 Poster: A snowHead
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So, 23 days until I head off to Tignes  Really stoked, but I have a few questions - Firstly, if you guys could give me a few personal experiences then that would be cool as I can get a sense of the place. Also, when I was doing the booking there was an option for an extended lift pass to somewhere called 'Espace Killy' - I didn't book this at the time as it was an extra £40 or so, and since then a few people have said that I should have done it. Will there be enough skiing in the Tignes area for me, bearing in mind that I haven't been to the area before? I strongly suspect that there will be, and seeing as changing the booking now carries a £50 fee on top of the cost of the pass 
Also, on the Off-Piste side of things, what is there on offer? Is there anyone out there 14th-21st of December who knows the are and fancies giving a fellow snowhead a bit of a tour? I'm not stupid enough to go off piste by myself.
Either way it's going to be SICK, can't wait 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Went for the first time last year - had *loads* of snow to the point where it was closing the lifts. Great fun!
Tignes area pass does Tignes. Espace Killy does Tignes and Val d'Isère. Whether or not the local area will be enough will depend largely on how you ski - we did the extreme right of the map (Cyclamen) to the extreme left of it (Roches) and back in a day, during a blizzard too. If you go from one area to the other, keep an eye on the liaison lifts - some are exposed and shut in high winds so you'd have to go back on the bus.
Tignes is pretty broken up (le Lac, Lavachet, Val Claret, Brevières) so what you do and how you do it will depend on where you are. Despite non-stop snow, the run down to Brevières was a bit of a nut-ache. However, we found some cracking bars down there on a night. Otherwise, most of the entertainment is centred around Tignes le Lac.
Have a look on www.tignes.net at the webcams - it'll get you excited about the (already good) snow and also get a sense of what's what. You can also see a PDF of the piste map and see what you can/can't do. The Face Olympiqe in Val d'Isère was mentioned in the Telegraph the other week amonst the ten scariest ski runs in the world. I wouldn't call it scary, but it's quite long. We did it in knee-deep powder (it was still snowing) and it was pretty hard work. My favourite run was Signal, over in Val d'Isère - short, steep, and because of the conditions, difficult. Think "feet of fresh snow covering waist high moguls".
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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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rasmanisar, You can get daily upgrades to your Tignes lift pass in resort at the lift pass offices, so see how you go.
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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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rasmanisar
| Quote: |
| Also, when I was doing the booking there was an option for an extended lift pass to somewhere called 'Espace Killy' |
That would have doubled the available ski area (all linked, no buses) so would have been worth it if you are an intermediate skier or above.
However, don't worry - the Tignes area will keep you busy for a while, then after that you can buy a daily extension to your lift pass (for whowever many days) to explore the rest of Espace Killy. (Sorry, I can't seem to find the extension price at the moment....) EDIT: This post was typed at the same time as the response above - hence the seemingly duplicated info.
A point worth mentioning is as follows (and not a lot of people seem to know this )......
Have a look at the piste map (http://www.tignes.net/data/template_richmedia/13917-plan-des-pistes.pdf). The Tignes pass covers everything to the right of the Toviere summit (above Tignes Le Lac). However, the TOMMEUSES Chair is also covered on the Tignes lift pass - so you can ski down into the Val D'Isere ski area but still be covered on your lift pass. This means that you can ski the Edelweiss, Rocs, Creux and Violettes runs as a (little known) bonus. And - if it's the same as previous years - there is no turnstile/ticket check on a slow Val D'Isere chair that I shall not name which is very near to Tommeuses - so you can use that too, albeit a bit unofficially..... . Of course I would never advocate that sort of thing.
You'll love Tignes (PM me if you want a good deal on our 4 person apartment for a return visit in the future!)
Lots of info here: http://www.tignes.co.uk/Default.htm And here: http://www.tignesnet.com/
| Quote: |
| Also, on the Off-Piste side of things, what is there on offer? |
Loads! Some obvious and easily accessible between pistes - other bits where a guide is definitely worth the money.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Thu 22-11-12 13:11; edited 1 time in total
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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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Thanks for the info folks. Sounds like I'll be having a blast! Just out of interest, in terms of learning techniques etc, I'm not very experienced with moguls etc, but I'm very confident in terms of speed and control on less 'technical' snow - how long does it take to pick up these techniques? I'm comfortable with going fast and jumping, and icy stuff, just need to work on the skills side of things as I've only been skiing once before for a week, although I'm doing weekly sessions at Chill Factore now (Off there today, student wednesday  )
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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rasmanisar, You'll get an avalanche of advice on this. The best way is to book lessons. If you want to teach yourself: get yourself into the rough at the edge of the piste and doss about there. Do NOT go off piste without the correct training, equipment and a guide. However, you'll need to kill your speed - moguls and such are about control; and just practise getting the hang of the rough snow. Deep/shallw, lumpy/smooth, etc. After that, practice trying to turn by planting a pole and using a light jump. In essence you just need to be able to turn on the spot. That done, head for some moguls and try not to fall! Trees are also useful to practice - they force you to turn, or it hurts!
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Cool, sound advice. I had a play on the moguls when they were up at Chill Factore and sort of picked up the basic technique, but as you say, it is hard to go slow and stay in control. I reckon the best way is to practice on my own on some easy stuff and then if I'm struggling look at booking some lessons.
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rasmanisar, if conditions are good and the whole area is open then I strongly recommend upgrading to an EK lift pass as there is some top class skiing on and off piste over on the Val d'Isere side
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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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You will certainly want to ski the whole area at some point (and a ski teacher might want to take you on the Val d'Isere side).
There is a huge amount of off-Piste (all around but particularly on the Val d'Isere side). Get lessons. Later when you are more practiced you might want to buy the Vamos guide to Val d'Isere / Tignes Off Piste.
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Hi rasmanisar,
I have skied Tignes and Espace Killy for many weeks. Mainly off-piste with various guiding options. It is a really superb ski area.
Firstly just extend your lift pass to EK. You will really want to ski over to VDI - it is definitely worth it. I personally would never consider just Tignes - unless I just had the afternoon to ski.
To access the off-piste then you could try one of the guided groups with Evolution 2 or similar, or book a private mountain guide. I have had some excellent experiences with Evo 2, UCPAs, and ESF. I have also had some poor experiences in massive guided groups with ESF. I have had some really excellent private off-piste guides from ESF.
I am very envious, you will have a superb time.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Unless you are a beginner, not buying the Espace Killy lift pass is a false economy.
Your tour operator is ripping you off by charging a £50 admin charge to upgrade your lift pass. It would take them 1 minute to change this on their system, they haven't bought them yet.
Before using your lift pass, take it on the first morning, to the lift pass office and ask them to upgrade it for you.
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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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Definitely need full area pass, unless you are a beginner (in which case you are not gong to the best resort for you. Architecturally, it's a slum. Skiing is fantastic. Sod all trees - go to the Val D area if they are for you.
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