Many ski schools are running some October courses on the Grande Motte glacier in Tignes. The some of the one-week course have sold out but there are still a few places left on the weekend course that runs from the 14th – 17th October.

For now 20 kilometres of green to black slopes with 12 lifts, offering a 750 vertical meters drop, can be accessed on he glacier. You’ll also come across a large number of athletes from various national teams who take advantage of the glacier at Tignes to get back in touch with the snow and get their skis on again! Basically at this time of the year Tignes is packed with celebritrie downhill skiers.

The glacier will be open daily from 8:30am until 2:30pm – chairlift access only until the cable car opens on the 8th. Lift passes cost 27 euros for adults and 22.50 euros for children. Lift pass prices 2011/2012

The rest of the Espace Killy (Tignes & Val d’Isere resorts) is due to open on 26th November, so get up on to the glacier in the meantime for a bit of pre-season practise!

More and more slopes then open up, depending on the snowfall, enabling you to return to the resort on your skis as early as possible in the season. The Espace killy Tignes- Val d’Isère is scheduled to open on 26th November 2011.
Here you’ll find 300 kilometres of slopes to tear down, no holes barred, with the fun guaranteed until 1st May 2012.

EasyJet Holidays has launched its first ever range of ski packages. The new offerings include several major European snowfields, including Tignes and Val D’Isere. Flights are offered to Geneva from 11 UK departure airports and to Grenoble from seven.

No worries, Tignes got snow, when other resorts fail

Driving up to Tignes, I have to admit, I was getting a little worried. Looking up towards Les Arcs and La Plagnes, there was not much snow left below 2000m. I also know that many of the lower resorts have closed weeks ago. But Tignes never lets you down. After all you can ski there in summer and the resort is as snow save as you can get.

To be fair, you don’t want to stay in Tignes Les Boisses (1850m) or Les Brevieres (1550m) over the Easter break. You can still get there by ski, but there is not much now next to the official slopes. However the piste maintenance team in Tignes does well to keep all the runs open, even with temperatures as high as 15C.

Val Claret the best place to ski over Easter

The place to be is Val Claret. Here you got direct access to the best pistes and the best snow.  The runs down from Col Du Palet are sun blessed with great snow coverage and consistency. Doing a few runs up and down the Grattalu get you going on day one. It is one of the best slopes in Tignes in any conditions. You find the best snow on the Grande Motte glacier, but there you need to be an intermediate skier to enjoy the runs. I have been skiing off piste all the way down from Grande Motte to Leisse. No powder, but a thin vernier of soft snow made it almost as good.  The best place to ski, a real Easter treat.

Easter Skiing in Tignes – not to worry

Don’t worry about snow when you book your Easter break next year. Tignes has a great record and always got snow until the end of the season. There is always the glacier as a fall back. Tignes is one of the very few resorts with a winter season that reaches into May.

I for once enjoy Easter skiing here. More relaxed, more sun, less people and no worries.

Despite negative press coverage on snow in the Alps, Tignes has had good snow throughout this season as all the slopes are above 1800m.I been in Tignes last week, before all the snow fall and I still could ski back to the front door of my ski apartment. Not sure what the UK press is talking about.  Best to check the resorts weather forecast, piste conditions and webcams.  See contact details below. Don’t rely on the press – tends to be negative anyway.

The piste skiing in  Tignes has still be considered good for the time of year. With the new snow fall, the piste conditions will be good until season close, which in Tignes is on the 9th May!!

Below the snow conditions issued by the Tignes tourist office.  Also check the live Tignes webcams, (http://www.tignes.net/en/skiing-in-tignes/webcams-290.html) where you can see all the fresh powder. More is forecasted for this week with spells of sun and good weather. Ideal conditions!!

Watch X Games & X Game Preparations

Not only has Tignes landed the European Winter X Games for three years running. In only 36 days left and you will be able to enjoy the Winter X Games Europe live on Tignes’ snow! If you can’t wait and want to follow the preparation? From February 20th on, ESPN and Canal + Event staff is landing at 2100m to set up THE biggest freestyle event of the year! Tignes set-up a mini website dedicated to the Winter X Games Europe for those of you who can’t be there. The site offers you all essential info easily: HD webcams to follow the shaping of the SuperPipe and the modules of the Slopestyle, news, practical info to organize your stay, goodies to customize your computer etc.

Rally Champions racing on ice

You don’t have to wait for the X Games to get in on the action. What about some Rally Racing …. on ice? Tignes’ child Guerlain Chicherit and his Mini Countryman All4 Racing are ready to ride Tignes’ snow! The Full Metal Garage Show has landed in Tignes from February 13th to 16th. The four-time freeride world champion, Rally Raid world champion in 2009, combines his two passions into one brand new free show. Three days of training for an hour long performance on the most unlikely spots of the resort: skids on the frozen lake, jump over a bridge…

Exteme Winter Madness

You can expect a lot more entertainment and activities during your stay in Tignes. Some of the special events you can enjoy are parallel slalom with a sumo suit, photo Snow Safari with Sony, street entertainment, Kinect contest on giant screen with the Tignes Winter Madness game, Playstation contest with PS3, Disco on Ice, the party that puts the natural ice rink on fire, ice diving, and… skiing, boarding and snow fun of course.

Free Tignes holiday draw

Tignes tourist office also draws a free holiday for a lucky one in a 4* holiday residence, with five friend. The winner can enjoy all the madness for free in a hotel, just 2 minute walk away, and watch the best riders of the planet are landing stratospheric tricks along a crazy Slopestyle course and in an XXL half-pipe… You just have a few days left to play and try to win a 1 week stay for 6 people during the Winter X Games Europe! Hurry-up, no time to waste. The draw is on February 15th. More information on www.tignes-winter-madness.com!

Free swimming & skating

Tignes also offers free access to the swimming pool and to the ice rink if you buy a 2 to 15 day espace killy ski pass! Great deal and all makes sense. Why not, after a whole day of skiing, head for a few lengths in the Lagon pool and go toward the ice rink for a hockey match.

I hope you agree, Tignes keeps pushing the boundries’. The ski resort rocks.

The ski resort also claims that the new lift system is better for the environment with 6 fewer pylons, less noise with a motor located outside the village and no more concrete pillars.

Some technical data:

Departure: Tignes Les Boisses at 1770 metres.
Arrival: Tignes Le Lac Marais plateau at 2180 metres.
Capacity: 3000 skiers per hour.
Capacity per cabin: 18 skiers
Travel Time: 4 minutes

The new lift system will open as part of the  the Tignes – Val d’Isère Espace Killy ski area opening later this month.

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.

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.

Ski hire is an obvious one. We all have seen the offers for 20% and 30% reduction on skiing and boarding gear. Never mind all the banners from websites offering reduced rates for online bookings. How much of a real discount you are getting depends which starting price you take.

The problem with ski hire, everybody want to make a cut. If you are getting 20% discount via your booking agency or via a ski travel website you can bet that they are making 10% to 15% on you too. As always, direct is the best way to go. A friend of mine just came back from Tignes. He told me that he got a 45% discount on all the ski gear for his entire family including helmets and safety wear. I can’t name the shop (for obvious reasons). Just browse around in Tignes town and negotiate. There are plenty of ski hire shops in Tignes.

It is safe to assume that snow gear for sale is heavily reduced in price too. Most ski related business will have had an average, if not poor season to date. Businesses in Tignes are no different. I bet that sales for ski, boards, accessories and ski wear have already started. You should expect discounts of 50% – 80%. Now is the time to buy, if you are in the market for a new pair of ski or a snowboard.  Shops will still have all brands and sizes. Prices might be low at the end of the season too, but stocks will be limited.

Looks like airport transfer operators have started to discount too. If you are looking for a ski transfer to Tignes, submit your request to Ski Transfer Finder which should get you some transfer options. I have been told that some providers offer good midweek deals. A friend of mine booked a midweek private Grenoble airport transfer to Tignes and got a 50% discount.

Ski accommodation seems to be in plenty supply too. I know this first hand as I still got my Easter weeks free for this season. Here you go, even the last rental weeks in my ski apartment are on sale:  Ski apartment Tignes – 25% discount, directly from the owner (me).

Expect to see more happy hours and more meal deals in Tignes as the ski season progresses into April but don’t expect any discounts on ski passes. Also don’t bank on any preferential rates in Tignes many mountain refuges and restaurants . Things might be bad, and most things in Tignes are on sale. However it will take a lot more to break the cartel of lift and refuge owners in Tignes.

Imagine the sound of cowbells as you walk up one of the many trails around Val claret and Tignes Le Lac. If you never been in Tignes during the summer you probably can’t imagine the Alpine fauna that springs to life during the summer period on the foot of one of the largest ski-able glaciers in Europe. Imagine the contrast of green, white and blue.

Imagine skiing down the Grand Motte in a T-shirt on empty slopes, sunbathing on a terrace at 3000m in your shorts or bikini, having lunch overlooking some of the most stunning mountain ranges in the Alps. Well that just covers the mornings in Tignes.

Imagine yourself on a mountain bike downhill, racing down one of the many bike trails in full body protection, helmet and goggles. Toviere Aeroski, Palafour chair lift and Grande Motte funicular makes sure you can do this all day without breaking sweat.

Imagine playing a hole of golf at 2300m. Tignes golf course is the highest in Europe, 18 holes in a unique alpine setting.

Imagine playing football or rugby next to famous teams such as the French National Football team, Olympique Lyonnais, Stade Francais and Montpellier. Imagine great facilities, playing every ball game possible from tennis to beach volleyball.

Imagine the largest children and grown-up theme park in the world, without the crowds, without the theme but with all the fun. Imagine the largest children playground you can imagine. Imagine the buzz of children having fun

Imagine Tignes in summer.

Last weekend holes were even higher with additional ‘greens’ set-up below the Grand Motte at over 3000m. Up there you don’t call them greens any longer, better ‘whites’ as the golf is played on the glacier.

Now Tignes is not your average resort and golf is not know for its underground movements. To understand last weekend’s concept of golf you have to understand the difference between a middle class skier and a crazy off-piste boarder.  For one weekend only, the golf course is extended around the entire resort and the mountains nearby. Everyone could join in, which might not be the spirit of the normally elitist golf.

The weekend and concept of ‘Wild Golf’ in Tignes has gone down very well with everybody in Tignes. BBQ and Concert on Saturday evening by the lake drew a huge amount of people.

This week the golf course is back to normal, 18 holes and more of a traditional crowd. Beware traditional means something different here in Tignes.