The distance from my house in North London to Tignes is almost exactly 700 miles (1150km). I did the trip yesterday and the total journey time, including ferry crossing and three fuel stops was 13 hours. You can reduce the total journey time by one hour if you use the Eurotunnel to cross the channel, more if you break speed limits (not advisable).

I started from my London home at 10.15am. It took me just over 1.30hours to get to Dover. Not bad, considering I have to cross from North to East London, navigate Blackwall tunnel and cross the M25. I always plan for a minimum of 3 hours for London to Dover ferry departure as I have been caught out in traffic before and missed my fair share of ferries. I also use any spare time before ferry departure to refuel the car, check tyre pressures etc. Gets me further into France without stopping and currently fuel is cheaper in the UK too.
Ferry left on time(they normally do) and with a crossing time of 1.30 hours I reach Calais at 4pm local time (don’t forget you loose one hour travelling to the continent). Also make sure you take the ferry to Calais, not Dunkerque or any of the other port, otherwise your crossing will be longer and your drive to Tignes too.

The route goes broadly Calais – Reims – Troyes – Dijon – here you got a choice either Lyons – Albertville or direction Geneva – Annecy – Albertville. The Lyon route is longer, faster but higher motorway fees. I always drive from Dijon direction Geneva to Annecy – Albertville – Bourg St Maurice – Tignes. Shorter distance and less expensive and if you drive into the night there is no time penalty.

Calais to Reims is just under 200 miles and you are in the centre of the Champagne region. The Champagne is a fairly flat but obviously many wineries and vineyards. If you are driving from the Midlands, this is probably half way point and not a bad stopover. I always do the journey in one day, but I do stop to buy Champagne. My tip here, don’t buy near Reims where all the big Champagne makers are based, drive on another 100miles and stop near Troyes, which is still the Champagnes. For me this makes a perfect first fuel stop (300miles into the journey) and gives me an excuse to pass my favourite Champagne makers.

After Dijon, you pass the Burgundy region, another possible stopover and opportunity to buy wine, this time Burgundy!! From here you either drive via Lyon to Tignes or drive via Annecy (Geneva). The Lyon route is quicker, but the Annecy route is more scenic and cheaper. Both routes will lead you to Albertville from where you climb the mountains towards Tignes.

The total drive time from Calais to Tignes will be 9 hours if you keep your stops to a minimum and short (8 hours if you are super fast and have a big petrol tank). It took me 8.30 hours but I had to stop 3 times for petrol. If you drive the first time or if you travel with a young family you should plan for 10 – 11 hours from Calais to Tignes. If you try to avoid motorway charges and drive route national, you save 65Euro (£50) but you journey time will be more like 12 – 14 hours.

Cost to drive to Tignes, ferry £80 return, motorway charges £50 one way, petrol £120 one way, which makes return trip cost (by car) about £420 – £450 depending on ferry cost and fuel consumption of your car. Normally driving makes only sense if you are a group sharing the cost. There are four regional airports with low cost flights, good car hire and airport transfer options. Do the maths.

I always leave London late morning 10amish to beat the traffic. That normally gets me into Tignes around midnight. I have lunch on the ferry and only stop for fuel. Because I pass lake Annecy late, I also beat the traffic along the lake.I don’t like to get up early.

The French national football team has announced some time ago that it will train at high altitude in Tignes, France. Training in Tignes means the adaptation of the body for the games taking place at altitude. Some games in South Africa this summer will be conducted at high altitude in Johannesburg (1,700m), Bloemfontein (1,400m) and Rustenburg (1,500m).  Tignes a 2100m is more than ample preparation for the altitude the team will face in south Africa. The air is notably thinner at these heights and the oxygen content per cubic metre of air is reduced thanks to the lower air pressure. This generally means that the body, in particular the muscles, can no longer be supplied with sufficient levels of oxygen.

The France football team will be in Tignes from May 18th to 25th for their traditional training at altitude, before a series of friendly matches. France will face Costa Rica on the 25th May and  Tunisia on the 30th May in Lens, followed by a game against China on June 4th, in Pierre de la Réunion. This world cup, the football training in Tignes is particularly important as matches will take place in Johannesburg, at an altitude of 1800 metres (1/4 final and final). Well, that is if the French team can make it that far. If the previous track record is anything to go by, France has always done well after a visit to Tignes. Winning the title, runners-up and quarter final appearances.

It might be news to you, but Tignes got a fantastic summer season with state of the art outdoor football fields, tennis courts and a high altitude golf course in addition to the usual Alpine adrenalin  sports and summer skiing. Summer season normally starts mid June and closes mid September.

The French team are a little early for their preparation and given recent dump of fresh powder, Henry and his buddies might have to put on some gloves for outdoor training.  Snow is something they won’t have to prepare for in South Africa.

In case you want to follow Les Bleus beyond Tignes, here are the first round World cup fixtures:

Friday, the 11th of June 2010
Cap (8:30pm)
Uruguay – France

Thursday, the 17th of June 2010
Polokwane (8:30pm)
France – Mexico

Tuesday, the 22nd of June 2010
Bloemfontein (4:00pm)
France – South Africa

Let’s hope the French team can make it past the first round. would be great to welcome them back to Tignes for the Euro preparations in two years time.

Tignes Weather Forecast 2nd – 4th May – Powder:

A heavy fall of snow, heaviest during Mon night. Temperatures will be below freezing (max -1°C on Sun 2nd May morning, min -4°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light and fresh powder guaranteed. Tignes is one of the last ski resorts to close for the winter season and is open well into the spring for some late-season skiing and is offering some deals to match.

Great spring skiing at even better prices

The Happy End deal, running from 1st to 8th May marks the end of the season in Tignes (before the summer ski season starts again in June !!!) . 100 kilometres of pistes stay open until May 9th and guests can enjoy seven nights’ accommodation plus a six-day SuperTignes pass starting as low as €175 per person. My chalet style Tignes ski apartment with great views sleeping seven people is available from as low as €400 for six people .

Tignes does make an effort to attract the punters

Tignes goes a long way to celebrate the end of the season and the deals are incredible. Tignes also include free entry to the massive indoor swimming pool and free ice skating. There are a lot of reasons to visit the ski resort not least a mix of long sunny day, quality snow, lively “after ski”, well, just the perfect cocktail to celebrate Spring time !

Remember Tignes for next ski season

My advice, take advantage of the deals available. You won’t get better powder skiing at lower prices anywhere next season. If you can’t make it this season there will always be a happy end next season.

Of course I have been thinking about contingency plans for how to get back to the UK. To be honest not really hard as there is always a way back from France.

For once you can easily drive back to the UK. Journey times to the French ports are less than 10 hours and if you keep the stops to a minimum you can do it in less than eight hours. I checked with my car hire company and I would be able to drop-off my car in Calais.

Not that I am in  a rush, snow conditions in Tignes are fantastic and even the off-piste is still good. Yesterday I skied Vallon de la Sache all the way down to Tignes Les Brevieres. I had a 10cm soft cover of snow on top of the dense solid snow foundation. … all to myself.

I love skiing Tignes late April, more often than not the snow is great and the past five years we had fresh snow even as late as early May.  The days are longer, the sun is warmer and a lot less people. Temperatures are still minus degrees, keeping the snow nice and consistent. Yes there is the odd slush lower down in the afternoon but it is April after all.

Skiing down the Grande Motte is still like sking in January, with firm, gripping snow ideal for racing long carving turns. No queues at the bottom of the Grande Motte cable car, no delays just continuous up and down on one of the most spectacular runs in the Alps and the world. Yesterday I managed almost 4 runs per hour from 3450m Grande Motte all the way down to Leisse chair lift.

Back to the vulcano and the current traffic chaos. You need not have to rely on flights getting to Tignes anyway.  There are direct train connections between London King’s Cross and Bourg St Maurice, from where it is just a 30min transfer to Tignes. Many transfer operators and busses operate on the route form Bourg st Maurice to Tignes. there should be no problems making arrangements at low cost.

As I am writing this blog post (sitting in my apartment overlooking Tichot) the first flights landed in Geneva airport. It looks like the air traffic ban has been lifted in London after a 6 days shutdown and it seems a large part of the British air traffic is expected to resume its works.

I for once had made my contingency plans.  Having said so I don’t have to go back to the UK before the end of the week and I could think of worse places to be stranded than Tignes. In fact, I wish the flight ban had been introduced later so I could stay to the end of the ski season.

Oh well there is always next year.

The show on M6 TV for the pre Firemix Party 2009-2010

A look at the slopestyle course, halfpipe and the athletes who are going to take them on at the first ever European X games in Tignes

Un avant goût de ce qui vous attend aux 1er Winter X Games Europe de Tignes qui auront lieu du 10 au 12 mars 2010. Au programme épreuves de Slopestyle et Superpipe, homme & femme, ski & snowboard, et des démonstrations de snowmobile freestyle. Entrée gratuite.

water jump

Last Friday I went to Porte du Soleil, Togon to be precise. I was invited by some friends and to be fair we had a lovely refuge on the slopes, courtesy of the local ski club.

Fridays skiing was good, but the snow below 2000m was already very slushy and the coverage very thin below 1500m altitude.  We are only just half way through March with another six weeks of the winter season to go. As I said, I enjoyed the skiing and the weather was great, so absolutely no complaints there.  We also had a good laugh partying in the refuge!

Saturday afternoon it started raining all the way up to the higher slopes. It was very mild and the snow coverage started to thin out by the minute. Soaking wet, on our way back to Torgon we had to ski some red and black runs with heavy, wet piles of snow – something a beginner would have found impossible to navigate and even an intermediate skier would have struggles with.

As it happened it rained all night and most of Sunday. The ski resort of Torgon decided to leave all lifts closed and many of the lower runs had already large sections without any snow coverage. Fair enough, if the resort decides to close the facilities due to lack of snow or weather conditions – that’s the way it is.

However not only were all the lifts closed, so were all the ticket offices. It took us a while to find an official to discuss ski pass refund (40euro for the day) only to be told that there won’t be any refunds at all.

You tell me, you operate a ski resort at low altitude, get caught out by the weather and lack of snow, decide to close all your ski lifts and than not even offer a refund? Would you book a ski holiday there again. I won’t.

I won’t go back to Porte du Soleil. This is the second time I have been skiing there in rain. It is also a difficult domain to ski between ski resorts. Too many buses to take, too many low altitude connecting slopes (often closed), too many old lifts that keep breaking down.

I cam back last night, frustrated from the lack of skiing. I checked the weather in Tignes and guess what. It was snowing. That’s why I don’t ski anywhere else but Tignes!!

freestyle skiing in tignes