Tignes and The Espace Killy (Or Tignes/Val D'Isere) 2021/2022. (Useful links updated on Page 1)

A snowHead

@Grinning, Was planning to hire from Ski Republic (Borsat) as closest I think to us (Le Grand Roc) - any views?

A snowHead

Sorry @Kettonskimum1971, I don’t know that shop.
If your prime driver is proximity, then the Grand Roc building is above where Sport 2000 Sport Glisse have their shop.

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Now - this is worrying me...

I am arriving Thurs, leaving Tues so won't be able to book. Does this mean I will have trouble getting a space, or is it mainly just a weekend thing with spaces most busy on Fri, Sat and Sun?

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The weather picture over the next few days could be described as languid, drifting, to and fro whatever you like. Its going to be generally nice with variable amounts of cloud, and perhaps a dusting on Friday night for the eastern extremities of the area, but nothing worth talking about. Its going to be chilly for early March, especially over night which can only be a good thing given the relative lack of total snow for the time of year. A sunny morning tomorrow and then a veil of high cloud is likely to appear for the afternoon, taking the sting out of the Sun, light winds aloft. Thursday and Friday are probably going to be mostly sunny, there may be some clouds forming over the peaks as the days wear on. Then a layer of cloud may crack Tignes as it comes over from Italy, but it might not. Whatever, its not going to change the price of fish snow wise. Saturday should be a day of sunny spells,the clouds will bubble up in the late morning but do nothing other than make the sky look pretty. Good day to empty the resort hopefully it should be my first day back on planks again.

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@NoMapNoCompass, don't fret. Received opinion is that the period between end of half term (this Saturday) and Easter will be busier than usual. But, it is most unlikely to be anywhere near as bad as New Year or half term. And during both those periods everybody visiting Tignes managed to get parked. The vast majority arrive/leave on the Saturday and leave their car parked and untouched for the week.

Worst case scenario: you will only be able to buy a ticket to park on the road between Golf car park and the big roundabout / it snows all week / you'll have to get the chalet shovel out to leave. 90% chance you'll get a covered space in Golf.

@chocksaway, thanks for the weather update and delighted to hear you'll be back on your skis again soon. Will try to meet you for a wee ski, if that's OK...?

After all it is free

@Steve Angus, @chocksaway, thanks guys. Tried TDC-no can do, said they were full which was a surprise given most countries still in term time. New Gen website says they run teen groups so will try them and any other of the 'usual suspects' for UK skiers.

@Kettonskimum1971, I cant vouch for the company @Grinning, mentioned, but if there is a choice of Ski Republic or..........pretty much any other provider........I would go pretty much anywhere else.

Their prices appear cheap (they used to do that 241 thing), but from what I have seen they are not worth it for the levels of equipment provided.

There are plenty of decent small ski rental places in Tignes, and where you are located is smack in the middle of VC - hopefully someone can come up with a recommendation for you.

Unfortunately I dont frequent VC as much as Lac/Lavachet, so cant give one.

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I think Ski Republic is a bit like Skimium, an online booking portal to individual shops.

Agree with @GreenDay that you should avoid online places like that and I think you are generally better booking with the shop directly if you can.

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@Kettonskimum1971, A few of my daughters uni friends have rented from Ski Republic in Val d’Isere this season.
They all had their own boots so it was only skis needed and they tended to go for the 2nd highest type. I was impressed with what they were given considering the low cost.

You can book directly with Ski Republic and I probably have a discount code somewhere.

@muppet, yebbut thats val disere............ wink

You know it makes sense.

If you ask them nicely, most ski hire shops will give you the best they've got in stock - but there's the kicker - if they've been busy they won't have such a wide range of kit left.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@bobski62, Yip, drop me a pm. Have to go shopping on Friday.

A snowHead

A snowHead

@Kettonskimum1971,
Plenty of UK tour operators do Sunday changeovers.

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Sorry - I mean we're arriving on a Sunday into resort (DIY holiday) and so do we end up with what's left in the rental shop?

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WhatsTignes looking like right now and whats the weather predictions gonna be like on April 16th week? Cutting it too fine?

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I am back in harness, so to speak. After a relatively routine trip down from GOC, I arrived yesterday and have done the big shop this morning, it finally feels like normality has returned! The French border agent at Dover checked my passport and saw that I had a paper vax cert on the passenger seat, that was how cursory the check was. No one was interested in sworn statements, proof of accom or funds. You no longer have to wear masks at all in bars and restos, but you do in shops. But you do need a vax cert with you in case there is a 'controle' whilst you are in there. Not entirely sure what the situation with is on enclosed lifts, as they are normally classed as a mode of transport, masks for public transport will still be required from 15 Mar. I shall find out more tomorrow when I go skiing, I really didn't fancy a Parisienne frantic Friday.

It was a nice morning but the cloud has built up so it is now overcast but quite bright looking out of the window. The outlook for the next few days is frankly uninteresting from a weather point of view, we are on the edge of the high pressure system centred over the UK. So its languid and little changing. But it is going to be cold especially overnight. The cloud over Italy will ebb and flow so its probably one of those periods where you never have the right amount of clothes on, as in the strong sun you will heat up, but it will be chilly in the shade! Tomorrow should start bright and the cloud will increase thrugh the morning into the afternoon. It will be cold at altitude, despite the lack of winds. Sunday will be the sam, but cooler. Monday will still be cold but with less cloud than the weekend (with the current forecast) you may overheat under a cloudless sky. Tuesday looks similar mayeb more cloud but confidence in that forecast is not great.

For the fliers tomorrow, it should be a benign day of travel. It will be misty around Lyon and there is a slim chance of fog around Grenoble which if it forms and is thick might lead to a few delays. thankfully Chambery should be above it. All is good in the UK. Its going to be busy on the roads with 33k vehicles going home and 31k arriving, on the way down there may be hold ups mid morning and later in the afternoon for those on the way up. All in all a reasonable day for a transfer.

After all it is free

Arriving tomorrow and booked some days with Alpine Experience. I've had such good powder snow my 3 other ski weeks so far (ha, lucky me -see below from start of Feb - photo by Sharkymark) I'm not too sad if conditions aren't wonderful. Just as long as I can ski off piste at all.

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@snowball, ive been lucky also, I've had powder every week I've skied so far this year. maybe not at Easter though but I love Cornwall all the same

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A glorious but cold blue sky day, the clouds did not appear at all. But, coming down Palafour at (.30 it was real 'ice cream head weather on the exposed half inch of the cranium. The overnight temperatures were very low for this time of year - so much so that the Sage of the Cairngorms, Ali Ross, first comment this morning when we met on the snow front was have you seen how cold the nights are at the moment. This means the on piste snow is very quick running - hardly any poling today on the flats. A good set of edges helps on piste. We skied around Palet, Bellvarde and La Daille and didnt see a stone on piste, although some of the pistes are narrower than usual because of the lack of snow. The snow depths look very thin off piste and there is quite a bit of artificial about. Seems like we are having Jan in March having had March in Jan! But Leisses opens tomorrow, so may have to try that to gauge the rest of the season by how much is skiable, the glacier above the top of the Funi looks distinctly unappealing at the moment. We did try soem bit off piste, there are some nice turns to be had amongst a lot of hard pack and wind pack, but there is still cahlky stuff on north ish facing slopes.

The weather for the next 4 days is really unchanged, sunny predominantly after very cold nights and gentle breezes. So more layers than usual for March. Bits of cloud may come and go but that's about it, a bit of a lottery whether they form or not. With the high pressure you can see the pollution building in the valley bottom, standby for reduced speed limits on the roads! Looks like it will be a week or so before the weather changes much.

For those flying tomorrow, no snags foreseen from the weather!

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A chilly -10 degs on the balcony at 7.45 this morning but the sun is shining and there's not a cloud in the sky.

Please forgive a post in the wrong place, this is a shout out for help / advice. My son picked up the wrong ski bag in Geneva and now has it with him in Val d'Isere. He urgently needs to get it to its owner who is stuck in Morzine with no gear. He also needs to get his bag from BA - any ideas / suggestions ? Is there a more suitable thread for this post ?

You know it makes sense.

@piddi, Try contacting one of the transfer companies and see if they could take the bag back as far as Geneva and possibly bring the correct bag back up. Snowdrone, Whiterides, Coolbus etc

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@muppet, thank you for the advice.

A snowHead

@piddi, may be worth posting on the ski club facebook page?

A snowHead

Yes, it was cold out on the slopes too. A glorious day of sunshine, up here in paradise, but the pollution down the valley is getting thicker. The resort is still busy, but there was big queues at the lift pass offices this morning. I have seen this before in Mar, I can't spot teh language but may be a Balkan one, but as a team they don't seem to do online. As Leisee opened this morning that was the plan but we had doubts over how long it would take, so imagine my surprise at 1030 there was only 10 people in the queue for Lanches. Tip top, up we went, not many people had been down Leisse so it was good chalky snow, I suspect this report will not be valid for tomorrow as it will mogul up! They have worked hard at the bottom and there are 2 mini gorges too ski through with no moguls, it looks like they are bringing the piste bashers up from below to bash the entrance to the lift area, but I suspect they will leave the main slope alone. Oh, the glacier does not look good, there are large patches of blue ice on Descente and the blue piste is very narrow. Indeed todays Avalanche Bulletin warns about the lack of cover on glaciers in general and the fact that many crevasses have not filled in, stick within the piste poles up there!

After that we found some nice snow off Cairn and then headed over to Solaise via Santons, which was OK snow wise, but over lunchtime would have been better to avoid all those 2 legged obstacles. Cofeve was taken in the Solaise lounge, the pistes up there are good as was L. I almost managed to do the track from L back to Val Centre without poling as the snow is that cold and running quick, just a few pushes up the last pitch. Home via Bellvarde and Julian Clarey.

The Mountain Shaker week continues, there are various events happening around the village and on Double M through the week. Mostly freestyle type stuff.

The weather is really rinse and repeat. The next 3 days will be a repeat of today, by Tuesday it might be 2 or 3 degs warmer. Thursday may well see some clouds but not complete cover. Beyond that it becomes astrology. Although for the longer term forecast the jetstream is moving south, so by later next weekend we may see some changes but it depends how a battle between the Azores high and one over Central Europe develops, which will be interesting meteorologically, if you wish to borrow my anorak. As to whether we will get snow I don't know, but the apps will ebb and flow

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Another sunny day, but there was the tiniest bits of high level cloud if you looked hard, and some long lasting contrails, but not a breath of wind even in Le Fornet! I met Bobski62 and a couple of chums and we set sail for Le Fornet via La Daille and the bus to Laisinant (very half hearted mask wearing) and worked our way up to the Pissailas glacier where the queues wern't too bad at all. The runs are still in very good condition. But then we hit on a first world problem of the highest magnitude, there was only one coffee machine working in Cascades, so it took a wee while! So after a protracted break we did another run on the glacier and returned via the 'Up and Over' and down L and into Val again, more poling required today.

Its just popped up in the local paper that a speed rider was killed in Val yesterday and a fire in an apartment block resulted in a long night outside for some.

There is some weather on the way! But the models are disagreeing, essentially this high pressure system is moving north east towards the Baltics, so gradually its going to get a bit warmer, especially by night, there will be a bit more breeze and some cloud and light precipitation at some stage between Friday and Sunday. So beyond Thursday afternoon there is much uncertainty in the weather office. But Tuesday and Wednesday will be pretty much a repeat of today, and so will most of Thursday. Cloud may drift over from the west, late on Thursday, then again it may wait until Friday, which may be a day of sunny periods or overcast conditions followed by light snow on Saturday, or overcast conditions! Stay tuned to find out whats going to happen closer to the day.

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Another bright and sunny day with little wind. So, I decided to get a grip, get all the touring kit out, grease the appropriate parts and set off up Palafour, it seems fitness isn't quite what it was 2 years ago! But I made it to the top without medical assistance and just 1 or 2 schoolboy erros in the transitions!

The models are converging a bit as the centre of high pressure has set off towards Russia. Wednesday and Thursday will be like today but there will be a bot more breeze at altitude, a degree warmer each day and night! Friday will be a mixed bag, there is likely to be a layer of high level cloud, hopefully there will still be enough definition for skiing ahead of Saturday which will see thicker cloud but maybe some sunny intervals. Confidence is not high in the forecast from Saturday morning, but after the cloud on Saturday there should be snow small amounts of snow on Sunday, if you believe the Swiss, Americans and Norwegians, Meteo France are going for just another cloudy day at the moment, I hope they are wrong!

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After a Grand Day Out yesterday with @chocksaway, I drove down to Bourg for the weekly shop and... picked up a puncture. A clout nail right in the middle of the tyre (probably the best place, if you're going to have a puncture). Decided that Auto Centre 1800 (by the roundabout next to the dam) should be my first port of call, as they have been efficient and fairly priced in the past). They told me to come back with the car at 2pm, then mended it while I waited. Very happy with €20 to save a nearly new winter tyre.

While waiting I took another look at car parking options and have updated the Tignes 1800 info on page 1. Still not sure if the large new car park there is seasonnaire-only but will make enquiries...

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I'm chasing some words of wisdom from the Tignes crew please.
I'm due to be in Val Claret for the week of the 20th of March - all the way from Oz - I can't wait! I was intending on booking a Snoworks off piste course for the week but with no snow on the horizon and having been a fairly lean season I'm second guessing those intentions. My wife is doing a week of lessons with Evo 2 that will be piste based. Am I better off opting for something piste based given the Snoworks course is about double the price (and the conditions may not be conducive to off piste anyway)?
I have a habit of stressing about snow conditions before embarking on a holiday. Right now I'm picturing thin ribbons of white between a largely brown landscape.
Serious question. Does Tignes/Val D'Isere have a relatively extensive snow making system? I'm assuming night time temps at 2000 metres will be low enough for snow making over the coming weeks.

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At the moment there is a reasonable amount of skiable off piste snow for those who know where to find it.

After all it is free

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@sbooker, You are right, things are going to change and there is little snow on the horizon. Currently, the chalky snow off piste is fine but it is being kept that way by the very cold weather for the time of year, especially over night. By next week, spring as we know it is going to arrive and so that is going to make finding good snow off piste harder, but there may well be enough heat for spring snow to develop, finding that is an art and requires a good dose of local knowledge. So ultimately, it depends what you want to get from an off piste course, you are not going to learn a lot about avalanche risk, (apart from spring late afternoon slips), you are not going to get powder skiing (unless things change). You would hopefully get something on finding spring snow and technique on varied snow from hard crud to chalk to spring.

I don't know what availability is like for the snoworks courses, but you will always be able to get on piste stuff, so maybe its time to keep your powder dry and delay your decision. It might be worth looking for a touring course though.

Whatever happens we do have a lot of snowmaking and we are a long way from ribbons of snow against a brown background

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Tignes and The Espace Killy (Or Tignes/Val D'Isere) 2021/2022. (Useful links updated on Page 1)

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