Tignes

Tignes, France

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Tignes

Tignes sits at 2100m in the Haute-Tarentaise, offering glacier skiing on the Grande Motte year-round. Linked with Val d'Isère as part of the Espace Killy, it delivers extensive, snow-sure terrain across five villages.

 Summary

Tignes is a purpose-built resort spread across five villages - Tignes Le Lac, Val Claret, Tignes Les Brévières, Tignes Les Boisses and Tignes Le Lavachet - set beneath the Grande Motte glacier. Its high altitude and glacier access make it one of the more snow-reliable resorts in the Alps.

Linked to Val d'Isère, the combined Espace Killy area offers over 300km of pistes. The terrain suits all abilities, with off-piste opportunities and a strong freestyle reputation drawing a younger, active crowd.

The ski area of Tignes is in the French Alps at an altitude of 6,890ft, with 93 miles of marked runs.

Tignes is part of the Tignes-Val d'Isère ski area with access to 186 miles of downhill skiing, with 154 marked pistes, served by a total of 87 ski lifts. In addition to the skiing in Tignes itself (93 miles of pisted ski runs), the appropriate ski Lift Pass will allow you to ski or snowboard in the other Tignes-Val d'Isère ski resort of Val d'Isère. Tignes is directly linked by Ski Lift to the ski areas of Val d'Isère.

Tignes comprises the villages of Tignes Le Lac, Tignes Les Boisses, Tignes Les Brévières and Tignes Val Claret.

Snow and Weather

Tignes benefits from its high altitude, with the resort base at 2100m and skiing extending up to 3456m on the Grande Motte glacier, allowing summer skiing most years. Snow cover tends to be reliable through the season, with the glacier providing a solid backup when lower slopes see melt. Check J2Ski for up-to-date snow depth reports and current conditions before your trip.

When will it snow in Tignes?

The next notable snow forecast is 5in, expected on 8 October.

See our long-range Snow Forecast for the latest update.

Snow this week

Ski Area Stats

Skiing

Tignes' ski area spans from Les Brévières at around 1550m up to the Grande Motte glacier at 3456m, forming part of the wider Espace Killy alongside Val d'Isère. The Grande Motte funicular whisks skiers from Val Claret up into the glacier zone, where skiing continues through summer. Below, the Aiguille Percée and Col des Tovières link Tignes to Val d'Isère's slopes, giving access to a combined 300km of pistes.

Notable runs include the long Sache piste down to Les Brévières, a red/black descent through trees, and the glacier's blue and red runs offering scenic, high-altitude cruising. The Double M and Genepy pistes are known among more confident skiers for steeper, varied terrain. Lifts such as the Grattalu and Palafour gondolas serve the Le Lac and Val Claret sectors efficiently, while the Toviere cable car provides the key link toward Val d'Isère.

The area suits intermediates well, with wide, groomed pistes across the mid-mountain, while advanced skiers can explore off-piste terrain around the Tovière and the Col du Palet. Beginners benefit from gentle slopes near Le Lac and Val Claret. The combination of glacier skiing and valley runs down to Les Brévières gives Tignes a mix of high-altitude convenience and longer, more scenic descents lower down.

There are a variety of pistes to suit all levels of skier ability, from Beginner to Expert.

Ski Lessons in Tignes

To choose a Ski School, and book Group Ski Lessons or a Private Instructor, see Tignes Ski Schools and Tignes Ski Instructors.

Snowboarding

Tignes has long been a freestyle destination, with terrain parks located on the Grande Motte glacier and near Val Claret. The Snowpark Tignes features kickers, rails and boxes for varying abilities, while the glacier setting allows summer freestyle camps. Boardercross courses and natural hits around the Espace Killy add variety, making Tignes popular with park-focused snowboarders as well as those seeking off-piste powder runs.

Location and Map

Where is Tignes?

This ski resort is in the French Alps in Albertville, Département de la Savoie.

Map

Tap for Full-Screen, or see J2Ski's Resort map, showing Hotels and Ski Shops.

How to get there

 By Air

The nearest airport to Tignes is Chambery, 100 minutes drive away.

Annecy, Geneva, Turin Caselle, Lyon Bron and Lyon St-Exupéry airports are all within three hours drive.

The nearest major airport is Chambéry, roughly 2.5 hours by road, with Geneva and Lyon also serving as options for reaching Tignes, each around 2.5 to 3 hours away depending on conditions. Many visitors drive via the A43 motorway through Albertville and up the Isère valley towards Val d'Isère and Tignes. The Eurostar Snow Train also runs to Bourg-St-Maurice, from where transfer buses connect to Tignes. Chains or winter tyres are recommended for the final mountain roads in poor weather.

Infrastructure

Ski Lift Capacity

The 87 ski lifts are able to uplift 75,500 skiers and snowboarders every hour.

Snow Making

Snow-making is available, on 31 miles of ski runs, with 216 snow cannons.

Season Dates

When is Tignes open?

We don't currently have confirmed season dates, but hope to soon.

Usual opening is early October (Re-opens for summer skiing from late June to August), and usual closing is Early May.

NOTE:- Ski area, lift and piste opening is subject to Current Snow Conditions.

Talking about Tignes

Mentions in recent J2Ski News Items and Snow Reports from our users...

TeamGB's Kirsty Muir Wins Tignes World Cup & Leads Freeski Park and Pipe Overall

Tignes Completes High-Speed Access to Iconic Aiguille Percée

Tignes Launches Non-Skier Pass

Tignes to open new six-seater Aiguille Percée chairlift

Tignes and Val d’Isère Announce 2025 Summer Ski Dates

Aprés Ski

Apres-ski in Tignes centres around Val Claret and Le Lac, with Loop Bar and TC's Bar popular for post-ski drinks and live sport. La Folie Douce Val Claret brings its trademark lively terrace parties with DJs and dancing on the mountain. For later nights, Blue Girl nightclub and Melting Pot Cafe draw crowds, while restaurants like La Ferme des 3 Capucines offer a more relaxed dinner setting away from the bars.