 Poster: A snowHead
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Another pretty horrid day, it has snowed all day but its damp in the village and the wind has been howling but @GeorgeVII, has been out so I'll leave him to describe tales of derring do (that's if Lady George hasn't had him certified  ). Not sure how much snow has accumulated - anywhere from not a lot on the roofs to 30cm in gullies on high I would imagine. I had a pile of financial paperwork to deal with so thats ticked off, it required a siesta to get over. Although that might have been due to L'Armoise last night. They were a bit short of staff but the food was very good when it came and big portions. €27.50 for the set 3 course menu is good value - 4 choices for each course.
Right the weather: the snow will stop for a bit in a couple of hours, there may even be a glimpse of a sunset. But it will start snowing again in the small hours and continue all through Sunday. Expect a progressive start in the morning as the pisteurs check everything. It will be quite heavy at times tomorrow as the atmosphere is quite unstable. I don't think we will see thunderstorms like they are expecting down on the Lyon Plain but we may get a few of their little brothers (or precursors) 'towering cumulus'. So were looking at 20-40cm but it will be arriving at high speed, so a lot of the high lifts will be shut. A day for the trees maybe, but its likely to be sleet to about 1900m, so that won't be so pleasant. Monday will be snowy still but much lighter in intensity, but it will still be windy. There may be some sunny spells in the afternoon and it should stop snowing by early evening. Spring will return on Tuesday, sunny with a stiff breeze but quite warm. Nice day for standing on a picket line - yes its another general strike. Not so sure about Wednesday - probably nice according to the French system, the Swiss think it will be cloudy.
The avalanche Risk is 3 tomorrow, but the situation is complex. There will be lots of avalanches but unlikely to be large in size. Do remember that most folks are killed on a Risk 3 day. With wind, rain, new snow, old unstable layers its tricky out there.
For those flying tomorrow its another showery day in the UK but the only snag could be early fog at Bristol, that should soon clear if it forms at all. Over here, GVA fine, the 3 French airports are all forecasting thunderstorms with really gusty winds across the runways, they will only be temporary so a few times round the Hold until they move on rather than a diversion.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Chocks - is that l’armoise in Val claret? We keep meaning to go but with one beer or another we seem to always end up somewhere else.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Extremophile, That's the one - up from Daffy's Cafe.
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| chocksaway wrote: |
| @Extremophile, That's the one - up from Daffy's Cafe. |
Ah ok, yes, it’s good is it?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| larkim wrote: |
| Only just really taking a look at the pensions protests etc in France at the moment. We're driving Good Friday / Easter Saturday up to VC, realistically what might we expect to encounter on the way if the protests are still ongoing? Best guesses much appreciated! |
Wondering this too. Are there any signs of travel disruptions on the roads? diesel / petrol shortages, blockades, etc?
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@Extremophile, Its not Haute Cuisine for sure - good honest grub with a decent wine list that is also reasonably priced for the Alps.
@MikeS79359, Its two weeks away, it may have fizzled out by then or on the other hand they may be erecting Madame Guillotine in the Place de La Concorde. Stick with this thread, I'll post what I can glean.
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| MikeS79359 wrote: |
| larkim wrote: |
| Only just really taking a look at the pensions protests etc in France at the moment. We're driving Good Friday / Easter Saturday up to VC, realistically what might we expect to encounter on the way if the protests are still ongoing? Best guesses much appreciated! |
Wondering this too. Are there any signs of travel disruptions on the roads? diesel / petrol shortages, blockades, etc? |
We arrived in VC yesterday. Dream drive … not a single issue and traffic very light. No sign of protests. 07:30 departure from Reims. 3 short stops en route for grub, fuel and the kids to stretch their legs. In resort just after 4.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| chocksaway wrote: |
@Extremophile, Its not Haute Cuisine for sure - good honest grub with a decent wine list that is also reasonably priced for the Alps.
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What more could you want, must get to eating there.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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This is great! Heading to Tignes next weekend so a nice freshening up is great.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Fresh out there this morning! Crossed from Tignes in to Val d'Isere but not for long as the connection is in danger of closing. Skied down Borsat, finding rather a lot of powder snow on piste with barely any tracks! My poor friend with very skinny skis found it hard work.
Wind seems to be strengthening now and visibility even down at Val claret is becoming almost non existent!
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@FrediKanoute, It hasn't stopped snowing all day and now looks to be coming down even harder. Easily 20 cms of fresh snow depth on the balcony now. Be interesting to hear from @chocksaway when he's thawed out.
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You know it makes sense.
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Challenging! It wasn't so much the thawing out, it was the drying out! It has snowed heavily or very heavily all day, we will probably accumulate closer to the 40cm than the 20cm. There were very few folk out for some reason so the fresh snow on piste wasn't too chopped up, but it was a bit like skiing blind, there was a lot of wind and even at 2500m it was fairly close to freezing so it was melting on the gogs to make life even more interesting. We battled round the Palet to Cocos and back again round Toviere, probably the slowest I have ever skied Trolles! As I type the wind has really picked up and is swirling, good job the lifts have closed for the night. Getting off the Tufs chair was tricky as it seemed like a cm of snow on top of a sheet of blue ice, looked like it had rained up there at some stage yesterday.
The snow and wind will continue like now into tomorrow morning. Expect a very slow start as its avalanche risk 4, so the Pisteurs will be very busy blasting from first light. The avi report report for tomorrow reads like a catalogue of horrors, be very careful on all aspects. Might be a morning to have a leisurely breakfast! It may or may not stop snowing before the lifts shut tomorrow afternoon, depending on your choice of computer model. There may even be hints of sunshine in the late afternoon.
Pause: The outside has just completely disappeared in a squall.
After a cold night, Tuesday will be mostly sunny, maybe a thin layer of high cloud, but there will be a breeze so it it will not feel like spring. Wednesday, will be a few degrees warmer but the winds will be higher, maybe that veil of cloud again. Thursday looks like being unsettled again, but its all a bit uncertain, potentially a mix of sun, rain and snow. Could be a wild ride later in the week.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Extremophile wrote: |
What more could you want, must get to eating there. |
It was easily the best value of the eateries that we visited during our hol, 13.50 EUR iirc for a 75cl caraffe of house wine and soooo much cheese 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@larkim, O heck, I do hope its OK.
Meanwhile we have had about a foot of snow in high winds, the lifts and pistes are slowly opening, but for more I think we will have to wait for the winds to drop later. They have just advised that kids and beginners should not use Palafour, it must be howling up there for that.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Quite impressed, from afar, on the updates on the Tignes app. Saw that announcement about Palafour, for example. But they could do with adding a little more context to the notifications (a minor grumble).
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Well what a day, tantalising, frustrating and bonkers weather.
As the alarm went I looked out of the window and did a rollover! The wind was howling and the snow still coming down. The pisteurs were out and it was a slow start. From the off it was clear that it was only going to be the lower lifts open as it was howling and the links were declared shut from very early. I popped out for coffee and then there was a nice patch at 1130 for half an hour when you could see a few folks having fun in the soft to the sides of the piste. The 'suckers gap' shut at twelve, I decide to go out and explore with tigski, it was strangely calm in the village but above 2300m it was howling, so we did a few trips round Palet and Paquis before calling it a day. There was some nice snow around, it was just tricky to see it! There was another gap around 4 for 20 minutes, the hardy were rewarded, but then the gusts in the village were unbelievable.
The snow will stop soon and the winds will die down through the night. In the morning there will be some cloud around but mostly sunny and reasonably warm with light breezes. I've just read Steve's report from next door and like him I was expecting a Risk 4 day tomorrow. But the official risk for the Haute Tarentaise is 3, we may see some local intervention on that in the morning, given that we seem to have had higher winds than say the 3V. The Val pisteurs recorded a 212k gust this morning at height! It is not a day to say "its only Risk 3". It will be a slow start as the pisteurs will have a lot of snow to rearrange, with the higher stuff closed today - there will be lots to do tomorrow - be patient. Expect a loud early morning call at 7AM!
Wednesday looks nice in the morning, a few clouds, these will soon thicken and the afternoon will be overcast. But it will be warm and windy, the top lifts will be shut. There could be an errant shower in the afternoon. Thursday, may start nice depending on the timing of the passage of a cold front. But it will soon cloud over and precipitation will start, its the usual guessing game on the snowline - but somewhere between Val and Lac, soggy below the Dam for sure. Friday will be windy and wet to similar levels there will be high speed snow at night. But it will cool down late Friday and be very snowy into Sat - mmm transfer day...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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My wife has just been sent a video of a HUGE avalanche in Tignes, with huge dust-cloud engulfing skiers on piste.
Luckily it seems nobody hurt.
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@chocksaway, no way is it a 3. I set off a small slab that knocked me over, luckily only legs buried. I was super cautious after that.
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| rungsp wrote: |
My wife has just been sent a video of a HUGE avalanche in Tignes, with huge dust-cloud engulfing skiers on piste.
Luckily it seems nobody hurt. |
Was the video from today? It's snowing so much that a dust cloud would be unusual.
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| stewart woodward wrote: |
| rungsp wrote: |
My wife has just been sent a video of a HUGE avalanche in Tignes, with huge dust-cloud engulfing skiers on piste.
Luckily it seems nobody hurt. |
Was the video from today? It's snowing so much that a dust cloud would be unusual. |
Sounds like the one a couple of weeks ago at the Mountain Shaker.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Dr John wrote: |
| @chocksaway, no way is it a 3. I set off a small slab that knocked me over, luckily only legs buried. I was super cautious after that. |
Agreed and as Chocks says... the '3' for tomorrow is a Haute Tarrantaise 3 so more likely a 4 above 2200m altitude id say and a 3 below that but the amount of snow and the wind will make it a risky 4. Id say things like Santons / L won't open at all tomorrow - could be wrong.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
| ...but she's torn a lateral patello-femoral ligament running downhill yesterday |
Sorry to hear about that @larkim. 5h1t happens when you're a sporty/active type. Hoping that it's not too serious and that you can get on your long awaited ski trip.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Quote: |
Sorry to hear about that @larkim. 5h1t happens when you're a sporty/active type. Hoping that it's not too serious and that you can get on your long awaited ski trip.
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Thanks; she's the resilient sort and still thinks she'll be skiing.
Anyone know of a decent knee brace
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Well that was possibly the best day of the season (for me, so far,). A bluebird morning, -12 on the balcony, the pisteurs were on it and most lifts were open fairly sharpish. Even the strike had little effect, I think just Come Folle was closed, there seems to be at least a couple of buses (nothing on the app). There was a delay on the buses, but that was due to a lorry blocking the road near the Loop. Of course with the demos in Chambery and Albertville, it might have been a tricky day on the roads for some. Before, anyone asks, I don't know when the next strike is.
I started with a tester run off the Palafour pimple and then down the side of the Chardonet drag. It soon became obvious that the best runs were going to be the shady ones, but with the riskiest slopes still facing north and east we had to be careful. After that we joined up and did off piste from the side of Merles and then between the Stade de Lognan and Carline. Just about every type of snow, no real powder turns (plenty of tourist office ones) and down to the Funi. There really is a lot of snow at the top, 453cm on the official counter. Normally you ski at the same level as the Pisteu's Hut door, we skied past looking down on it! We then explored the Genepy plateau, lots of nearly powder eights through fairly soft sastrugi. Familial followed down to the 3 bar bridge (for those that know, those that don't shouldn't), we went skiers left and had vast tracts of untracked. An early restorative quiche at you know where and we skied back round for a Lanches Vanoise and then Telegraph. On the way up we could see there had been a few avalanches, one guy was chased out of Spaniard's Couloir (a notorios trap) by a decent sized slip. Not sure his mates at the top could see. Telegraph was just about perfect, knee deep fresh snow and still lots of stuff to make tracks in. Did see a couple of groups with no kit mind  . After that it was round home for a siesta. The pistes up here are now fabulous, anyone one who can bag an Easter deal should do so!
Right the weather is going to be tricky to forecast for the next few days, there is a battle royale between a string of Atlantic fronts and a high pressure system to the south west. So, its going to change day by day, but I do smell some transport tomfoolery for Saturday. Unfortunately, the high cloud that arrived this afternoon is going to thicken, so the half nice morning tomorrow will not happen. Cloudy with light showers and a snowline between Val and Lac, maybe a bit higher than Lac even. It will be a much warmer start and there shouldn't be any wind and there maybe a few sunny spells late afternoon. Thursday could be a day to be the early worm, there may be a couple of hours of sunny spells, it will then be raining in the villages and there could be afternoon thunderstorms and high winds - stay close to home! It will be warm! Friday will be showery and windy, so high lifts shut, bit tricky to forecast the snowline at the moment, wait and see. It will cool down on Friday evening and it looks like snow down below Brev from midnight or so, very windy and generally miserable below and a whiteout above.
The avalanche forecasters are on strike but the avalanches won't be tomorrow!
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You know it makes sense.
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As @chocksaway, says a great day, best of the season, debatable
Early start, piste runs, powder runs and few people about.
Looking forward to the British ski championship starting tomorrow but not sure how many races will be possible due to too much snow
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I'm driving up with a roofbox on Saturday 1st April. I'm right in thinking non of the indoor car parks are high enough. Staying in that huge palafour building in la lac. Where would you recommend I park? Down in brev?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Measure the height of your car with roofbox @Stuski, then consult the various car park height limits on page 1 of this thread.
I have a roofbox on my Citroën estate and can access the majority of the indoor car parks including Lac 3 which is probably the most convenient for you. My car is 2.0m with the box.
Little point in leaving it in Brev as you pay the same as any other parking but have the schlep there and back.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Bob
I didn't spot your great post sorry.
If Lac 3 is fine upto 220 I'll.be absolutely fine.
Thanks very much.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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We've parked up, unloaded, then removed the roofbox in the past to get into some of the underground car parks in Tignes and other resorts. A bit of a faff but if you've got one spare pair of hands to help out it's not a big problem. Unless you're planning on leaving loads of stuff in the roofbox of course. Think we just laid the box on its side at the back of the car.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Is everything on the left side of VD (Solaise etc) closed in the last week of the season (April 29 to May 6)?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Please could I ask for advice on lift passes for Tignes Val d'Isère. I created a separate topic for this, but it was advised that I post on here.
I am trying to work out how easy it would be to buy our lift passes daily. We've always bought a full week pass before, but the price has gone up so much I am trying to save a few £ if possible (family of 4, so £1200+). Also, there is no discount for buying multiple days this year.
So say we bought a Tignes only pass for the first couple of days, could we extend this online to a Tignes Val d'Isère pass without going to the office? If it is easy to do this we'd probably buy our passes online each the morning as insurance against injury/tiredness/weather issues etc. If this is possible, do you know if there are any restrictions/hidden charges?
We are close to Grande Motte which I think is a click and collect point, so buying daily and collecting could be another option?
I obviously don't want to add too much hassle to our holiday, but interested to know your thoughts and if anyone else has done this before?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| larkim wrote: |
| We've parked up, unloaded, then removed the roofbox in the past to get into some of the underground car parks in Tignes and other resorts. A bit of a faff but if you've got one spare pair of hands to help out it's not a big problem. Unless you're planning on leaving loads of stuff in the roofbox of course. Think we just laid the box on its side at the back of the car. |
How long is your car?
I do have an extra set of hands to help. But the car only just fits in most spaces E class estate. Unless the spaces are nice and long?
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@itsbeenawhile, have you downloaded the Tignes app and had a look at the functionality. I think it does what you're looking for.
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| itsbeenawhile wrote: |
Please could I ask for advice on lift passes for Tignes Val d'Isère. I created a separate topic for this, but it was advised that I post on here.
I am trying to work out how easy it would be to buy our lift passes daily. We've always bought a full week pass before, but the price has gone up so much I am trying to save a few £ if possible (family of 4, so £1200+). Also, there is no discount for buying multiple days this year.
So say we bought a Tignes only pass for the first couple of days, could we extend this online to a Tignes Val d'Isère pass without going to the office? If it is easy to do this we'd probably buy our passes online each the morning as insurance against injury/tiredness/weather issues etc. If this is possible, do you know if there are any restrictions/hidden charges?
We are close to Grande Motte which I think is a click and collect point, so buying daily and collecting could be another option?
I obviously don't want to add too much hassle to our holiday, but interested to know your thoughts and if anyone else has done this before? |
The only thing I would say is that if you kids have lessons it could act as another thing to do before you drop them off. We also use the Lagoon at Tignes which a week's pass gives you for free
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@itsbeenawhile, The skipass thing is all new this year, it gave with one hand (up tp 18's get a discount and up to 8's free) but took with the other - no discount on a 6 day pass. But the 7th day is free ona 6 day pass. There is no difference between 1x6 or 6x1. Except you don't get free Lagon entrance on a 1 day pass (but its buttons to get in there and if the weather is poor you'd save cos you haven't paid for a lift pass. There is an off er if you buy 2 adult and 2 kids, but only to age 13.
So, how much faff are you prepared to endure? Buying on line means you have to go to the ATM style thing as far as I can work out, there is sometimes a short queue, or you can go to the Sales Offices where you will be welcomed, indeed they often recommend buying passes day by day as it keeps them in a job!
Tignes only passes are daily only and save you €5, by skiing after 12.45 (IIRC) you can save another €10 on a half day Tignes only pass.
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| itsbeenawhile wrote: |
Please could I ask for advice on lift passes for Tignes Val d'Isère. I created a separate topic for this, but it was advised that I post on here.
I am trying to work out how easy it would be to buy our lift passes daily. We've always bought a full week pass before, but the price has gone up so much I am trying to save a few £ if possible (family of 4, so £1200+). Also, there is no discount for buying multiple days this year.
So say we bought a Tignes only pass for the first couple of days, could we extend this online to a Tignes Val d'Isère pass without going to the office? If it is easy to do this we'd probably buy our passes online each the morning as insurance against injury/tiredness/weather issues etc. If this is possible, do you know if there are any restrictions/hidden charges?
We are close to Grande Motte which I think is a click and collect point, so buying daily and collecting could be another option?
I obviously don't want to add too much hassle to our holiday, but interested to know your thoughts and if anyone else has done this before? |
There are pass machines at the grande motte pass office so you don’t have to queue up to get your passes. Not used them myself but when we went to pick up our season passes I waited outside while Mr E went in to the office, people seemed to be in and out the machine section within a couple of mins.
Might be easier, but as others have said it depends on whether your kids have ski school in the morning.
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FAQ
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