is the long drive from the airports but this is soon forgotten. The posters in 2010 ask "Are you Tignes?". I am......definitely.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Ian (21 March 2010)

  Just returned from a week in Tignes Le Lac. Great ski area and easy to find your way around to cover the terrain. Pretty quiet on a night so not for those wanting a party every night.

  
  Stayed at Hotel Tignes 2100 which was pretty basic but well situated for the lifts. Val Claret has more to do on a night and there is an excellent bus service - free - which runs all through the night.

  
  Not a pretty place by any means but loads of skiing for all ability levels. Pistes well maintained but needs more snow now.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (22 February 2010)

  We have in the past visited Les Arc, La Plagne, 3Valleys, Flaine and Avoriaz and have just returned from Tignes le Lac. My family are all intermediate/good skiers and we stayed at CGH Le Telemark in Les Almes.

  
  The skiing was superb the location was great and it was the best area we have ever visited. There really is something for everyone. There were little in the way of ski lift queues, even though it was school half term (which is one of the major problem we have had in other resorts especially 3Valleys and La Plagne).

  The Espace Killy area is massive and varied - We preferred the Tignes area to Val D'Isere as access around was so simple and appeared less busy. The ski parks in both resorts were excellent (Swatchpark or Valpark) and we enjoyed the free slalom races on the Millonex Piste.

  We did have a couple of bad weather days but stayed around the snow parks which are served well with blues and greens. One thing we did find strange was the grading of pistes- In our opinion some greens are more like blues and blues more like reds but this is a general comment about all French ski resorts we have visited.

  Although we are not beginners, we all thought the free ski lifts to Le Rosset and Lavahet together with the increasing slope gradient is an ideal place to start. There are no short steep sections in these areas.

  There was one negative to consider - the main run down to Tignes Le Lac from Val D'isere is Trolles Piste (black) but this is easily overcome as it is possible to go down from Toviere in the Aeroski Bubble lift. Even my family did this on one of our bad weather days. A must run - From the Grand Motte : Glacier, Face, Double M - Magnificent Views.

  Finally, I have noted comments of others on Architecture. This is a French ski resort and you will never get 'the picture postcard chalet effect' ambience anywhere in the major French ski resorts. Every resort has eyesores and the Espace Killy is no exception. We all think Flaine gets the top ugly building award and this architecture is listed and won an award closely followed by Les Arc 2000 or Plagne Centre.

  If you go for skiing in out opinion you cannot better it in france.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (25 January 2010)

  Have just returned from Tignes Val Claret. Tignes is not the most attractive of places but is not as bad as some believe. Excellent snow was being maintained by some very cold weather and excellent grooming. Only downside was the noise at night with drunks singing, shouting etc from approx 11pm through to 4am. Dreadful. Such a shame that many Alpine resorts are being blighted by this issue.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Steve Coombs (21 December 2009)

  Having booked a week, from 13th December in Les Brevieres, which is fairly low down, I was a little hesitant as to how much snow there would be. I was pleasantly surprised in that it was easily possible to ski back to the resort. Les Brevieres is a good choice for someone on a tight budget, especially if you self drive, but I would be wary of lesson availability outside of peak periods. ESF arranged a daily minibus to take students up to Tignes Le Lac as there were insufficient numbers to open the Les Brevieres school. There is a good bubble and a chair lift out of the resort with one more chair and a short downhill ski to reach Le Lac. We were easily able to ski to the far end of the Espace Killy area and back in a day so the remote location did not hamper us. There are a few bars and restaurants for those wanting to enjoy some time out and also a Sherpa supermarket for those on self catering arrangements. Access by car is easy and there is ample free parking, which is a rarity as you get further up the mountain. We had snowchains but did not need them, despite a fair amount of snow the day before we left. I would return but probably only in higher season as ski school is important for my daughter. The Espace Killy area as a whole was very good, with a range of lifts and pistes. I did find a few flat areas in Tignes that were a frustration to the boarders and those of us pushing young children but on the whole the variety was good. I was surprised just how much further it was to drive than the 3 Valleys resorts but the extra miles were all very easy on a Sunday. I believe that Saturdays are a very different story with long queues.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (11 October 2009)

  Reading the previous review of the summer skiing, I would have to say that I was up on the glacier in Tignes in July and it was in very good condition, even skiing down to the Vanoise chairlift! We headed back again in august and chatted to Nic in Brasero restaurant (Lavachet). He said that it had been hot and dry for 6 weeks so only buy a 1 day pass, we followed his advice and while he was certainly correct, we still enjoyed some slushy spring conditions on the 20th august... beats the Snowdome any day (and cheaper) We had 2 more mornings on the glacier and had some fun, ok you cannot expect to have winter conditions when in Lavachet it is 25C and you are playing tennis in shorts! Again big thanks to Nic & Karen in Brasero, with only a few bars / restaurants open in the summer it's nice to see one of the best from the winter welcoming you back.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Malcolm Turner (24 August 2009)

  I’ve just spent three days (21-23 August) summer skiing in Tignes. On the whole I was disappointed. Tignes bills itself as the "Capital of summer skiing" and its official website - www.tignes.co.uk - makes the following claim: "...great summer skiing; 16 ski lifts and over 20 kilometres (130 hectares) of runs & a vertical drop of over 750 m, gives you plenty to do. For the summer ski season, the Glacier will be open from 20 June until 30 August 2009 & then reopens late in September."

  When I bought my ski pass on the first morning, the cashier gave me a more honest appraisal. She said the snow was so bad it would be wiser to buy a pass for one day only, as I might not want to come back. She was right, only a handful of lifts were operating, and there was just one long steep red run, and one short blue run, available. The red run, appropriately named Glacier, was slushy and pot-holed at the top but icy at the bottom, and the last 500 metres were like skiing over wet granite. At the very bottom we even had to cross a small stream! The locals were skilled enough to jump it, but I and others preferred to stop and then step over it. Overall the area was skiable, but only just, and hardly worth the journey. The impression I got was that Tignes is being very optimistic by staying open until the end of August. In July I went summer skiing in Les Deux Alpes where I had an altogether better experience.

  I have no doubt that Tignes is a fine place to ski in winter but, based on my experience, not worth visiting in late summer.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Andy (13 July 2009)

  I have skied in Tignes for two years running and as a ski resort it is definitely my favourite. I stayed in Val Claret which is an ideal location for exploring the area, and found the variety and snow quality to be first rate. I would have to say the skiing is far better than in Val as the final runs into Val are quite average and very busy.

  People often mention crowding but I only experienced this in two locations, one being the final cable car up to the top of the Grande Motte and two when trying to get back from Val before closing time, otherwise we had no problems in either January or February, it is so big and they are improving the lifts all the time.

  In terms of nightlife, Tignes is okay, very Dutch and Belgian based so be prepared for some Europop and poor dancing but a laugh all the same! Val is superior in this area.

  I would recommend stocking up in Bourg St Maurice if you can as Tignes is expensive in places - 7 Euros for a pint of coke in one mountain restaurant! If in Val, head for Le Lavachet on the main road, a famous little bakery with affordable prices and some of the best tartiflette, cakes and hot chocloate in the world!

  I will definitely go back again.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (17 March 2009)

  After making constant use of the reviews on this site I felt it only fair to write one myself. Three of us spent an amazing week in the Espace Killy during half term (14th-21st Feb 09). All mid intermediates, the resort was perfect for us. Some pistes were a bit on the busy side, but nothing like I expected for half term. Lift queues were practically non-existant. During our week we did every lift except one in Tignes, and only missed five in Val d'Isere making it great for lots of mileage. Pistes were in superb condition all week even though there was only fresh powder once in the middle of the week. We stayed with UCPA in Val Claret which was a basic but fantastic base - great location. I wouldn't recommend Espace Killy for beginners really as most of the greens would be blues in most other resorts but there are plenty of free lifts which is a big plus if you are thinking of learning in Tignes. Night life wasn't great but that was the only slight negative – besides, after all the skiing we were ready for bed rather than drinking. As for the "concrete jungle" I just can't agree - we found the Espace Killy to be beautiful. The best ski area we've ever visited - would highly recommend.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (06 March 2009)

  Week Feb 21st to 28th. The skiing in Espace Killy is fantastic. Even with large crowds the lift queues move pretty quickly. Thankfully the lifts are now automated so no more fumbling for photo-id lift passes. Stayed in Val Claret, well located for lifts and the supermarket is very close. On piste: I was very surprised at the number of people oblivious to the rule of only stopping at the side of the piste. There were people stopping everywhere! I saw a Ski school instructor with 10 pupils stopped in the middle on the Face black run and not at one of the natural stopping points either. We found Tignes very quiet for après and at night. Every resort needs a venue like St Anton's Mooservert. Val d'Isere was a bit livelier and a cab back at night is around €40. However, it was skiing we were there for and every day was a glorious mileage fest through fantastic scenery. Food and drink was good but sometimes a bit pricey.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (18 February 2009)

  Just back from a great trip to Tignes. We stayed at the Crystal Club Hotel Curling 7th-14th Feb. The hotel is a bit tatty round the edges, but the staff are great and the food cannot be faulted. A cooked breakfast in the morning! My first ever in a ski resort. The snow at the moment is amazing and some of the best conditions I have experienced. A big thank you also to the ski club reps who gave me a great day of skiing. A resort well worth a visit.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• CAROLINE MORRIS-HILLS (27 January 2009)

  Back from a great skiing trip to Tignes (17th - 24th jan). The snow was incredible, stayed at the Village Montana Hotel for the second time, and would recommend it highly. The food in the evening is gorgeous and ski to door is great. This is the second time we have been to Tignes and we can't fault the skiing. Some of my favourite runs were Double M, Silene (a wicked black run) and Triffolet (bumpy red over to Le Daille). Not the prettiest of resorts but the quality of pistes make up for that.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• simon smyth (25 January 2009)

  I am just back from a wonderful week's skiing in Tignes (17-24 Jan 09). There were 2 SCGB reps that week: David Morgan was the one with the friendly, lived in face, sitting quietly in the corner,with everybody around him in stitches- but don't be fooled by his kindly demeanor as he will willingly lead his group in any condition the mountain can muster....and then there was also Chris Warren. He was the one with the helmet and the enormous sack - which made riding the lift difficult but contained everything our group needed to safely go off piste! In the evening they could be found up a steep hill, in a lodge full of character (and characters) and guarded by a dog bigger than a Shetland pony, and twice as hairy - an Irish Wolfhound who answered to the name of Oscar. I was part of a wonderfully eclectic mix of characters who greatly added to the enjoyment. They ranged from a young guy who skied with socks over his hands after his gloves were stolen, to an inspirational old gentleman who had skied with Jean Claude Killy! So a big thank-you to all the acquaintances who made my holiday so memorable.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Rob Ward (29 February 2008)

  Stayed at Tignes 16-23 February 2008 (half term week) and had a fantastic time. Tignes/Val is a ski paradise and should be included on anyone's 'must ski' list.

  Stayed in Chalet Glacier with Crystal - ski in/out next to the Paquis and Chaudannes lifts in Le Lavachet, excellent location and food. Accomodation was adequate, but this is France so don't expect space.

  For 2 euros you can ski the timed slalom run in the La Daille valley - great fun and addictive. What DO you have to do, to get faster than 32 seconds?!

  We found two jump parks and half pipes which were exciting - yes you can go down these on normal skis - feel the fear and do it anyway (then turn around and see that your 12 year old daughter has followed you down - smiling all the way :-)

  Skied with the SCGB rep which was a great experience, Chris Spice found the best off-piste and I will always remember this brilliant day.

  The lift queues can appear huge, but the fast 4, 6 and 8 man chairlifts mean the queues do move fast - honest.

  Le Spot is well worth investigating - a large semi off-piste area. Sache is the classic long black run, but I found the bumps on Foret the most demanding.

  The traffic from Lyon to the resort was appauling - but the lasting memory was of a superb holiday.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (18 February 2008)

  What a great way to spend a week ! Party of 5 staying at the Hotel Diva in Val Claret. w/c 14th Jan 2008

  Hotel - excellent location right next to the main ski school area and the hub connection to the Tichot, Fresse, Grand Motte Funiculaire lifts. Just a 10 minute walk into the Val Claret town with a number of good bars / restaurants / shops. Food (buffet) can be a little repetitive but on the whole good.

  Skiing - the only word for it was fantastic. Snow conditions were perfect, pistes well groomed/maintained and incredibly expansive. Fast connections to all areas and Val D'Isere easily reachable. If you are a begginer beware of Santons run which tends to catch people out and slow the less patient down if you are thinking of heading across to Val D'Isere.

  If you want guaranteed snow / nice location and lots of skiing - this is the place to go.

  In hindsight I may have preferred to stay in the Tignes Le Lac area - especially if I was taking children - but still great value for money.

  The area was recommended to me by a friend who has been there 9 times before - I can see why !

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (03 February 2008)

  Just returned from a week in the Hotel Campanules in Tignes le Lac. This hotel is warm, homely and extremely comfortable. It also boasts a spa and small outdoor pool and the food was some of the best we have had.

  We have tried many resorts and the Espace Killy area is up there as one of our best. The skiing was varied and very well marked and you could travel many miles reasonably quickly.

  Plus - we managed to watch the practice runs fron the mens FIS at Val D'Isere too! Would definitely return.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (27 January 2008)

  Just back from a superb week of skiing in Tignes!!

  We stayed at the Village Montana Hotel which was perfect. Lovely food, heated outdoor pool and best of all direct access on/off the slopes.

  The skiing was amazing, plenty of variety and the snow conditions were excellent.

  Great runs down to Tignes Les Brevieres through the trees.

  The lift systems were fast and efficient except for one brutal chairlift from Tignes Les Boisses which left some cracking bruises on the back of my legs and proceeded to amble its way up the mountain very very slowly!!

  Overall, the best skiing experience we have had so far. Would definitely return.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Victoria Hannigan (26 January 2008)

  A party of 14 of us stayed at Les Brevieres Dec 29 and New Year 2007/8 - very good value accommodation organised by Chalet Chardons.

  Last in this area 23 years ago - lift system now extremely fast and well linked. Minimal or no queues, wasn't really able to explore off piste much but the pistes were all great with plenty to challenge.

  A bit crowded round La Daille and need to pre-book some of the mountain resturants but plenty at Village level.

  Prices reasonable.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (22 January 2008)

  A party of 10 of us went to Tignes over New Year 2008 and we had a fantastic week.

  We stayed in very nice 10 person apartment in the Chalet Planton in Les Lac, just at the bottom of the Almes drag lift. The chalet is part of the La Place restaurant and they offer ½ board package at only 25 euro per day, which is well worth having. I would really recommend them for someone organising their own ski trip. I think we saved about £200 per head organising it ourselves over UK tour operators prices.

  The period from the Sunday until New Years eve was very busy with some pretty big lift queues (especially in the Val d’Isere sectors), but quietened down a bit after that to more sensible levels and few queues over 5 minutes in length. New Year’s Day was particularly quiet after the revelries of the night before. The New Years fireworks display and party just outside the chalet in Le Lac was very good and worth nipping outside into the freezing cold air for.

  The skiing in Tignes is just about as good as it gets with excellent runs of all standards. The snow cover was generally very good but a few icy patches and stones were appearing towards the end of the week. I would recommend avoiding the cyclamen run beneath the Palafour chairlift as the top of this was very rocky indeed.

  There are a number of new fast chairlifts in the Espace Killy area and these really improved getting around. The highly recommended SPOT area, however, is still served by a very, very slow chairlift.

  If I had to identify downsides with the area it has to be the almost total domination of English. In many places in Tignes you would be hard pushed to hear any French spoken and Val d’Isere sounded just like you were in the Home Counties. Even lift operators spoke to you in English first!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (08 December 2007)

  My family ski in Tignes every year around Christmas and in my opinion, this resort cannot be surpassed for snow sure conditions in comparision to the other Eurpean resorts that we have been to. With easy access to all slopes and great bus links, Tignes makes it easy for families to keep mobile. Although the architecture is not that pleasing to the eye, the quality of the sking blinkers you.

  If you want a family friendly, snow sure ski resort - head to Tignes!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (14 August 2007)

  Had a great ski hol in Tignes last winter, we arrived in rain (Dec 30th) but was welcomed into all the bars and restaurants... We were a group of 16 and with 4 non-skiers and we needed a base, so the Brasero was it for us, it is at the bus stop so the kids can find you after lessons etc.. and when the rain stopped and the snow started the rest of the gang skied to Brasero / Lavachet.

  They had really cool staff who showed a real interest in your day (the same cannot be said of the other bars in lavachet !! no names mentioned).

  Looking at the first 2 weeks in jan 2008 now, will report back.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (03 July 2007)

  We stayed in Tignes in January 2007. It is the most dreadful place ever to stay in. We did not get to sleep till nearly 5 every morning. we were kept awake by drunken yobs screaming.

  We were so tired in the day time it was difficult to ski. Only go if you do not care what your accomodation is like and you can go without sleep. I'd say it isn't a place not to take children which is a shame as the ski schools are great as is the skiing. If you want to ski there get accomodation further down the mountain and drive up in the day time.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (11 April 2007)

  We spent our 4th week in Tignes w/c 17th March 2007. Stayed in the Odalys apartments in Val Claret - convenient for the ski lifts but quite basic. We've generally found the self-catering accommodation in Tignes to be of a lower standard than elsewhere in the French Alps.

  Snow conditions were excellent with good cover all the way down to Tignes Les Brevieres. The snow up on the two glaciers was superb.

  We were pleased to see some improvements to the area since we were last in Tignes in 2004. The rope tow between the bottom of the Tichot lift and the Grande Motte funiculaire was a welcome addition. There was also a new fast chair from Le Laisinant and this has meant that the red and blue runs down to the valley can now be skied without having to rely on the bus to take you back to Val D'Isere. It also provides an alternative route to the Pissaillas glacier.

  However, there are still a lot of old slow chairs lifts and some of these above Bellevarde don't have any foot rests! These are badly in need of upgrading.

  We ate in Les Trois Oursons in Val Claret a couple of times - very good atmosphere and the pierre chaud and raclette were both excellent. It's only quite small inside and booking is recommended.

  Tignes is one of our favourite resorts and we will look forward to returning again very soon.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (20 February 2007)

  Just returned from a week in Tignes Les Brevieres (Feb 2007). The Tignes ski area is fantastic with a huge variety of runs. Les Brevieres is different from the other main Tignes resorts, in that it is very attractive and rural (No high rise blocks), and the pistes back to the resort are tree lined. The resort itself is well suited to family holidays with very little in the way of night life. We only found three bars. Vincents (Pub like with sky sports), The Underground bar (Loads of flavoured vodka shots) and the "French bar"(Great for passive smoking). The choice of restaurants in the resort is high with good quality French ski fayre on offer (Tartiflette , Fondue, etc) Our favourite was La Bouida (Next to the main slope), the pizzaria was also good offering a take away service.(Handy for the kids, and good for us dads who sank a few Genepy's whilst waiting for it to be cooked!!). Altogether a great resort that we would happily visit again.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (18 February 2007)

  I recommend Alliance Snowboarding who we found to be excellent - especially as they were professional, enthusiastic and spoke English.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (05 February 2007)

  Just spent a week in tignes. Amazing and vast resort. Bright sunshine all week, making the piste a bit icy. Overall a fantastic holiday, will return as soon as i can

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (20 January 2007)

  Eaten at Brasero in Tignes a few times this week and had a brilliant time. They had live bands playing all the time and the owners (karen & Nick) were superb hosts...go there you will love it !

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (09 January 2007)

  Tignes: What a great place to ski! Generally Snow Sure and therefore (hopefully) risk free. We've been back twice now and, ski deals prevaling, will return again soon. Loads of Green/Blue and Red cruising to be done. Its not as flattering in terms of run designation as say, Courcheval but thats no bad thing. Highlights: Sache, a Black not for the faint hearted. Looks innocuous enough but the signs on the way down (the easy bit) warn you time and time again to get off if you don't know what you are doing. It goes on for what seems miles until you see the line of fellow skiers and boarders all standing at an edge. After that its narrow, steep and bumpy. And they throw in a lovely little icy red at the end just to finish off the legs. A Vin Chaud at Les Brevieres plus the bubble ride back to the top is definately needed....Whats great is that all can enjoy. Rhododendron/Melizes is a fantastic Blue all the way from the top of Chaudanne down to the same finishing point as Sache so the budding Bode Millers can leave the beginners safe in the knowledge that all can meet up for a beer at the end. Check out the Ice Tunnel on Melizes the way down and simply enjoy the scenery of the trees (yes there are trees in Tignes) and the Dam. You'll also enjoy the delights of the plateau that sits between Tignes and Val d'Isere, and again can ski down to Val itself. If you do venture over to Val d'Isere, and lets face it why not? make sure you take a roller coaster ride on the Leissieres Express. I'll not spoil the suprise but lets say, those without a head for heights need not apply. Once the fun is over other feedback here has made mention of the lovely black run - Trolles - on the return from the middle of the Tignes/d'Isere piste. The're right to make you aware as, although in reality 90% of it is no worse than a medium red, it does get very very narrow at the bottom with high traffic and lots and lots of ice in the afternoons (which is why the locals tell us its a black and not a red). Three ways to get round it: 1. Take the Aeroski Bubble back down to the main drag. 2. Take the long route and ski Piste H to Val Claret and then get the Bus or 3. Take the plunge, ski the narrow bit as best you can and then join the locals and tourists alike as they 'bomb' down the last bit at full helmet into the main Tignes area next to the Aeroski. A little note here: If you hang a right here you can actually ski all the way down into Le Lavachet and simply wander over the road to your Chalet. Last piece of advice: Wrap up warm as the temperature at the top can be a tad on the chilly side. As you may gather, I rather like Tignes.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (02 January 2007)

  December 2006. Val Claret is certainly not an attractive resort that's for sure. We were tempted there at the start of the season as it is a high level resort supposedly with guaranteed snow. We discovered that although there was snow on the glacier the lifts were often closed due to high winds and on several occasions people staying at our hotel reported that they had been stopped on runs and told to take off their skis and walk to the funicular to come back down the mountain. There was one stony and icy red run open leading back into Val Claret and one lift leading to it. As many of the other lower resorts were closed, people were being bused in to ski on the glacier.

  We resisted the temptation to buy lift passes etc on the coach on the way to the resort which was just as well as we skied just once in our whole week. I would suggest that other early skiers do likewise in the future as no mention was made by the reps as to the condition of the mountain and the fact that most of it was closed.

  The saving grace for us was horse riding in the snow. (Organised by Evolution 2 and well worth the money.) Benoit, the guide will match rides to your level. We felt very proud when we rode our horses across the main concourse at the Grande Motte glacier and got a lot of envious looks from the skiers waiting for the funicular and the one lift as we galloped off into the distance!

  We stayed at the Hotel Curling which was opposite the local nightclub. This meant people in the street shouting and screaming every night from midnight to about 5am.

  Needless to say we have put the wole disastrous week down to experience!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (01 December 2006)

  I love skiing, and always have all my life. I like your site as it gives me all the up to date info that I need to plan this season's skiing. I would recommend the skiing between Tignes and Val D'Isere as there are some great routes. I would especially recommend staying in Tignes as it has the glacier which offers all round season skiing to the highest standard. Tignes is also a great resort to stay in, with resort buses and the frozen over lake to skate on. However the best thing that i love about Tignes is the ski from your doorstop with lots of advanced and intermiediate runs ready to go.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (18 November 2006)

  The ski area is amazing and there is a lot of off piste which is great. apres ski not the best, but a few fun little places especially in val claret and its really easy to get over to val d'isere as well. Loved it

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• skiclub.co.uk visitor (17 October 2006)

  Just a quick one about your bars and restaurant reviews - the Brasero has now been taken over by an English couple and so the menu has changed, although they still offer fondues and braserades. The Red Lion doesn't exist any more as the building has been refurbished into luxury apartments. The Mover Café has been called the Couloir for the last year and a bit. A bar that opened in le Lac last year is Jam bar - very small but very friendly. Just down the road from the Angel.

  Hope that helps!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Michael Stanbridge (05 September 2006)

  Wow, what could be better Tignes (and the chalet that Snowstar provided) was so good that I went twice in 2005/6. During one white out I took a guide to Sainte Foy who took me tree skiing. A brilliant resort - much improved by the architecture - the one downside - no trees, but you can go to Sainte Foy for them!

  Perfect!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Paul Stokes (01 August 2006)

  We've been going to Tignes for the past three years for Xmas and I and my family love it. The skiing is great, I like the scenery and the resort is just easy to use (if you see what I mean). We use Skiolympic and I'm reluctant to change. We stay in Tignes Lavachet and a few friendly bars at most a hundred yards from skis-off ease the end of the ski day. The lifts are good (but there are a few older ones still around) and it's easy to pop over to Val for the rest of the ski area. In short, we love it.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• DAVE WILKO (01 June 2006)

  We have stayed in Le-Lac a number of times, with friends, family and children. We have tried a number of resorts and really now stick with Val Thorens or Tignes. We like snowsure and high!! Tignes is great, has a great lift system (although it's about time a few were updated and covered - Ice moustache time!!). We tend to stay in Levanna or Larbina Hotels - Fab food and on the piste. You can find yourself completely on your own if you can pick the right route. Instead of skiing down the horrid black of trolles into le-lac, we skied piste h to val claret and skied around the back and popped out half way down palafour. we found ourselves on wicked blue's and red's completely on our own. snow is always good although a bit slushy at the end of the day in mid april coming into the village - what do you expect? Without kids, nightlife is good although did find myself asking where all the action was on a few nights and retired very thirsty before 1.00am!! I can't recommend Tignes enough. If you're unlucky enough to hit traffic from Geneva, Chambery or Lyon then you wish you'd booked Val Thorens (the first turn off from Moutiers) It can take forever to get from Albertville/Moutier to Tignes. It has taken us 7 hours before now, although in Easter 2006 on a Saturday we flew through Moutiers to Bourg without seeing another car!!! It really is that hit and miss. If you're thinking of skiing or boarding and the scenery doesn't bother you, Tignes is the place. Lets face it, how many people go to Val D'isere to ski darling luvvy??!!! There were more people in their prada suits sitting having coffee darling rather than skiing!!!! Buy an Espace Killy pass to ski the middle valley and La Daille, but don't bother going into Val d'Isere. It's a pig to get in and out - the blue is usually carnage through the gully and the snow is always slushy and at the end you have a 2 mile walk into the village!! Take the lift over the other side of Val d'Isere for some great snow and bypass the village - Tignes is much more civilised for the person who wants to ski/board rather than tan.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Lilian Crossley (29 May 2006)

  First skiing holiday ever, so did not know what to expect. Stayed at Hucksters Chalet in Tignes Les Breviere, operated by m2o holidays - had a wonderful time - even learned to stay upright on skis! Les Breviere is a lovely small village, stunning views from Hucksters, close to piste. Food great, staff v friendly. Good restaurants. m2o staff very helpful - will definitely go back with them!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Debbie Eaton (22 March 2006)

  Back from a week in Tignes (11-18 March). with our two children, aged 10 and 7. What a fantastic week.... powder to play in for most of the week, and sunshine everyday. Having not skiied in France for many years was pleasantly surprised at the helpfullness of lift operators with our children. Also staff were quick to manage queues when they arose (which wasn't often). Stayed at Le Gentiana Hotel - very comfortable, great food, good pool and sauna. Overall a brilliant week and very impressed with Tignes... 3 minor comments ... the last bus back from Val D'Isere to Tignes is at 5:30pm and you have to buy tickets from the main office in town - taxi is expensive so check the last lift times! Food at the mountain restaurants was very expensive. Best deal was the pannini bar at the Spa shop in town. Sounds a bit sad but note all the instructors in there and food was good. And lastly to mention to those with kids that the only run back to Tignes le Lac is a black run that is hard at the end of the day. We took the option of the aeroski down a few times to save tired legs. Other than that a brilliant time had by all. Good things to try were the half pipe and jumps (not just for snowbaorders) and the slalom run near to town - which the children really enjoyed. Also the Ice Grotto is worth a visit and the black down from there was quite easy (our 7 year old had no problem with it).

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Josie (20 March 2006)

  Just returned from Tignes les Brevieres on 18th March. Went with m2o holidays and stayed in chalet Alpey. I think we got the best week of snow all season (not gloating, honestly). I would recommend les brevieres to stay as it's so much more picturesque than the rest of the resorts, and it's only a gondola, a chair and an easy red run to get to main tignes le lac. Chalet alpey is very small, but perfectly placed near the piste and run by some great people - (thanks again, harvey and Bo for a great week!). The ski area is huge thanks to the espace killy pass which lets you try val d'isere too. if you don't fancy ski-ing the entire area, there's a good bus service from la daille over to the far side of le fornet which gives you access to the far glacier. the grande motte glacier over tignes is breathtaking and had fantastic cnow all week. only criticism is the lack of bashing on many pistes - there were a lot of moguls by the end of every day, though it does mean that moguls will never scare me ever again as I've now skied so many of them. All in all a brilliant holiday and already planning to go back there next year.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• diane jones (27 February 2006)

  Just returned from Tignes le Lac on a family ski trip. This is 2nd time to Tignes - first time being 12 years ago. Still don't know why it is one of the top French resorts! If it didn't link to Val d'Isere there would be even less reason to go there! Icy hard packed pistes littered with stones. Full of snowboarders who are thoroughly out of control and are happy to crash into children (my daughter being one of them!) and skiers who think they are Bode Miller, who have got his speed but without the control. Not a patch on Val Thorens. Do check out the Angel Bar - very welcoming and good. Our tour operator uses Air Berlin who are without a doubt the worst airline we've ever experienced and who destroyed one of our bags and are now making it hard for us to get the stuff that was missing and damaged replaced.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Mr P Hubbard (05 February 2006)

  Tignes: Val Claret: Le Borsat Appartments IV: 28-01-06: Good skiing/good location with all you could need on your doorstep such as gear hire-ski schools-lifts- shops-restaurants etc. Great bus service up and down the mountain free. We would take our kids back again. Le Borsat IV rooms basic but FAR TOO SMALL. Read what it says for the number of people in a room, then half it, and you would still have to get on very well indeed. No TV in room unless you pay extra, mean in my book. A great place. Went to Val Disere last year, but Tignes is much better for families-IMHO.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Bruce (04 January 2006)

  Just back from a week skiing over Christmas, skiing was excellent but I must admit that some of the lifts could do with some investment. Being -25 most days you really need a cover on the lifts. Some of the lifts are tediously slow and as such I was frozen by the time it reached the top. The free bus service is frequent during the day but you need to check the time table in the evening if you do not want to walk between Le Lac and Val Claret. There was so much skiing that we were only able to visit val d'sire once. As usual it snowed on the day of departure but this would only increase what was an already huge area. With lots of fresh snow the off piste availability is massive. So anybody going now have fun. Overall a really good resort and worth the long transfer.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• J Parmar (02 January 2006)

  Went to Tignes in Feb half-term 2005, usually a very busy time and was pleasantly surprised to find that the slopes were by no means to busy, and that I never had to wait longer than 10 minutes to get on a lift, most of which are quite good although the fact that hardly any of the chairlifts are covered means that it can get quite cold. I stayed in the Village Montana Hotel/Residences in Le Lac, excellent hotel, good food, very friendly staff, and ski in/ski out (you can ski straight down tho the main lift area). The snow was excellent and the skiing superb, I would definately recommend this resort to anyone.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Haggis (12 December 2005)

  Just returned from a week in Tignes Val Claret. Fantastic boarding and superb snow conditions. We were led to believe that the nightlife wasn't up to much and planned to go across to Val d'sere. However we found that the nightlife in val claret was excellent! Highly recommend the Fish Tank thanks to Jez and the girls for very friendly service and Crowded House for LOTS of weird shorts. Other great places to go are Blue Girl ( a bit cheesy french - but ok), The Melting Pot and Club Yorin - all great clubs. Definately back after xmas.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Kate (15 January 2005)

  Just back from hols in Tignes les Brevieres - fantastic time, can't wait to book my next trip next year! Really good accommodation - stayed in Hucksters Chalet and really well looked after by the staff...so friendly and really down to earth. I'd heard Tignes was great for the snow but wasn't very picturesque - Les Brevieres though was a lovely village with good access to lifts up to Tignes.I seriously recommend it!

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Fran Bennett (07 March 2004)

  I'm amazed you say that Tignes has an excellent lift system.. yes in all other areas this is the ultimate resort - but unforunately they are typically French 'tight' on investing in a covered lif systems, as the Austrian's have done. By the time you get to the top of some of the mountains the windchill on the Tignes ancient lifts has rendered most skiers incapable of moving at all - when will they invest in covered new high-speed lifts, replacing 1970's slow, painfull systems?

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Frances Higson (11 February 2004)

  We had a fantastic week in Tignes last season and once funds allow will go again but not to Chalet Les Airelles - live music every night in the bar directly below the family rooms. Coupled with the main door in constant use (should have been locked and the side door used)sleep was in scarce supply. Food was very poor, children's menu appalling.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Anonymous (09 January 2004)

  The remarks about summer skiing are not encouraging and can be misunderstood as meaning that there is no summer skiing, when in fact it's the best in the world. The Grande Motte glacier is open from the end of June to the end of August.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• andrew denton (07 April 2003)

  After reading your report I was very pleasantly surprised when I visited Tignes. Yes, it doesnt have the very repetative and now somewhat boring wooden chalets. It does, however, have a very unusual and erie looking landscape. The skiing in tignes was also far superior than most of Val. The snow conditions were also a lot better.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Rich (26 February 2003)

  Tignes is fabulous!!! We stayed in the Hameau du Borst appartments in Val Claret which were functional enough but really small. Offically 4 people are supposed to be able to stay in these rooms, we were tripping over each other with just 3 of us. The location was good though, right next to the Prariond piste and a stones throw from Val Claret centre where the bars and resturants are. The majority of the resturants seemed to be pizzarias or savoiyard though Daffy's TexMex (Mexican) was good and the was also a small Japanesse place. Nightlife was quiet but the Fish Tank was really welcoming and the staff (a mix of Aussies, Scots and English) were always good for a laugh, just stay away from the Marmite flavoured Vodka! Sub Zero was full of Dutch on the monday night and was a scream. Not sure if it happens every monday but well worth a visit if it does, those crazy dutch guys REALLY know how to party.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Jane Lee (22 April 2002)

  This is feedback specifically from a small child's point of view. Tignes is very child friendly, most lifts are chair lifts and they are always attended with someone to help tinies on, or to slow the chair if necessary. The Aeroski steps are difficult, but access on and off the gondola is OK as it's slow enough for a little one to get off, and the surface is matting over a grating which is very non-slip. Going down is more difficult than going up, as there's limited access time. The main problem point is the Combe Folle tow, this runs to a choice of red or blue runs and looks inviting on the ski map, but it is for adults only, so tinies are left with no option but to ski down the steep and crowded Trolles black into Lac de Tignes. This spoiled my son's holiday as he was afraid of steep slopes after this. Many other families were caught out too. The favourite run was the long blue down to Les Brevieres, in suprisingly good conditions when the other Tignes runs were slushy. Another favourite was Col de Ves, the steep bit at the top is over very quickly (one fall and it's a very quick slide to the bottom of the steep part). The higher blue down from Grand Motte was another empty run, very silent and alone, away from the huge crowds on the main runs down. Joining piste L at the bottom is a shock, everyone seems to love this and there are huge crowds. The new restaurant at the start of the run to Les Brevieres was excellent, very interesting inside with good food and good facilities. We didn't use ski school, but skied briefly with a group of about 12 English 4 year olds, with Evolution 2. This class had two instructors, one to go up the lift first and collect at the top, or to follow the class down. The child we took up the lift was really enjoying himself. The bottom of the slopes were excellent in the early evening for using 'bum boards', kids were everywhere on them. There was so much to do on the snow that our kids didn't even notice there was no swimming pool.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Huub Dijkstra (14 March 2002)

  We find Tignes Val Claret a very nice skiresort with a lot of restaurants. Further it is easy to start from this place to the whole resort including Val d'Isere. You've the whole season good snow and on the glacier it's the whole year very good skiing.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.
• Mike Morris (12 March 2002)

  What a great resort, uncrowded pistes - and this was half term! great snow, friendly locals. This was much better than the adjoining crowded slopes of Val d'Isere. The apres ski was just right, not over the top but not really "under the weather" either. But why oh why do they run a loud generator from 1.00 am until 4.00 am every night. I had to sleep in shifts! I never did find out what caused it but the noise of this machine bounced off the mountainside back into the resort in the early hours at an irritating volume all week. By all means go to Tignes but for your own sanity don't take a room overlooking the lake if you want to sleep before taking on some wonderful powder the following day.

  This is the opinion of a skiclub.co.uk visitor, not the Ski Club of Great Britain.

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