Guest Ken D Posted November 19, 2004 Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 Anyone have thoughts on snow quality and terrain at Tignes in Mid December? Thanks in advance. Ken D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted November 19, 2004 Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 Tignes November - April weekly averages Nov December January February March April Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Upper slopes (cm) 113 111 119 136 152 160 168 170 182 192 196 210 221 233 235 239 254 246 239 240 Lower slopes (cm) 31 29 37 49 76 80 84 86 100 106 110 121 138 138 141 131 125 115 111 105 (week one, is last week of Nov, week 2 is first week of Dec. and so on). Source info:http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/reports/historical/report.asp So you can see that there is plenty of snow because of the high altitude of this area. It's snowing/dumping in Europe now, especially in Switzerland and France. So no worries. I have been twice in this area. Enough slopes, even specially prepared icy racetracks (they put tons of water over it!) where the pro's are training, are open for us amateurs. Val d'Isere is much cossier than Tignes. Tignes doesn't have a real towncentre. Only hotels and appartments. Area is very nice to ski and board, you won't regret it, take enough cash with you. It's one of the more expensive areas in Europe, France. The large resorts in France are expensive anyway. Greets, Hans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommaso2k Posted November 19, 2004 Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 Hi, Tignes is a very good resort. You should take care that the whole area is opened and not only the Grand Motte glacier - then you have over 300km pists. Check the snow forecast and resort infos before you are going there but if there is enough snow in December i guarantee you will have a lot of fun. Regards Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamran Posted November 19, 2004 Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 As others already mentioned, Tignes is a very very snow sure area. Also extremely suitable for carving. It's one of the biggest and most complete resorts in Savoie region. You can also ski all the way to val D'Isere (another great resort) from Tignes. :( missing those wide wide slopes there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SITO Posted November 19, 2004 Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 Hi guys I was in Tignes the last year in the first of January for one week. Simple all what I can said of this resort is EXCELLENT, perfect snow condition, excellent slopes for EC, and how is very big space- ski(300km) there aren't much people never you 'll wait in the chairlift, and never you'll repeat the same slope. Very good apartaments, food ,acces...... Sito Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Randy S. Posted November 19, 2004 Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 Ken, Have you been to Tignes before? Its a great place. As mentioned above, the town isn't much to look at. Lots of concrete. Val d'Isere is much prettier from a pure aesthetic point of view. Skiing-wise, they both serve the same terrain. I think Tignes starts higher so that's probably safer in December. You'll have snow to ski any December, if only on the glacier. Ordinarily I warn people against going to Europe to ski early in the season. It can be pretty iffy until mid-January. From an above post it sounds like they are getting good early snow this season. If so, you should be fine. Mid-Feb and early March are usually the best times to visit France for skiing. Late Feb is when the French have school vacations and the pistes are a zoo. Also of note: Tignes is very popular with the British. You won't have any problems if you don't speak French (although things are easier if you do). One more thing: buy a "Carte Neige" with your ski pass. It is very cheap and is an insurance card. If you get injured, it pays for the pisteurs (ski patrol) to take you down on the toboggan and also pays for any ambulance and medical treatment you may need. If you don't have it, the pisteurs will demand a credit card before they even take you off the hill. Carte Neige even covers a heli rescue should you need one (don't ask me how I know). Just ask for Carte Neige when you buy your ticket. Oh, and bring a passport size photo with you. I assume they still require them for lift passes (although its been quite a few years since I was there). Have a blast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ken D Posted November 20, 2004 Report Share Posted November 20, 2004 Trying to push up the date to get better snow. I appreciate the global response! Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinkygnu Posted November 21, 2004 Report Share Posted November 21, 2004 I was in Val D'Isere in early December last season. Unfortunately it was not good snowwise. Lots of snowmelt because of the sun, cold at night. Some pistes were frozen water, literally blue ice stretching over the entire piste (lower down, but still above Tignes). Its pot luck nowadays regarding the snow conditions. Les Arcs and La Plagne were virtually green coming up the valley, nothing was open below Les Arcs 1800. Grand Motte, as previous stated, is always a good bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al G Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 I rode Tignes in the second week of December two years ago. The snow up top on Grand Motte was deep, it was cold, windy, and they were still building up the base so not much in the way of piste prep. I ended up riding my Burton Supermodel most of the week... Having said that, as an extra week on snow it was worth it bangs per buck. Al G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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