Blue run Grande Motte in Tignes

A snowHead

Has anyone been down the blue run off of the Grande Motte? If so would they say it was a true blue run and suitable for those who have only ski'd once or twice?

Will very much appreciate your advice!!!!

A snowHead

I have been down it, tho not really evaluated its difficulty. I think it's quite wide and consistent. It's very pretty, and not too busy.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Thank you.. probably being overly worried that the other slopes wont be open when we arrive in December so am looking further up the mountains!! Puzzled

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yes and with small kids- a just 5 yr old. No epics. Slow and steady wins the race.

It is long and parts are a bit remote. It is no harder than other blues in Espace Killy- but there are some hard blues in Espace Killy. There are a couple of little sections which do seem to make a number of people struggle. Take them steady. THere are also one or two flattish and uphill sections which will be tiring if you can't ski fast.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

yes and with small kids- a just 5 yr old. No epics. Slow and steady wins the race.

It is long and parts are a bit remote. It is no harder than other blues in Espace Killy- but there are some hard blues in Espace Killy. There are a couple of little sections which do seem to make a number of people struggle. Take them steady. THere are also one or two flattish and uphill sections which will be tiring if you can't ski fast.

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Thanks ed123 that's helpful... very exciting about our trip to Tignes again, and trying check out other areas we haven't been too. We loves the tranquil area last time Very Happy

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Also, I was thinking about the Rosolin blue run??

After all it is free

Can't recall having skied Rosolin- it is on the glacier- is it used for summer skiing only?

The blue I'd recommend- is Genepy- the long one from the mid station to Val Claret.

Rosolin won't be open during the main season. The cable car and the Leisse chairlift are usually the only lifts open on the glacier, and both serve steep terrain.

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I went to Tignes April 2014. Rosolin was closed all week. Genepy is a great run as it's very scenic and was always pretty empty which is good for blasting down it or taking your time to admire the views.

However, from memory at the bottom it becomes rather flat then goes slightly uphill as it joins the blue back to VC (Prariond). If you don't carry much speed down the final pitch you end up with a fair bit of polling/walking which caught me out the first time.

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Genepy. Too much poleing for me.

You know it makes sense.

First time I did genepy I got caught out on the flat bit , but now I know where it is, I just flat line in before and there is no need to pole.
One of my favourite runs for the views and the easy gliding.

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

@dogwatch, Yip - but there are some great off piste pitches that are not too steep...........

A snowHead

Genepy is one of my all time favourite runs. The first time I ever began to feel that I might get the hang of this skiing business was a sunny day at Easter about six or seven years ago. My son was off up the glacier with some much more advanced mates so I was on my own and set off down Genepy not knowing quite what to expect. It was a revelation. Beautiful views in the sunshine, perfectly manageable slope and a huge sense of achievement on arrival in Val Claret. There is one mildly tricky bit a few minutes in where the piste gets a bit narrow as the fall line switches 90 degrees to the left and gets a bit steeper for a few metres, but I do stress the word "mildly" in that sentence. It's also true that there are some flattish sections lower down but even as a near beginner I was able to carry enough speed into them to avoid excessive polling. I will be in Tignes inthe first week of January and one of the things I am most looking forward to is taking my daughter down Genepy.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Floss, wrap up well it'll likely be cold! Pretty steady run and it's well worth doing albeit quite exposed if it's windy. Best week we ever had in EK was early December, no crowds and super cold crisp days, fresh powder every morning. Short days and bitter cold though, take plenty of layers.

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@Floss, if weather clear and not too cold, well worth the short walk rightish from the cable car top station. Spectacular views from the top of the Grande Motte ridge. Fair to say the cable car often closed for high winds or poor visibility. Grab your chance to get up there when you can.
Blue run steepish in parts but wide. Great sense of alpine experience for early intermediates.
I think the blue to avoid in Espace Killy is Santons. Wrongly graded to make access to Val D village look better than it is. It gets many similar comments on snowHeads threads. A relaxing ride down in the Olympique gondola, with views of the Mens' Olympic Downhill run below, much better way to get to the Val D side.
Enjoy!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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@rob@rar, Ooops, yes you're right, thanks. The Glaciers piste from top station graded red. As I said, steep in parts but wide enough to allow traversing. Possibly OK for early intermediates if snow and visibility both good. Otherwise may be too challenging. Much of the Tignes 'bowl', above the Rocher de Bellevarde and the top of the Solaise all good areas for confidence building practice.
Warning about the green graded Verte down to La Daille. Nice enough first part but can be very challenging lower down in some conditions. Graded wrong in my opinion.

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After all it is free

Hmmm,
well genepy is a nice blue, starts at the cable car bottom station,as with many runs the grading is generally accurate, there is a section about 1/3 rd of the way down which is a bit steeper than the rest, then followed by a flat bit that narrows and then climbs slightly, after that slight rise it flattens off then drops to a dip which needs to be taken with some speed to reach the section that takes you back towards val claret.

However, the problem is not genepy, but the steeper red that connects genepy back to VC.
this can be a mix of smooth but icy, bumpy, bumpy with icy sections, or superb snow, depending on how recent new fall of snow!

so, genepy is ok, the sting in the tail is the red standard bit at the end!

For someone who has only skied "once or twice" as you describe it, I think it would be a bit of a challenge to get down, lots of traversing..... doable if you take your time and have good visibilty. Its a problem ( Toofy Grin

)with Espace Killy, its not really that good a beginners resort. even the mass of blues just over the ridge involve short steeper bits to get back to the tommeuse chair to return to VC

@snowornever, you are of course welcome to your opinion but you can't make up facts- as CP Scott more or less said. There is absolutely no need to venture on to a red slope between Genepy and Val Claret. Perhaps you got a little bit lost?

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Indeed, Genepy is nowhere near Double M!! It goes round the back..

There are a couple of blues off the top that feed into Double M, but not Genepy - it's blue allllll the way Smile

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You know it makes sense.

I'm wondering whether @snowornever, might be thinking of the blue down from the Tichot/Gratleau area, which has that steeper bit down at the end..... Carline?

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

I did Genepi when I was the standard you describe. Once in good snow - fab. Once in icy conditions (after freeze -thaw-freeze...although hopefully you'll have none of that in December!) - terrifying. It ran very very fast - or at least it felt like that at the time. So - as ever - all depends on the conditions. If good, go for it. You'll enjoy it. I was also informed that on the icy trip, Double M had softened up as the sun was on it (unlike genepi) and that would have been easier, which was irritating. I don't know how the sun will be affecting the slopes in December but again maybe worth asking advice "on the ground".
I'd also second the warning about the green grading down to La Daile and note that it is part of the main route down from La Folie Deuce. Maybe one to avoid, at least in the afternoon.

suec

A snowHead

As blue runs in the EK go this is certainly a lovely long and scenic ones but it does have a couple of small bits that are a little more challenging but all in all it is one of my favourite blues out there (and not to frequented at all!).

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@mountainaddict, what about the green at the top of the Borsat Express? Moguls? On a green run? What? Very Happy

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This thread (and the one about black runs) got me thinking, so I searched out old piste maps. We first went to Tignes in 1999, back then the run off the top of the cable car was blue. I don't know when (or why) it became red, by the thread title I thought it had reverted. The next piste map I can find is 2004 and it's red by then, but descente (the black next to it) isn't there then, that doesn't arrive till my next map which is 2006.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Last time I skied Genepy there was a 100kmh cross wind, it made for a very memorable descent. Even in those conditions it wasn't particularly difficult though, it's not too steep and fairly wide, a standard blue. I vaguely remember a narrow part lower down after you do the first turn to the right where you have to go single file and snow plough but it's almost flat so not really a problem. You can check the weather conditions at the top before getting on the Funicular. Well worth the trip up, the views are fantastic.

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Does Genepy come down from the top of the funicular to Val Claret? That must make it one of the longest "blue" descents in the business. A great trip for a warm sunny day.

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@pam w, yes, I think that's the one that @DrLawn and I did on the PSB a couple of years back. The rest of the gang went down a busy, crowded Double M. We cruised down a beautiful, deserted, gorgeous blue run instead. Fabulous.

I think it's also the run with huge signs saying, "Don't go off piste over here. There are cliffs. Really big cliffs. Really, really big cliffs. Honest." You carry on for aaaaaaaages, wondering what the fuss is all about. Then eventually you turn a corner and realise that the area leads to the biggest, sheerest cliff you've ever seen in your life. It's very dramatic!

Help!!

Blue run Grande Motte in Tignes

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