When your life revolves around your children, so does your holidays.
And really, easter holidays is perhaps the only period you will not be wasted with drinks or food or commitments with family and friends.
However skiing at this time is normally a hit or a miss, dry or slushy, and if you are lucky......it can dump snow, but only just. #tignes
The amazing thing about Tignes is you are connected to Val d'Isere and there is just miles and miles of runs. There is a myriad of choices available for skiers, snowboarders will keep you occupied for a whole week! All you need to do is ski, eat and shit and do it all over again!
Favourite Runs
Depending if you are a snowboarder or skier I think the runs of choice highly differ.
But the feeling of riding from 2748m to 1800m which is from above treeline to forest gives you such an amazing feeling of foreignness of a different kind, no one must skip this!
Anyway, here's my pick, Tignes side
Aiguille Percee the hole of the needle, iconic to TIGNES..... featured in James Bond movie where Roger Moore jumps through the hole. If it even matters to you.....who's Roger Moore, but more pressing is that the arc would not remain for long to due to constant beating from the wind and weather 2700m up! #aiguillepercee
La Grande Motte, this run kicks arse especially on a cold and windy day, a funicular ride up the rock, warm and toasty in the train and when you hit the peak, you are all charged up to conquer the run! From the funicular, go up to the gondola. It will bring you to 3456m and you will be surrounded by mountains and glaciers. It is an unexplainable emotion to ride down from that height! #LaGrandemotte
Val d'isere side
Glacier Du Pisaillas slope is at the top and it is sunny all day! The Leissieres Ski lift to Cascade Ski lift has the best views you will find in Espace Kitty! The jaw-dropping experience is just by reaching here from the Leissieres chair lift. The immensity of the mountains and glacier simply blow your mind away and the chair lift ride is daunting AF!! I loved it! There is quite a bit of off-piste you could do here with natural ramps and gully in and between the slopes!
Face de Bellevarde black slope is not my favourite but this one host World champion competitions! If you wish to pretend you are in the leagues of champions... go for it, just don't slide all the way down as it is notoriously known for its icy surface! Many skiers opt to take the Olympique gondola down instead of taking the challenge!
Depending on where you stay but if it was Tignes it worthwhile to make an early journey to Val d'Isera, party there and take the bus back, vice versa.
You will get far more variety and shops in Val d'isere than in Tignes.
How to get here
If you are flying in from, Lyon or Geneva would be your best options.
The distance to reach the valley is rather far from any of these airports but it is worth every bit of it! About 2 half to 3 hours by private driver.
I went with ANEMONE TAXI, call Cedric Mont-Jovet, he speaks good English and will give you a guided explanatory tour along the way, he is rather chatty, in a good way!! Write to me if you need his details! www.taxitignes.com
Date of visit: Spring April 2019
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