European Ski Resorts A-Z

Tignes, France

Resort height:

 2100m

 

Slopes:

 1550-3455m

  (1550-3455m Espace Killy)

Pistes:

 150km

  (300km Espace Killy)

 

General snow cover

 

5/5

 

Snow quality (upper)

5/5

 

Snow quality (lower)

4/5

 

Resort level snow

5/5

 

Powder potential

4.5/5

L'Espace Killy (Val d'Isère and Tignes) is often regarded as having the most reliable snow in the Alps, primarily due to the extent of its high altitude skiing (60% of its 300km of slopes are above 2500m).

 

Although it's on the northern side of the Alps, its proximity to the Italian border means that snow can also arrive from the south-east, a privilege not extended to other nearby mega-resorts such as Courchevel or La Plagne. Throw in a couple of glaciers and nowhere else in Europe can offer such a variety of snow-sure slopes for such a long season.

 

If there is a weakness in Tignes, it is that some of the home runs are quite exposed to the sun and, given the heavy traffic, can become tricky in spring.

Where to ski in bad weather:

Tignes is virtually tree-less, with nowhere to hide in really bad weather. If you can get over there, the woods above La Daille in Val d'Isère are your best bet for a bit of shelter.

Where to head in poor snow conditions:

The Grande Motte glacier nearly always has excellent snow conditions. Below glacier level, the long but shady 'double M' run down to Val Claret is also very reliable if conditions are more generally below par.

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