 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi there
We are deciding between Tignes and Val Thorens for a ski holiday mid April 23.
2 adults, 3 older kids late teens/early twenties. 1 absolute beginner, the rest intermediates but haven’t skied for many years.
Hubby has no ACL so needs other activities too. Easy skiing, fun apres ski especially for 23 year olds! Considering Club Med.
Any advice would be welcomed! Very hard to decide!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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ValTho should provide more blue pistes and better apres.
A bit higher altitude -:important when considering slush etc.
And about a hundred of us will be there mid April at the EOSB. Good for guidance, company and lessons.
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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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I'd wait and see if there are late deals. Easter is earlier next year so both resorts will be very quiet. Tignes village is lower by 200m but the pistes go higher than Val T and there's lots of blues at altitude. Much of the Apres may well have packed up by mid April next year, but Club Med has its own so you should be OK. The Lagon in Tignes (Swimming, Wellness or Gym) should provide hours of fun for hubby - don't know about Val T on that one. By that time walking round the Lake etc would be very pleasant. Neither are pretty Alpine villages but buses and gondolas (free on the lift pass) gets you to Les Brevieres which is pretty in late spring - spot of bird watching perhaps!
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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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Snow will be better in Tignes, than in ValTho. I have been to both in late season.
Reason for this is geolocation.
1. Tignes location is more "inner-alpine" and 3V is more open to the - warmth propulsing - french plains. Cold air remains longer in Tignes than in 3V.
2. Tignes always get a bit (10-20%) overspill from retour d'est, 3V is too far west for that
3. Tignes has a larger proportion of slopes over 2000 than 3V, in fact only the ValTho bowl is high, in Mottaret and LM you will see 20+ degrees
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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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It is actually THIS April - a few weeks time!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The better skiing is probably in Tignes, but both are superb. VT has the better apres and bars for the youths.
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@michaelaS, Ooops - sorry. Lost in a time warp in Tignes.
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| Onnem wrote: |
Snow will be better in Tignes, than in ValTho. I have been to both in late season.
Reason for this is geolocation.
1. Tignes location is more "inner-alpine" and 3V is more open to the - warmth propulsing - french plains. Cold air remains longer in Tignes than in 3V.
2. Tignes always get a bit (10-20%) overspill from retour d'est, 3V is too far west for that
3. Tignes has a larger proportion of slopes over 2000 than 3V, in fact only the ValTho bowl is high, in Mottaret and LM you will see 20+ degrees |
Was going to make all of the above points. Tignes will be better than Val T. With Tignes you also have the glacier right up to 3400m and the runs down to resort level like Double M are more sheltered from the sun.
Tignes every time for me. 3V is very over-rated.
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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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OTOH, if we're honest about it, Tignes is a bit of a shithole compared to VT and that was before VT finished their spiffy new sports centre.
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| 3. Tignes has a larger proportion of slopes over 2000 than 3V, in fact only the ValTho bowl is high, in Mottaret and LM you will see 20+ degrees |
That's such a disingenuous comparison! The whole 3 Valleys (~600km) v's Espace Killy (~300km): A higher proportion of a smaller amount doesn't necessarily mean more, does it? 
I think you'll find 3V has more km of piste above 2000m than Tignes-Val d'isere.
Tignes Les Brevierres is as much a slush fest as Mottaret, if it's even still open.
Ignoring the rest of 3V, Val Thorens itself is at 2300m, has >155km of pistes, most of which are above it. Its lowest piste drops to 2100m.
There are 5 places the lift system rises above 3000m in VT - in Tignes, just the one, The Grand Motte, and being out on its own, it's prone to being closed by wind. VT lift co holds joint patents with lift manufacturers for designing lifts that can keep links open in higher winds. Also, being a private company, SETAM (VT) reinvests its profits into its own lift system. STGM in Tignes is owned by CDA so their profits go to propping up their less successful domains. As a result, the lift system in VT puts Tignes to shame!
In the past 20 years, I've been in VT in the 2nd half of April every year. Of 155km in VT and Orelle in the worst, the very worst year, there was one lift shut when we arrived and a 2nd one shut by the time we left. We lost maybe 10km of pistes max.
On a few of those years, I've had cause to visit Tignes either directly before or after and frankly, it always feels like a massive downgrade by comparison. The lift co acts like you're getting in the way of them finishing the season and various lifts often don't open for no apparent reason - the restaurants aren't much better.
There's a reason why the EoSB is in Val Thorens 
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Tignes is a bit of a shithole compared to VT
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That's such a disingenuous comparison!
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"Disingenuous" is a bit much...... Obviously many of the lower lifts - in Tignes/Val d'Isere and the 3V - will be stopping before the final closing dates - 28 April for Meribel and 23rd for Courchevel. The truth is that both VT and Tignes are good choices for a late holiday.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@x/7, Tignes is not a shithole - period.
Your paragraph on the lift company is factually incorrect. STGM (part of CdA) do not own the lifts they have a licence to operate them. Profits from Tignes do not go to propping up other resorts. A set percentage of lift pass money has to be reinvested each year, where that is invested is controlled by the Mairie which has a committee with reps from the various interested parties to make sure all considerations are taken into account. I dont know abou patents but one Doppelmayer or Poma look pretty much the same to me wherever they are.
Both resorts are a good choice for a late holiday as they are for an early one - theres a good reason the PSB has been in Tignes for many years
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| The truth is that both VT and Tignes are good choices for a late holiday. |
+1
Both are fantastic end of season resorts, and both will probably have the best snow in France for that time of year.
In asking the question, you've received lots of strong personal opinion, which has then provoked a further reaction. All of which probably don't help in your decision making.
Personally, I would look at what deals you can find, and then go with the best one. And then maybe the year after go to the other one, then you'll know which one works better for you personally.
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You could come along on the EoSB in Val Thorens.
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You know it makes sense.
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You could come along on the EoSB in Val Thorens.
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+1. You could do a lot worse than the EoSB. The accommodation is self-catered, so not equivalent to Club Med, but the Oxalys is decent enough and ski in, ski out.
I'll be there with one of my older kids (either the 20yo or the 18yo).
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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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If you go to VT then the sensible thing is to stick to VT and Orelle and avoid the lower 3V even if the link is open. So the fact that Mottaret may be knee deep in slush is pretty irrelevant. I'm sure Tignes is fine but VT doesn't feel like an afterthought at that time of year rather in full operational mode. Only downside of week of 23rd is that it will probably be Cloggie week.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Hello, don't want to derail the thread but I've a similar dilemma, flying into turin for 6 days skiing across the easter weekend and am debating cervina, val thorens, tignes or les deux alps.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Quite a bit longer and more expensive drive to the French resorts, @rickyricardox. More fuel, the tunnel and probably a cross-border charge on the hire car.
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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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I always laugh at the statement "The whole 3 Valleys (~600km) v's Espace Killy (~300km)" - the reality is that with a ski area the size of 3V a sizeable enough proportion of those runs are boring narrow cat-track runs that contour along the side of the valley. The 3V is full of them. The quality of runs, per km go overall skiing in Tignes and Val is much higher, my opinion anyway.
That is not to say that 3V doesn't have some great runs, it does.
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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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@michaelaS,
If they prices are comparable the Espace Killy (Tignes) would be better for snow quality, but 3 Valleys (VT) would shade it if you were there at the same time as the End of Season Bash because of the social side.
And yes, there is a good reason why VT has the Eosb - because Tignes has the Pre-season Bash - you have to mix it up.
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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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