One of the best reasons to come here. Here's how to do it well, and safely.
Off-piste with a guide is our top must-do in the area after La Folie Douce. There's wide-open terrain from the top of the ski area down towards Tignes, and quite a few nice runs through the woods for the days when the light is flat.
The altitude helps too. Most of the slopes sit above 2,200 m, so fresh snow stays good for longer than in lower resorts, and after a big snowfall the whole area changes character.
Avalanche control on European off-piste is much lighter than in North America. Off the marked runs the risk is yours, and the terrain here has cliffs, ledges and glaciers that aren't obvious from above.
Book a qualified mountain guide or an off-piste instructor for at least your first day. They'll pick the right slopes for the snow on the day, which is something no article can do for you. Carry the right kit and know how to use it: a transceiver, shovel and probe, and ideally a rucksack with an airbag.
Several marked runs are left ungroomed, which makes them a good step between the piste and true off-piste. You get natural snow and real terrain, but on a marked, patrolled run.
La Sache is the big one: more than 10 km of ungroomed black from the Aiguille Percée to Les Brévières, the closest thing to off-piste on a marked run. Our guide to La Face and La Sache covers it in detail. Cugnai on Solaise is wild, ungroomed and always quiet. Campanules, off Henri in Tignes, is short and not too hard. At the start of Mangard above Le Fornet there's an ungroomed black that's properly hard in bad conditions.
Don't ski off the top of the Leissières chair, the "up and over" lift between Solaise and the Pisaillas glacier. The ridge has ledges and rocks, and it's only for perfect conditions with someone who knows it.
The Cugnai area is a gateway to off-piste that's best skied with a guide, so take the avalanche risk seriously there. And remember the weather in the upper Isère valley changes very fast: a slope that was fine in the morning can be in cloud by lunch.
Our insider tip for the whole area applies double here: be ready to change skis depending on the snow. If you can, bring or rent a second, wider pair for the days after a big snowfall. Rental shops in both resorts make it easy to swap for a day.
When the light goes flat, stay in the trees, around Le Fornet and on the runs down to Les Brévières. Our best runs guide has more on what to ski in which conditions.
Our opinions come from our own trips. Local tips come from the Ski Muse team and our community. Lift and piste names follow the official piste map; conditions change, so check on the day.
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