Amazing ski resort is Tignes. All aspects of Tignes are huge in scale - terrain, infrastructure, humans, mountains and the price of a coffee at Val Claret (Tignes highest resort village).

Only the French would ever build a Val Claret. That's not an endorsement or a criticism, just a statement of fact. Over time we have come to accept the questionable architectural stylings of the larger French ski resorts, but perhaps 'accept' is the wrong term. Rather, we have become immune or even numb to it. Even so, there is something fascinating about viewing Val Claret's high rises surrounded by pristine snow & a towering La Grand Motte on a cold blue sky day.

Despite some grotesque architecture and way too many people, Tignes is big enough that one can find quiet solitude, quiet and (thankfully) powder any day of the week.

Arriving in Tignes lowest village of Les Brevieres early on a blue sky in no way prepares one what is to come. Les Brevieres is a small traditional village with a single main street leading to a gondola. Deep in shadow for much of the day in mid-winter. Les Brevieres is nevertheless the most pleasant of all the Tignes villages, even if furthermost from the action. To add some spice to the morning, if driving, one has to negotiate a car park layered in ice and then be confronted by the sight of massive avalanche debris ON the piste within metres of the gondola base. Entire trees were amongst the debris. A sobering reminder of the power of nature.

The gondola linking Les Brevieres to the rest of Tignes is one of the oldest lifts in the resort. It ends in glorious sunshine high above the valley. Piste trails link back to Les Brevieres below and to the second Tignes village, Les Boisses, located awkwardly "between a lake & a hard place".

Visitors are greeted by perfectly groomed piste trails all over Tignes. In between are masses of freeride terrain with immeasurable opportunities for powder turns. Some areas clearly get tracked out early, but staged opening of ski lifts after heavy snowfalls due to avalanche danger saves vast swathes for those, like us, that came well after the last storm.

Working our way across the resort to Val Claret via the Le Lac village emphasizes the size of the resort. Chopping & changing from piste trail to off piste the sense of scale and the associated impact of over 50,000 beds in the Tignes / Val d’Isere area becomes obvious.

With avalanche danger down to a workable 3, we crammed into the funicular (truly dislike funiculars) up to the base of the Grande Motte cable car. All the glacier lifts were closed (avalanche danger!) so exploration of the freeride terrain back to Val Claret was the order of the day. Every type of alpine terrain from wide bowls to steep couloirs can be accessed. Easy piste trails do the same journey but over different terrain. Tignes is truly a resort for all abilities.

The piste & lift links with neighbouring Val d'Isere via the peak of Toviere can be over-run with humanity. Whilst a visit (or visits!) to Val d'Isere is an absolute must, we have never seen near flat, groomed piste turned into bumps so effectively. Not a good thing! Later in the day as lifts are closing, with declining options, beginners can find themselves on the black Trolles piste between Toviere & Le Lac village. Carnage can ensue. If in doubt take the easy way down to Val Claret & catch a bus to where you need to be (or download on the gondola)!

By far the quieter side of Tignes (& generally, the last of the 'lower' lifts to open) are on the opposite side of the resort. On the sunny slopes between the Col des Ves & Aiguille Percee lifts, crowds are comparatively sparse but so are the facilities with barely a mountain restaurant to be seen.

Après ski is quite buoyant throughout the resort. Always going to be the case with such a large cohort of humans in the one place. Rule of thumb is the higher elevation the village, the higher price of drinks - like all the French mega resorts (Courchevel etc). For those that really want to get it on, the La Folie Douce on the border with Val d’Isere is the place to go. Beware the ski back though.

Amazing Tignes needs to be experienced to be believed.

You can see our thoughts on the pros and cons on the Bonneval overview page and also see our European ski resort ratings regarding how we score it compared to other skiing areas.

See our video here

So you think Whistler is big???
We skied Tignes in late January along with a throng of other humans. Luckily enough we skied with a guide for some of it. This allowed us to explore off the top of the Grande Motte back into La Claret. This is a massive ski area which still held some powder stashes many days after the last snow.
Advice for the funicular. Get on last - get off first!
Tignes is a huge resort connected to an even bigger monster that is Val-d'Isere. If you like big mountains, big crowds and even bigger prices for an espresso. Tignes is for you.

PS. Be careful of wind ridges. Some hold special and quite painful surprises!
(Editors note - be careful in the backcountry!)
See our video here

Had a great time back in January. I didn't have any fresh snow falls while I was there but it made no difference at all as the resort is snow sure and the snow cannons where on a few nights. The runs are really well looked after and the lifts are great with no waiting to get to your next run. The town is very clean and the locals are very friendly.

If you're a lone boarder this is a great place to visit as you are made to feel real welcome and that they had known you for ever. The new local friends I made have invited me back in June to ride the Glacier when it re-opens for the summer.

There is so much more to do in Tignes. I never got round to doing anything apart from boarding and partying in the local bars. There is a great night life if you just go and look for it !!!!!!

P.S. big up the DropZone
See our video here

Whilst it has been a few years, I still remember fondly the ride up to the top of the resort via the underground train and then snowboarding all the way back to the village at the bottom, absolutely loving this fabulously long run which offers tonnes of variety and giving you that feeling of urgency to get back up to the top as quickly as possible to do it all again. The self catering accommodation meant we could load up the room with buddies from all over Europe in a great location, who weren't precious about where they slept (floor, couch, or even a bed!) - and nightlife is not an issue when you can make your own fun!
See our video here