 Poster: A snowHead
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I normally have something that prompts me to start this years thread, but poetry fails me this year. So I will have to settle for @GreenDay turning on his heating last weekend!
Again, I won't be in Tignes for the whole season. So, the daily updates will start when I get there and stop when I'm not! But hopefully I can answer most things (and Bob will answer the ones about Parking!).
Here are the links - there's still some summer timetables and the weather pages don't go direct yet, I'll try and remember to update them - or you could give me a nudge by posting!
Tignes Main Site (official):
https://en.tignes.net/
Ski passes:
https://www.skipass-tignes.com/en/
Bus Transfers
Daily from Geneva and Fri, Sat and Sun from Lyon which are available! (no Chambery this year):
http://www.altibus.com/
Weekends from Geneva and Grenoble, Lyon Sat only this year:
https://www.bensbus.co.uk/ski-transfer/tignes-airport-transfers/
Private Transfers (Operator based locally):
https://themountainrescue.com/
Private transfer based in Val D, also do shared transfers to Tignes and Val D, max 8, departing GVA up to every hour
https://snow-drone.com/ Discount code snowheads05 (5% discount on transfers or 5 euros off a shared transfer). All journeys 100% carbon offset.
Someone to organise your holiday:
https://peakfeeling-ski.com/ Based in Tignes, the team will organise everything after the airport arrivals lounge, transfers, self catering apt (with a chef if required), catered chalet, instruction, kit hire, lift passes, child care etc. They also cover other resorts in France - but why would you go anywhere else?
Can't be bothered to cook in a self catering apt - Company removed as it went into judicial liquidation in Jun. The website is still live - caveat emptor.
Ski Instruction (British Staff):
https://ultimatesnowsports.com/ski/tignes-skiing-lessons/
https://www.skinewgen.com/ski-schools/tignes/ (multinational but fluent English speaking staff)
Another multinational school in Val Claret
https://www.333school.com/
Off Piste Adventure and training (British staff)
https://www.facebook.com/TignesOffPisteOfficial/
https://www.freefloski.com
Weather:
http://www.meteofrance.com/previsions-meteo-montagne/tignes/73320
Route Info (Savoie Only):
http://savoie-route.fr/
Avalanche Reports (Meteo France):
http://www.meteofrance.com/previsions-meteo-montagne/bulletin-avalanches/savoie/avdept73
Live Lift Status:
http://www.skiplan.com/bulletin/bulletin.php?station=tignes®ion=alpes&pays=france&lang=fr
http://www.skiplan.com/bulletin/bulletin.php?station=val-d-isere®ion=alpes&pays=france&lang=fr
Bus Timetable from Bourg:
http://altibus.com/documents/gares/9/navettes.pdf (still on summer at the moment)
Val-Tignes (for repatriation of lost souls that missed the last lift or for a spot of (even more) expensive shopping!):
https://www.tignes.net/sejour/deplacement/la-navette-tignes-val-disere
Ski Rental and new boots:
Me and my guests used Tignes Spirit last season:
https://www.tignes-spirit-rentals.com
Purveyors of fine craft ales to those who have had enough eurofizz:
http://sapaudiabrewing.co/
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Mon 30-09-24 16:30; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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PARKING 2024-25
Last few seasons I’ve posted up info here on the various car parks in Tignes. What follows is initially a re-hash of how things were at the end of last winter but I will do on-going updates once I’m there, hoping late November a few days before season start.
A lot changes season to season but the most significant of these recently has been the outsourcing of the entire parking operation to Indigo (the contract is for several decades) and the withdrawal of any free parking in any of the Tignes villages – Les Brévières included. The only exception, on both counts, is Blondin in Tignes 1800 which I will cover later.
A quirk of the Indigo website last winter was stating that all car parks are limited to 1.9m in height. However, the signs at the car parks' entrances say different. The heights given below are what was actually posted up at each entrance or intermediate level within. We’ll see in due course whether Indigo update their website and once I have ‘feet on the ground’ I can go round them all and check once again.
Here is a link for parking info, courtesy of Tignes. Currently, under "General public parking spaces" it shows all car parks as being 'complet' (full). This is normal at this time of year, on the basis that you can't book parking as it's all free anyway. It should change as we approach season start. Beneath this link there is another which residents and seasonnaires can use to get their documents validated ahead of applying for a season space.
https://en.tignes.net/holidays/car-parks
Les Brévières
There are three car parks which used to be free all year round but two of them are now definitely chargeable during the main winter season (late Nov through early May). They are fenced and barriered with a tariff board at the entrance of each. They are open-air and there are no height restrictions on any of them. As you arrive into Les Brev., North car park is on your right before you enter the village. If you keep going all the way through and out the other end, you will end up in South carpark - there is literally nowhere else to go. During super-snowy periods South car park is prone to avalanches during times of high risk (when it's level 5 mostly, but potentially also when it's level 4). You will not be able to retrieve your car from South car park if avalanche closure is announced - the road is physically blocked. Tune in to the Tignes App to get warned but rest assured during normal snowfall it's not an issue. South is the most convenient one to access the bubble.
I mentioned three car parks. There is a small one behind the old Chalet Chardons building / Intersport ski rental shop. Go past North car park and then take the very next turning on the right. It's a tight turn - you may need more than one bite to get around. Down a ramp and hang a left (single track and a blind bend). The entrance is signed with a P and has "Tetras Lodge" underneath it. At the close of last season this parking was free but limited to two hours (you must display a blue disk – available from any tabac - showing your arrival time). Best not to use this parking unless you have good snow tyres / are prepared to put chains on / don't mind crashing the car on the ramp and bend.
At super busy times, there is a fourth option. Parking is tolerated on the right hand side of the road as you approach the village, just before the North car park and on the road just outside South car park. This will require a parking permit which you buy by trying to get into the full car park and letting the machine issue you with a ticket. You are not permitted to park on the road if the car parks have space.
Camper vans: these are not allowed in Les Brévières or any of the Tignes villages for overnight stays. The Municipal Police generally knock on the door of new arrivals and offer their advice, which is to move on, unless you are parking for the day or staying in accommodation somewhere. Exceptionally gnarly-looking seasonnaires seem to be left alone.
For the 2023/24 season Les Brévières was linked to Tignes 1800 (the next village up the mountain) for pedestrians in two ways. From 9am till 4:30pm, you could use the Brevieres bubble for free. After the bubble closes there was a half-hourly bus until 11pm, from late December onwards. A few buses are also laid on for the hour before the bubble opens.
Tignes 1800
Most of the parking here is private and part of an apartment block or development. However a small free open-air car park does still exist: from the Tignes 1800 roundabout, go towards the village, following "Route d'Eté" signs, then keep right at the barracks following along the plastic tunnel over the magic carpet. Parking is at the end of the road / buildings. Only about 20 spaces. Height restriction of 2.20m using a swing barrier. Beware: there is a clue in the name of the access road: "Route d'Eté"... during December this parking becomes hors-de-service - as it's turned into a piste for the winter. Tignes 1800 is linked by shuttle bus (see Les Boisses) once you have walked to the roundabout (where the bus stop is).
Blondin
A relatively new car park for about 150 cars has been built the other side of the roundabout next to the heliport and NOT managed by Indigo. Last year it was free but reserved for working seasonnaires only. You will need to obtain a permit and display it in the window to be legally parked here. To get the permit (a paper A5 sheet with Tignes branding and the car reg) you had to present your proofs of work/living/car ownership/personal id by email (only) to the Tignes municipal police. Open air and no height restrictions. If coming into Tignes 1800 along the road atop the dam, take the 3rd exit on the roundabout, past the petrol station / motor mechanic (on your left) and head up a steep-ish zig-zag gravel track for about 300 metres.
Montayes
Don't attempt to go into the barrier-controlled parking opposite the petrol station - this is reserved for seasonnaires staying in the accommodation that surrounds it. But if you are such a person, apply to Indigo for a space as per the section below on Season Parking
Les Boisses
For a skier or walker, it can be hard to tell where Les Boisses begins and Tignes 1800 ends but access by car is quite different for the two. To get into Les Boisses, if you are coming along the road on top of the dam go straight across at the roundabout in Tignes 1800 and up the steep ramp-like road heading to Tignes Le Lac. Take the first turning on the right, which appears straight after the second hairpin bend. At the very end of the road is the Les Boisses parking. Last year it was chargeable, underused and only residents could buy a pass, which came with a remote control to open the barrier.
Open air and linked by shuttle bus. This is 2 buses morning / 2 buses evening during early season (early season, not pre-season; there's no bus at all pre-season) and then starting Christmas week every 30 minutes up till about 10pm. This is a separate shuttle from the one I will mention below and runs just between Le Lac and 1800. On the way up the bus goes in and out of Les Boisses; on the way down it skips it so just stay sat on board while the driver has a fag in 1800 and he'll drop you in Les Boisses a short while later. There are about 50 spaces. Height restriction: 2.25 metres using a swing barrier which may or may not be locked by the snow-clearing chaps.
Tignes Le Lac - Lavachet - Almes - Rosset
Le Lavachet
Covered parking, short-stay or long stay. Height restriction 2.65m enforced by the building being made of reinforced concrete; this applies to the entrance and exit levels ONLY. Higher levels are restricted to 2.15m and lower ones to 2.4m. So, if using this car park please be thoughtful of the needs of others and use the level that has - just - enough clearance for your vehicle. Linked by shuttle bus to Le Lac and Val Claret till around 4pm pre-season and 24/7 during season proper. What more can I say...
Le Lac 1
Covered parking which used to be reserved for seasonnaires only but last winter could be used by the public including advance reservations. Height restriction 1.95m. Access as below for Lac 2, but go past Lac 2 and turn right.
Le Lac 2
Covered parking around the corner from Lac 1. Access if coming up from the dam is using a side road (left) opposite the Taxi Office (big yellow TAXIS sign) / Intersport, just before the first roundabout. If you miss it and reach the roundabout, go all the way round and then first right. Height restriction 2.20m at the barrier BUT 2.0m internally with a few sections at 1.85m. Short and long term OK.
Le Lac 3
The parking of choice for most folk stopping in Tignes Le Lac. Covered and situated underneath the "Maison de Tignes" tourist office and handy to access ski school meeting points and lifts. Short-term and long-term parking OK. Height restriction at the entrance is 2.25m but apparently some floors are only 2.15m. The main parking enquiries office is located in this car park.
A handy tip from another snowhead… It’s often the case that the roads are black as far as Lac 3 car park but white thereafter. So, you have the nuisance of having to put on chains just for the final approach to your accommodation, to unload. Lac 3 is free for 2 hours, so drive in and put your chains on in the warm and dry and under good lighting.
Le Rosset
Covered parking on the borders of Le Lac and Lavachet just by the Rosset beginners' chair lift. Long-stay (ie more than 24 hours) only. You have to buy a ticket in advance on line or at the Le Lac 3 office. Height restriction 2.25m. Linked by the same shuttle bus as above.
Val Claret
Golf
Covered parking on the edge of Val Claret. Height restriction 2.30m. Short-term and long-term parking OK. Golf has two entrances. The first one you see on the left as you start up the hill is for season-pass holders; the main public one is higher, going left as you enter the town. Not directly linked by shuttle - you have to walk down the hill to the big roundabout by Hotel Ecrin, then turn left to get the bus at Platieres or right to get the bus at Chartreux. The walk is about 8-10 mins. Or you can walk into town, past the Bureau des Guides, turn right and take the Platieres lift (elevator) down to the Platieres bus stop.
Grande Motte
Last winter what was left of the open air parking on the plateau where the new Club Med building now stands was open to seasonnaires and public alike and could be reserved in advance (which never used to be the case). However this may be all changed for 2024/25 as it was to have been converted for summer leisure use (football, volleyball, pétanque) as extra parking is planned for Boucle Sud. If any parking does remain available here for the up-coming season, it would be linked by the same shuttle bus as above to the lifts and other Tignes villages.
Boucle Sud
This area is just up a little higher than Golf, lying between the cinema and the top of the nursery slope by the bottom of Tufs chairlift. In April groundworks started on a brand new car park on this site, over three levels and providing 650 spaces (though the existing 120 outdoor ones will be lost). The roof will be planted and part of it will provide access for skiers, walkers and piste bashers to get through. My summer spies tell me that the lowest of the three levels has been completed and that the building technique being used for the rest was akin to lego – so I’m hoping it will be finished before the end of the autumn, but @chocksaway has heard reports that this may be doubtful. Will update once I’m out there but it's not listed currently in any of the parking choices on the Indigo season parking invite.
La Digue
This is a new one that has appeared on the list of parking choices on the Indigo season parking invite. I've no idea where it is - I wondered if it was the new name for the re-built Boucle Sud but La Digue is listed as open air so that doesn't make sense either. Or maybe it's Blondin re-named. I'll try to find out.
Chartreux
This open-air parking just outside Val Claret (turn right at the cross roads after you leave the roundabout headed towards Le Lac) used to be reserved for residents/guests staying in the Chartreux development. It is now listed on the Indigo website and has come under their management (possibly to stop abuse). The entrance tariff board is new this season and a barrier is also newly installed. There were no height restrictors of any kind.
Borsat
This has always been private parking, the spaces being owned by various apartment owners. However, it has come under Indigo's management. How this affects its use by private owners I don't yet know (but will ask a few friends who have spaces there and let you know). Indigo's management may mean that spare spaces could become available for public use but we'll have to see once Indigo updates and release links to their website pages. It is located in the tunnel that is the far loop of the road through Val Claret - under the piste that's under the start of the Tufs chair.
Other parking info
Rental Cars & Advance Booking
in previous winters this was a nuisance as the booking system insisted on a car reg in advance (which you don’t usually know until you have picked up the actual car). However, other snowheads did successfully make reservations using either a fictitious reg. or leaving it blank. In the subsequent email confirming the booking they have received a code and on arrival tapped this in to the machine at the barrier to gain entry. It's also needed later on to get out again so don't discard or misplace the code! On the current booking site I did see a box to click entitled ‘Hire Car’ so maybe Indigo have reacted to the complaints. Another snowhead has suggested that on the approach to the barrier, you stick a 'trade plate' to the front of your rental car, which you bring with you!
High Season
During peak weeks (eg New Year, February half term) the car parks in Le Lac, Lavachet and Val Claret completely fill up and you may have to park on the street. This is NOT FREE and it is only allowed in controlled areas where there is enough road-side space. To park on the street you have to pay and get a ticket on arrival from the main parking information office in Lac 3 car park.
Day Trips
If you are coming for the day, it may be cheaper to simply pay by the hour rather than pay and reserve x days of parking. All the car parks appear to charge the same rates and here are some edited highlights from last season:
2hrs - Free
2h15 - €3.20
3hrs - €4.60
5hrs - €8.40
8hrs - €14.20
10hrs - €18.00
13hrs - €22.70
24hrs - €23.30
2 days - €43
3 days - €63
4 days - €83
5 days - €99
1 week - €99
2 weeks - €189
Residential Parking
You may be lucky and get a private parking space assigned that belongs to the place where you are staying, but this is rare. For much of the open-air parking in Tignes that looks like it's associated with specific residential developments you will see a P (parking) sign next to it, with 'MACARON' written underneath. What that means is that to park there you first have to go to the main Tignes parking office and present them with your flat ownership / season let contract / season work contract and buy a space for the season. You then get your macaron, which is a permit to display in the window. Without the macaron you are liable to get towed (but usually leafleted beforehand).
Le Bon Coin
Some flat owners let out their parking spaces for the season or by the week. Take a peek on Le Bon Coin. These spaces will generally be in locations other than the public parking listed above. You will need to check for yourself what specific restrictions they may have (eg height).
Season Parking
This is available free for working seasonnaires in Blondin car park (see above for info on how to get it). Last winter you could buy a season pass for Golf (a bit over €1,000), Les Boisses (a little cheaper) and if you were lucky, Lavachet, Le Lac - but these had long waiting lists or were being discouraged. If you are a resident, worker or owner there are discount schemes. You will need to apply to Indigo and provide proofs such as work contract, membership of proprietors’ scheme, etc. The link to upload your proofs was released 23rd Sept (but is also accessible using the link in the opening remarks, above). Applications for the actual parking spaces opened on 14th Oct and there have been consistent reports that the process works OK.
Val d'Isere
There is less need to explain parking arrangements across at the neighbours' as their website covers so much more of what you might need to know. Unlike in Tignes, the prices vary according to the convenience of the parking namely, how close it is to the centre of town, to ski lifts and whether it is covered.
If you need season parking, the rate you pay varies from just over €200 to just under €1,000 (depending on location and whether indoors) but they do not require the proofs (eg employment or rental contracts) - anyone can buy a pass. If you have an extended stay during late season / early spring you may wish to consider the 'Fin de Saison' discounted half-season parking offer. This is not advertised and can be tricky to find on line but I'll try to dig it out if it's available this winter.
Options for free parking are very, very limited: you have to head right up to the end of the valley to Le Fornet and even there, it is limited to 48 hours max (but is linked by the local shuttle bus) and has a height restriction of 1.8m. There is also some road-side parking outside the town limits along the main D902 but there are few buses (around 8am and around 6pm) so you are reliant on hitching a lift or asking friends to get you to/from your car; walking not advised as it's a busy road with many blind bends and drivers not expecting pedestrians. More info here: https://www.parkingvaldisere.com/ . Bookings opened at the end of September.
Bourg St Maurice
Do you really, really have to keep your car in Tignes the whole time? Last year a mate bought parking for the whole of January for 46€ in a covered car park in Bourg (Alpins). Add in the 12€ each way for the bus after dropping off and then to pick up again and it's still a bargain compared to keeping it - and not using it - in Tignes for that length of time. https://www.sags.fr/parking/bourg-saint-maurice.html . You can also access this parking and book it through the Val d'Isere link in the paragraph above, where you can read of the special offer of just 15€ for a taxi each way between Alpins car park and Val d'Isere. Contact Taxis Bozzetto direct on +33 (0) 6 03 75 03 75 . I imagine you may need to present proof of your booking in Alpins but will wait for other snowheads to confirm.
Be aware that free parking in Bourg is pretty limited and tends to be just outside the town limits, plus you won't get much opportunity to clear snow off the car regularly. Best stick to controlled covered car parks. There is a free car-sharing car park in Seez (close to a bus stop, from memory) but I don't know if extended stays are allowed. There is a large free car park at Landry station, if you don't mind jumping on the train back one stop to Bourg before heading up the valley on the bus. The general law in France is that stays longer than 7 days are not allowed in free public car parks, at the risk of a fine or being towed – though this does not appear to be heavily enforced.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Mon 14-10-24 20:28; edited 24 times in total
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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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Annual thanks @chocksaway,
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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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Chocks away on one of my favourite threads ...
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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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Hear hear always enjoy the updates, have a great season all
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Grinning, A season pass is listed at the same price on the pre-season list here, I would guess that one would be valid from 30/11/12.
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| rjs wrote: |
| @Grinning, A season pass is listed at the same price on the pre-season list here, I would guess that one would be valid from 30/11/12. |
Its funny how they list it. A season pass is valid from opening day. So 30/11 and I believe if they open earlier you don't have to pay extra.
This year I get an age discount. Not sure I am happy as I should be about that 
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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, Have to say, its turned blinking cold in Edinburgh........or maybe I am just getting old  .
I missed this season so hopeful of getting back in 2025.
Thanks for the thread as always - looking forward to hearing of any new bars stocking proper beer !
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@GreenDay, Not seen that vid, Ta. The latest I have seen from a Val spy is it’s not due to open till 20 Dec, so let’s hope any early snow does not prevent workers and stuff getting up.
The reroute to Mangard will save us from that narrow death slide down the first pitch from the bottom station.
Because of the projected opening date there is some rumour that they haven’t ripped out the two Col Pomas as advertised in the Video. If they have, then it’s a fair hike from the Up and Over to Pissailas, unless they resurrect the knotted ropes behind the piste basher, last seen up there around 2000 when the old CEMA was condemned.
PS Just re-read your post 2 up - very good. 
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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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What's up with the Termignon lift (didn't it used to be called 3500?) on the Tignes glacier? It's on the piste map but is greyed out and there are no pistes around it. The old rosolin and champagny lifts have gone, but is Termignon still running?
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@zaphod424, The Termignon only used to run for summer skiing and sometimes for the race trainers in the early Autumn. By the start of the main season in late Nov it was closed. Not sure about its viability any more as the run to the east was getting perilously close to the edge of a long drop with the glacier receding.
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You know it makes sense.
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So, here are a few snippets of whats been happening over the summer (thanks to my usual spys).
The proglacial lake under where the Rosolin Drag used to be is now being drained by pumps as a more permanent solution to last year's ditch digging. Divers have been down to see the extent of the lake below the surface so hopefully the threat of a major Club Med destroying deluge has been avoided.
New Lifts:
Work on the Marais is progressing - you can see the new pylons on the Chaudannes webcam. It will be a 6 man, moving 2020 people per hour and has "Directdrive" technology - so it should be quiet. That should remove the bottleneck at the Aiguille Rouge in the morning but will make the red down from the eye of the needle busier. As that slope scrapes up quickly it could be interesting for the early intermediates.....
The old Lavachet drag has been replaced by 2 magic carpets - still free to use.
The rather poor and expensive Palet Resto in the middle of the Grattalu piste is under new management. Again, its a Bouvier Enterprise (Panoramique, Suites de Nevada, Chez Jeanne etc) so it will be relatively upmarket. But its promising live music, so if the sun is high it should be really quite nice and a lot more welcoming than the prvious operators.
And for the very little ones they are building some snow-tubing tracks in the ESF Jardin D'Enfants in Lac.
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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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Any Tignes owners had the owners scheme membership renewal email yet?? Only ask as the last couple of years we’ve not been getting them so want to be ‘on it’ this year. Had the one asking me to update my contact details so hoping the membership renewal will be coming in the next week or so - fingers crossed.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Extremophile, Nothing heard this year other than the contact update e mail you have received. I have had it on time every year. I checked the Props website, its still showing all the details from last year.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| chocksaway wrote: |
| @Extremophile, Nothing heard this year other than the contact update e mail you have received. I have had it on time every year. I checked the Props website, its still showing all the details from last year. |
Thanks Chocks 
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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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From a sharp eyed webcam spy - it would appear all the chairs have disappeared off the Leisse chair up on the Grand Motte. Looks like most of it happened Thu/Fri in all that cloud.
We knew its days were numbered but didn’t think it would be this quick. A vain hope would be its for servicing them but it seems a bit late.
The route direct from the top of the cable car to the base of Leisse (only after New Year and acknowledging the dangers of glacier skiing) was one of my favourite runs…..
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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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Looking forward to the parking update. I've a Multivan with a roof box this year, so will be watching with interest to try and figure out if I'll be able to squeeze into the parkings and what my potential options are!
I assume they don't differ from year to year, and last year's measurements would be the same if i check out last year's thread?!
Edited: D'oh! Looking at it now, I might be limited to 1 (or 2?) floor(s) in Lavachet parking. Multivan seems to have 20cm higher kerb height than the old Sharan. I will be watching with interest!
May also have an unplanned week with my daughter, as I just found out she has 2 weeks Feb holidays now she's in secondary, and not 1 week like her brothers ! And it seems that week is before the French school holidays if I read it correctly!
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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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| chocksaway wrote: |
So, here are a few snippets of whats been happening over the summer (thanks to my usual spys).
The proglacial lake under where the Rosolin Drag used to be is now being drained by pumps as a more permanent solution to last year's ditch digging. Divers have been down to see the extent of the lake below the surface so hopefully the threat of a major Club Med destroying deluge has been avoided.
New Lifts:
Work on the Marais is progressing - you can see the new pylons on the Chaudannes webcam. It will be a 6 man, moving 2020 people per hour and has "Directdrive" technology - so it should be quiet. That should remove the bottleneck at the Aiguille Rouge in the morning but will make the red down from the eye of the needle busier. As that slope scrapes up quickly it could be interesting for the early intermediates.....
The old Lavachet drag has been replaced by 2 magic carpets - still free to use.
The rather poor and expensive Palet Resto in the middle of the Grattalu piste is under new management. Again, its a Bouvier Enterprise (Panoramique, Suites de Nevada, Chez Jeanne etc) so it will be relatively upmarket. But its promising live music, so if the sun is high it should be really quite nice and a lot more welcoming than the prvious operators.
And for the very little ones they are building some snow-tubing tracks in the ESF Jardin D'Enfants in Lac. |
What red ski run is it that you mean? First time I am coming to Tignes, so great to hear some insiders information 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Dutchie, It’s the top half of the Red piste Cyclamen. The first pitch is a steep red and is often very firm to icy. It catches the sun for long periods.
But you can go back to Tignes Le Lac via blue pistes Corniche followed by Bluets or Petit Col.
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Thanks! Good to know
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The reinstatement of Marais will also give us easier access to Myositis, though still not as easy as when Aiguille Rouge stopped just next to it...
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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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Right then, parking update is done. Key changes are that Chartreux and Borsat car parks have come under Indigo management, Boucle Sud is being re-built and Grande Motte may be gone, totally. Once I'm there I will go around and do some more updates.
Yes, @mullins, the headroom in each car park tends not to shrink! But it was a bit of a surprise that what's on the sign outside is not necessarily what you encounter inside, at least not on all the levels. Hearing my 1.9m high roofbox scraping along a supposed 2.2m high ceiling came as a bit of a surprise ... though if I'd gone up the correct ramp I might have seen the other sign alerting me to the lower height on that level. Groan.
This time last year, many of us received an email from Indigo telling us about "Jour-J" and inviting us to get our documents verified ahead of applying for season parking. Not received that yet this autumn but wondered if anyone else had - have you heard anything @chocksaway ?
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@bobski62, The silence is deafening, same with the Proprietors scheme.
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Thu 19-09-24 18:18; edited 1 time in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| chocksaway wrote: |
From a sharp eyed webcam spy - it would appear all the chairs have disappeared off the Leisse chair up on the Grand Motte. Looks like most of it happened Thu/Fri in all that cloud.
We knew its days were numbered but didn’t think it would be this quick. A vain hope would be its for servicing them but it seems a bit late.
The route direct from the top of the cable car to the base of Leisse (only after New Year and acknowledging the dangers of glacier skiing) was one of my favourite runs….. |
The pylons are gone now. It was my favourite piste too and it was in superb condition the last time I skied it. I am quite disappointed. Was it really going to be impossible to ski next season? This feels extremely premature.
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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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@Noob921, 2 years ago it was nigh on impossible to get down the piste to the lift. Last year was easy (assuming a reasonable level of skill). Perhaps it was condemned, the route down had become dangerously crevasses or more likely it saves 2 staff for each shift.
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| chocksaway wrote: |
| @Noob921, 2 years ago it was nigh on impossible to get down the piste to the lift. Last year was easy (assuming a reasonable level of skill). Perhaps it was condemned, the route down had become dangerously crevasses or more likely it saves 2 staff for each shift. |
Such a shame. There is very little at the top of the Motte these days. The queue for the funicular won’t be worth it. It is quite terrifying that skiing at 3000m is not guaranteed these days.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
| Such a shame. There is very little at the top of the Motte these days |
Isn't around 1,300m of vertical worth the wait? Or you can go via 2 chairlifts instead
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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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| mountainaddict wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Such a shame. There is very little at the top of the Motte these days |
Isn't around 1,300m of vertical worth the wait? Or you can go via 2 chairlifts instead |
The last time I was in Tignes, which was not in any of the French holidays, it was half an hour of waiting for the funicular, then 45 minutes of waiting for the cable car. And I was in the ski school queue due to having an instructor. We did a single run on descente and then repeated laps of leisse, which was fantastic, but that’s now sadly gone. So, no, I really can’t see how going to the top of the glacier will be worth it in future given there are now only two pistes above the funicular and the queues are getting out of hand. It’s very sad to see the glacier disappearing and the resort shrinking. When the glacier is fully melted, will the rocks be skiable when covered in snow or is skiing at 3500m going to disappear forever?
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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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Altibus Tickets from Geneva now open for booking. 4 Buses each way on a Saturday, 1 Sun-Fri (which, frankly, is a huge drop in the level of service from pre-C days.
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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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Well, I've scanned the French remontees-mecaniques website and still have no clue as to why Leisse chairlift has been removed. The permit to demolish was issued in February this year and everyone agrees it's a sad loss. It dates from 1996 so is considerably newer than Col des Ves, which is from the 80s and being put back into service with new chairs for this winter, if my info is correct. On a slightly more positive note, the ski down from the Grande Motte cable car to Lac des Nettes is around 900m; the skin out again over Col de Leisse to pick up Genepy/Cairn pistes home is about 100m. Might give that a try this winter.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Sun 22-09-24 15:42; edited 1 time in total
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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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I took a look today at the tariffs for the coming season's lift passes (link below) and saw, bottom right corner of the pdf, a dark blue box entitled "Ski a la Carte" / "Saison". I'm wondering what this is all about and whether anyone on snowheads here has any clue?
I'm familiar with Ski a la Carte - in fact it's perfect for my sister, who will pick and choose odd days to ski and not always in Tignes. But Ski a la Carte - Saison? Do we finally have something akin to a Tarantaise-wide pass (normal Ski a la Carte includes Les Arcs / La Plagne, as well as 3 Valleys).
I've looked at the FAQs and on the Ski a la Carte website but am none the wiser.
https://public.tignes.net/TIGNES.NET/TARIFS/TARIFS_FORFAITS_HIVER_2024_2025.pdf
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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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@bobski62, I don't think there is a connection between Ski a la Carte and a Tignes season pass, they are in separate boxes on the pricelist you linked to.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Ahh... thanks @rjs, I think I get it. The Ski a la Carte box is just saying you can do this if you want; the prices below it, on closer inspection, look like they are for a Tignes-only pass (rather than Tignes - Val d'Isere).
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@bobski62, I’ve just been chatting with a friend and full time resident of Tignes. They have had nothing from Indigo either. But rumours floating round the village have mentioned 10 Oct as a kick off date. We shall see.
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Anyone know what happened to the the stainless steel Winter Olympics torch by the Palafour?
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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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Thanks @chocksaway - as it happens, the email inviting submission of documents for verification arrived 10 minutes ago! It says that if you pass that stage, than applications for the actual parking spaces will open 14th Oct.
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Looks like it disappeared 14th June @vegas007; no idea why. Maybe an inquiry to the tourist board can shed some light?
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FAQ
The piste was surely still feasible for the whole of the winter season? Just seems so strange to remove the lift entirely 
