Tignes-Val d'Isère is one of France's biggest linked ski areas and was formerly called the Espace Killy in honour of French Olympic triple-gold-medal-winner Jean-Claude Killy. In the last few years, the ski area of Val d'Isère and Tignes has been completely renovated and enlarged, allowing it to be classified as one of the most beautiful Olympic-level ski areas in the world. Thanks to this, every skier has a wide range of ski slopes to choose from in either Val d'Isère or Tignes. Steep black runs, sunny south-facing slopes, wide pistes for cruising and outstanding off-piste skiing, all well supported by an excellent ski lift network: this is what you can look forward to during your ski holidays in Tignes-Val d'Isère. For those looking for an adventure off-piste, it is advisable to make use of the services of a professional local ski guide as the off-piste areas in the Espace Killy around Val d'Isère and Tignes are vast and the lunar landscapes can be a little deceiving!
The skiing in the Tignes-Val d'Isère ski area is well-known for being an expert’s paradise. However, intermediate skiers can enjoy cruising all day long on the beautiful red slopes in this ski area. There is plenty of skiing for beginners in Val d'Isère and Tignes but the lack of easy intermediate slopes in the Espace Killy area means the learning curve is particularly steep once they are ready to move onto the real stuff. There are good blue runs up at high altitudes. However, if you choose Val d'Isère for your ski holidays, the best way down is by the gondola lift if you want to avoid the rather daunting options to get back to the resort. From both Val d'Isère and Tignes, there are some free ski lifts for beginners. The snow park in Val d'Isère is world-class and often hosts top-level competitions that can be enjoyed by the public from the sunny terrace of the Les Marmottes restaurant. Summer skiing is also possible on the Pissaillas and Grande Motte glaciers. Easily accessible from Lyon, Chambéry and Geneva, the Espace Killy ski area is a great destination for a spot of weekend skiing in either Val d'Isere or Tignes!
Scroll for more information about Tignes-Val d'Isère
Mountain: 90 cm
Valley: 50 cm
Reaching altitudes of more than 3450m above sea level, Tignes-Val d'Isère is considered a world-class ski area with something to offer virtually every level of skier and snowboarder. It is particularly renowned for its off-piste and freestyle terrain, and hosts the annual European XGames, one of the biggest freestyle events in Europe. Six slalom courses, two snow parks including a halfpipe, and a boardercross run ensure freestylers will never get bored here. Fantastic off-piste terrain lies in wait off the Grande Motte, the Col des 3000, Borsat and more, and there are around a dozen pistes that are secured but not pisted, for freeriding in total safety. Meanwhile, expert skiers can tackle the notoriously steep Face de Bellevarde in Val d'Isère, a black run with a vertical drop of 1000m. If you're more the racing type, you might want to try your hand on the Piste OK World Cup downhill run.
