Best runs in Tignes-Val d'Isere

The best reds

The Grande Motte glacier reds. Our top red experience: from the top lifts at 3,456 m down to Val Claret, often above the clouds even in bad weather. Glacier is wide and not too steep, Rimaye is long and flat, then Face and Double M take you to the village. Skied non-stop, that's about 1,350 m of descent, known locally as the Itchy Thighs challenge.

Double M. A legend, with a consistent gradient that's made for carving, into Val Claret.

Arcelle. A fast, consistent 2 km red from the top of Solaise into the Manchet valley, often called the best red in Europe. It's icy first thing, so ski it from about 10:30 once the shade has let it soften, then ride the Manchet Express back up.

Pramecou. Off the Col des Vès chair next to Val Claret. Great fun, but only in good visibility.

Santons. A narrow natural gully from the Fontaine Froide chair into Val d'Isère. It's often closed for avalanche risk, so ski it when you can.

Also worth it: Piste L down a quiet gorge to Le Laisinant, Mangard and Germain Mattis through the trees, Cyclamen off the Aiguille Percée chair, and Fontaine Froide and Cascade as easy first reds.

The hardest blacks

La Face de Bellevarde. Our favourite run in the area: the 1992 Olympic downhill into Val d'Isère, bumpy and icy in many sections. La Sache. More than 10 km of ungroomed black from the Aiguille Percée to Les Brévières. Our guide to La Face and La Sache covers both in detail.

Johan Clarey. About 2 km from Tovière into Tignes Le Lac, named after the downhill racer, with a steep lip near the bottom. Really good for speed in good weather, hard in poor visibility. Crêtes, Combe Folle and Crocus all feed into it, and they ski much like reds.

Forêt. The black down through the forest to Le Fornet, one of the five blacks to know. Épaule du Charvet. Santons' bigger, more dangerous brother: steep, choppy and icy. Try it once.

Descente. The expert way off the top of the Grande Motte, with some of the best skiing in the area when the snow is good. Signal. Short and punchy, off the Pyramides chair on the Le Fornet side.

When to ski what

Early morning: the glacier, while the snow is fresh, and La Sache before it's chopped up. Leave La Face and Arcelle until mid-morning, when they've softened.

Flat light: skip the Tovière blacks and Pramecou. Head for the trees on Germain Mattis, Mangard and the runs down to Les Brévières, or go up the Grande Motte, which is often above the cloud.

Late afternoon: the runs back into Val d'Isère get choppy and busy around 4 pm, and Johan Clarey can be carnage after La Folie Douce. Head home by about 16:00. Our day routes put these runs together into full days.