Tignes Le Lac

Ski map

The lively heart of Tignes by the lake, with more apartments, more budget options and easier runs than Val d'Isère.

Skied here
Tignes Le Lac seen from its ski area in winter2,100 m
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Forecast at 2300 m today: low / high, modelled snow depth, and new snow in the last 24 hours.

Tignes or Val d'Isere?

Tignes, if you're a party or a young group, or if some of you are beginners. Tignes is on the other side of the mountain ridge from Val d'Isère, and it's lively and fun. There are more apartment complexes, so a bit more budget choice, and a few easier runs. Le Lac, by the lake, is its main village, with Le Lavachet right next door.

We skied over from Val d'Isère rather than stayed, so the village detail comes from the Ski Muse team. Their picks to stay are Village Montana (4★, ski-in, ski-out, outdoor pool), Les Campanules (4★, outdoor heated pool), La Vanoise (3★) and Le Paquis (3★, on the piste, with lake views).

The skiing

Three blacks come down off the Tovière into Le Lac: Crêtes, Combe Folle and Crocus, all merging into Johan Clarey. They ski much like reds until the bottom of Johan Clarey, which goes over a lip and turns steep, narrow and choppy before the last pitch into Tignes. Johan Clarey is really good in good weather, challenging when visibility is poor, and a good one for speed. It's carnage in the afternoon after La Folie Douce. The easy way off the Tovière is Henri, a long blue to Val Claret that's busy with beginners.

Day routes

Ski from Tignes Le Lac

4 day routes from here, with how to start each one from Tignes Le Lac.

Bellevarde and La Face

MorningBlack runsStrong intermediates and experts
  • Olympique gondola
  • Val d'Isère sign
  • Fontaine Froide
  • Santons
  • La Face de Bellevarde
  • La Peau de Vache
  • La Folie Douce

From here: Tovière gondola, then down to La Daille and the Funival to Bellevarde.

The Val d'Isère classic. Take the Olympique gondola up, stop at the Val d'Isère sign at the top of Grand Pré, then warm up on Fontaine Froide, a short, quiet red and a good first one here, and Santons, a narrow natural gully that was once a blue. Once the snow softens, ski La Face de Bellevarde, the 1992 Olympic downhill: really challenging, bumpy and icy in many sections. Lunch at La Peau de Vache below the steep lip, then finish at La Folie Douce above La Daille.

La Face is often icy first thing and softens by about 10 to 11 am. At the top of Fontaine Froide, keep right: the left fork takes you onto La Face.

Grande Motte glacier

Full dayRed runsIntermediates and up
  • Over to Tignes
  • Val Claret
  • Perce-Neige funicular
  • Grande Motte cable car
  • Glacier
  • Rimaye
  • Face
  • Double M
  • Génépy

From here: Bus or ski across to Val Claret for the funicular.

Up to the highest lifts in the area at 3,456 m, then the long reds from the glacier back down to Val Claret: an amazing experience, and often above the clouds even when the weather is bad lower down. The "Itchy Thighs" challenge skis Glacier, Rimaye, Face and Double M non-stop, about 1,350 m of descent. Double M is a legend, with a consistent gradient that's made for carving. After lunch, cruise Génépy, about 4.5 km of blue from La Panoramic, with great scenery and a few flat bits.

Leave Val Claret by about 15:30 to be back in Val d'Isère around 16:00. The way home over Tovière is 1 or 2 lifts, but the runs into Val d'Isère can be left ungroomed in bad weather.

Aiguille Percee and La Sache

Full dayBlack runsExperts for La Sache
  • Over to Tignes
  • Aiguille Percée chair
  • Corniche
  • La Sache
  • Les Brévières
  • Back up to Tignes
  • Pramecou

From here: Lifts up towards the Aiguille Percée leave from the village.

Under the Aiguille Percée, the rock with a hole in it, Corniche is a classic, scenic blue. Experts leave it halfway for La Sache, the area's most famous black: about 10 km to Les Brévières, never groomed and the closest thing to off-piste on a marked run. The first half is uneven and choppy, the second steep and long, and it finishes on the reds into Les Brévières. Back up in Tignes, Pramecou off the Col des Vès chair next to Val Claret is fun in good visibility.

Ski La Sache early, before it's chopped up, and only in good conditions. Arcosses is a red you can bail out onto. In flat light, skip the Tovière blacks and Pramecou.

The perfect day across both resorts

Full dayRed runsConfident intermediates
  • Olympique
  • Fresse to Val Claret
  • Grande Motte
  • Génépy
  • Grattalu
  • Tovière back
  • La Peau de Vache
  • Solaise and Leissières
  • La Folie Douce
  • Cocorico

From here: Join the route at Val Claret in the morning.

A timetable for seeing the best of both sides in one day. At 9:00 take the Olympique and warm up on the Bellevarde greens, then follow Fresse into Val Claret. At 10:00 ride the funicular up the Grande Motte for a hot chocolate at Le Panoramic and ski Génépy down. At 11:00 take the Tichot chair to the blues and reds around Grattalu. At 12:00 head back over Tovière, ski La Face or Santons to the village and go up to La Peau de Vache for lunch. In the afternoon, cross Solaise to the quiet Leissières side, then finish at La Folie Douce from 15:00 and Cocorico in the village.

The plan puts you back on the Val d'Isère side by lunchtime, which takes the worry out of the link home. The weather changes fast here, so bring layers and be ready to change plans mid-day.

All Tignes-Val d'Isere day routes

Map

Piste map of Tignes Le Lac: pistes, lifts and villages on the 3D terrain
GreenBlueRedBlackLift

Pick a view or a day route to change the picture. Press Explore in 3D to move around: drag to look around, scroll or pinch to zoom, hover a piste or lift for its name, and use Free 3D to unlock the camera.

Named pistes
202
Lifts
84
Pistes on the map
223 km
Highest lift
3,420 m

23 green75 blue55 red33 black14 ski route

In the Tignes valley: 96 named pistes and 44 lifts.

Longest named runs: Diebold (blue, 4.9 km), Verte (green, 4.5 km), Génépy (blue, 4.5 km). Highest lift: Grande Motte, to 3,420 m.

Open the full Val d'Isère & Tignes piste map Every piste and lift by name, grade, length and altitude.
Guides

More Tignes-Val d'Isere guides

Val d'Isere or Tignes: where to stayWhich resort and village suits your groupVal d'Isere for beginners and intermediatesThe easy runs, the first reds and the way homeBest runs in Tignes-Val d'IsereOur ranked reds and blacks, with timing tipsWhen to go to Val d'Isere and TignesSeason dates, the best weeks and the weatherGetting to Val d'Isere and TignesAirports, the train, transfers and the Saturday traffic

Getting there

Tignes sits on the same road as Val d'Isère, about 15 minutes before it. Chambéry is the closest airport, about 2 hours away, and Geneva has the most flights, about 2.5 to 3 hours away. Trains stop at Bourg-Saint-Maurice, 30 to 45 minutes away by bus or taxi. A private transfer costs about €350 to €600 per vehicle each way, a shared one €60 to €120 per person.

Open the full-page 3D piste map of Espace Killy

Updated