Want to get some insight on skiing in Tignes? Ines from our team went to one of our high-altitude resorts for a spring break in the snow. Find out all about her ski trip in her Tignes review below...
I am a French girl from the Alps but I’ve never been to Tignes before so I thought it would be a great opportunity to get to know this famous resort.
I flew from Gatwick to Geneva on Friday night and met my family in Chambery. We went up to Tignes on the Saturday by car, and it only took one hour and a half from Chambery, we had no traffic at all!
We stayed at Le Telemark, a very nice 4* self-catered residence located in Tignes Le Lac with a stunning view over the mountains.
The apartment was amazing. We had a three-bedroom with a mezzanine and it was very tastefully decorated in a typical mountain style. The girls at the reception were lovely and very welcoming. We toured the residence straight away and decided to head down to the pool. The spa area was nice and very relaxing, we enjoyed the massive pool with its two hot tubs, sauna and steam room. I went to collect my skis from Ski Set on the same day as it is conveniently located just in the middle of the resort, next to the ESF meeting point.
Our first day skiing was very sunny and hot, however, the snow was still very good, especially in the morning. In the afternoon we took my little brother and my little sister to their ski lessons at the ESF meeting point right in the middle of Tignes Le Lac and then we went off to ski. We basically stuck to the same itinerary each day. We skied all day every day as the ski area is so vast, you never get bored! Slopes are wide, long and varied with many black and red runs but also some nice beginner areas, so it’s a nice resort for every level of skier. We bought the Tignes only lift pass but it was enough for us. However, you can buy an Espace Killy lift pass which also links to Val d’Isère if you want to discover an even larger area. We skied several times on the glacier, it was great to go up to 3450m by cable car and arrive at the top to admire the beautiful view over the mountains.
We were very lucky with the weather as it was sunny and hot almost every day except one day when it snowed.
Every morning we ordered some fresh croissants and baguettes for our breakfast directly from the reception of the residence which was so convenient!
We also discovered there was a huge festival called “Francofolies” during our stay. It is normally a famous festival in La Rochelle in France during the summertime but they decided to organise one in Tignes as well over winter. There were free concerts during three afternoons and in the evenings in the heart of Tignes Le Lac and there was a big stage in the middle of the slopes with famous French singers.
The last evening, we decided to eat out, so the reception advised us to go to a restaurant called “L’Escale Blanche” in the heart of Tignes Le Lac that faces the slopes. The food was amazing, you can eat all types of food: Pizzas, very nice meets and alpine specialities. We even went back the day after for lunch but this time we ate outside on the massive terrace in the sun.
On the last day, we had a nice walk in Tignes Val Claret, which is on the other side of the resort, just above Tignes Le Lac. We saw a lot of restaurants, and bars / Irish pubs with live music, so guessed this part of the resort must be very lively at night. We took the free shuttle to get there, it is so convenient and very efficient as there is a shuttle every 10 minutes to go to Val Claret, and every 30 minutes after 9pm.
To sum up, me and my family really enjoyed the resort and would love to go back. The week went far too quickly and we would have loved to stay another week! I would really recommend Tignes Le Lac, especially for a family as there are plenty of activities for both children and adults and a lot of entertainment. The ski area is massive and there is little chance of being disappointed by the weather, neither by the snow in April as the resort is high! Just don’t forget to buy some good sun cream as it can be very strong!
