Bring on the summer...

So the winter has finally come to an end after an unseasonably cold end to the season.

There were a few really good dumps of snow at the end of April and start of May which resulted in some fantastic end of season skiing on extremely quiet slopes.

The snow has mostly receded and the resort is starting to look green and summery once again as you can see from the Tignes le Lac webcam.

Tignes le Lac pano - courtesy of http://en.tignes.net/webcams

Tignes has a wealth of activities available once again this summer.
Come and experience some of the 20 FREE ACTIVITIES AVAILABLE FOR OUR GUESTS.

In addition, there’s also a host of professional athletes and sports teams setting up camp in Tignes this summer. The summer kicks off on the 24^th June with activities until the 1^st Septemeber.

There are over 20 activities in or around resort with all of the usual suspects in play.

Here are just a few activities you could be enjoying this summer…

Mountain Biking – Lift for mountain bikers are completely FREE in Tignes and Val d’Isère and access to the Bike Park is also FREE. Practical info can be found here - http://en.tignes.net/what-to-see-do/do-something/summer/bike-park-tignes/mtb-area

Road Cycling - Tignes and the local area has some great road cycling on offer; although not famed for its road cycling like some of the other famous routes in the Alps there is some fantastic cycling on offer to suit all abilities, and with access to a vehicle Tignes is a great hub for keen cyclists of all abilities.

Sailing on the lake in Tignes - picture courtesy of http://en.tignes.net/what-to-see-do/do-something/summer/water-sports-centre

The water sports centre offers access to FREE activities with the My Tignes Open card including pedal boat, canoe, kayak, and stand up paddle board. There’s also catamarans and sailing dinghy’s available with courses running each day through the summer.

Summer skiing on the Grande Motte glacier, Tignes - picture courtesy of http://en.tignes.net/what-to-see-do/skiing/summer-skiing

There’s also skiing on offer during the summer with over 20kms of piste on the Grande Motte glacier.

Summer Skiing/Snowboarding, more info here - http://en.tignes.net/what-to-see-do/skiing/summer-skiing

Tignes summer walking

Stunning walks - for those thrill seekers looking for a little time-out there's plenty of stunning walks on offer to take in the scenery at a slower pace. Theres also some challenging walks on offer for those that wish to challenge themselves on more diffcult trails, it's possbile to scale the heights of the Grand Sassiere (3751m) which can be seen in the distance from Tignes, the view from the top offers stunning views over the French & Italian Alps and beyond.

Please click here for more info on the Tignes Sport card which is provided free by the Tignes Chalet company - http://en.tignes.net/what-to-see-do/do-something/summer/my-tignes-open

 
http://www.thetigneschaletcompany.com

15/16 Winter Catch-Up

Well, what can we say about the Winter of 2015/16…

Excellent staff.  Epic snow. Great guests. An amazing season enjoyed by all!

After mother nature once again took a bit of a lie in during the early months of November and December, we were left wondering if this season would ever get going.

First staff ski day - Col de L’Iseran  (23/12/2015)

Final staff ski day - Bottom of Genepi piste (27/04/16)

The fireworks of New Year seemed to be the wakeup call for mother nature, and she duly provided us with a much needed delivery of the white stuff with seemingly continuous dumps of 10cms or more throughout January.
That set the tone for the rest of winter, and from then on there was no shortage of snow.
By the start of January the staff had settled into their roles nicely and we were receiving glowing reviews from guests. January disappeared in a flash amongst the excitement and enjoyment of fresh snow and before we could say ‘school holidays’ it was February Half Term Week.

Staff ski day- hiking the Toviere ridge

Staff ski day- bubbles in the Sache valley

After half-term we managed to get together as a team once again. We enjoyed excellent conditions despite poor visibility, we even treated ourselves to some well earned bubbles on the hill and some melted cheese at the bottom in Les Brevieres!

Last staff day out of winter 2016 - 27th April - The TCC from Ultimate Snowsports on Vimeo.

We cruised through the remainder of February and into March, continuing to enjoy fantastic conditions.
The final staff ski day was arguably one of the best days of the season. It was the 27th April, and we had received about a foot of fresh snow in resort and almost 30 cm's of fresh cold powder above mid-station. We had a week of unseasonably cold weather which resulted in an amazing end of season conditions.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to our staff and all of our guests that come to enjoy the winter with us, here’s to more of the same next season!

Last Supper

First Supper

http://www.thetigneschaletcompany.com

At which ski resorts are you guaranteed to get a snow fix this winter?

Of course Tignes and Val D'isere are at the top of the list according to the Telegraph.co.uk.

But we can't be the only resort in the norther hemisphere that has a great record of snow cover during the winter?

Here's a couple of places we have visited and can personally recommend for a potentially epic powder day:

Whistler- BC, Canada.

A view from the snow covered trees of Whistler mountain.

Having visited Whistler Blackcomb myself in March a few years ago I can certainly vouch for the snowfall. After a few sunny days in a row (which we were told were extremely rare) the heavens opened and we received over a metre of snow in 24 hours. Despite the snow being quite wet and heavy between the bottom lift and mid-station up top there was plenty of good powder, although not of the champagne variety but pretty close!

Similarly to Tignes, Whistler Blackcomb has a glacier and there is usually skiing available from late November through to May with summer skiing from Late June until the end of July.

It is widely regarded as one of the best places to ski in North America, in my opinion the variation of terrain it offers is pretty amazing, in one run you can ski off the glacier and through the alpine into into some of the best tree skiing to be found anywhere.

Hakuba Valley, Nagano, Japan

Aerial shot of the Hakuba Valley courtesy of snowjapan.com

The Hakuba Valley is one of Japans biggest skiing areas, consisting of around 10 separate ski areas.
It consistently averages around 10m of snowfall each winter despite the bottom lift located at around 700m altitude. The valley also hosted the downhill events for the Nagano 1998 Winter Olympics.

The resort is mainly popular with Australians during the winter with few visitors from the northern hemisphere.

On a good day the skiing can be spectacular with some of the best powder tree skiing in the world with light fluffy snow in usually well spaced deciduous trees.
Most of the skiing is below the tree line with the resort of Happo-One offering the most skiing with some alpine skiing above the tree line.
There is also a significant amount of backcountry to explore. However this is notoriously very dangerous due to the large amounts of snow fall and the steepness of the mountains creating a high risk of avalanche!
I had my best day skiing the trees of the back of Hakuba Cortina- this resort allows skiers to ski the trees whereas some of the resorts in the valley only allow tree skiing in designated areas.

On a good day the skiing is spectacular with some of the best powder tree skiing in the world with light fluffy snow in usually well spaced deciduous trees.

It's truly a stunning place and well worth a visit, and the skiing is pretty awesome as well!

http://www.thetigneschaletcompany.com

Tignes Winter 2015/2016 teaser...

After a dump of snow on the mountain tops ion Monday we are beginning to get a little excited for winter!

And we aren't the only ones... Tignes has released this video to get us even more stoked for the start of the season. And with less than two months until the opening of the Espace Killy on the 28th November, why not get excited!



http://www.thetigneschaletcompany.com

Would you swap the French Alps for skiing in Dubai?

Plans have been announced in Dubai to build the World's longest indoor ski slope as part of the Meydan One project which will also include a shopping mall, residential tower and five-star hotel.
It's not the first indoor ski slope in Dubai and will be located approximately 15 km's from Ski Dubai which is 400m long and was opened in 2005, the indoor ski resort which features the world's first indoor black run as part of the Mall of the Emirates, one of the largest shopping malls in the world.

Meydan One's futuristic indoor ski slope 

The 1.2km slope will be the world's longest such indoor facility, beating Germany's AlpinCenter in Bottrop which is 640m.

However, this is not the only the record the Meydan One project plans' to break;

• Dubai One tower- will have the highest observation deck at 655m and highest sky restaurant at 675 metres when built as well being the tallest residential tower.
• Dancing fountain- expected  to be the world’s largest at more than 420 metres in length.

Overview of the project

The project also includes the Meydan Arena at the base of the ski slope, it will seat up to 8,000 people. It will host sporting events, live concerts and theatrical shows. Some of the outdoor sport options include football pitches, mountain biking, walking and running trails, a skateboard park and a BMX park.

Swap the French Alps for Dubai?

So hands up, who will be swapping their Ski trip to the Alp's for a glitzy ski vacation on Dubai's slippery slopes? I thought not!

But it does have it's advantages; no more worrying about the prospect of a white-out day, and with a man made climate there's no fears about a good snow base when you arrive.

On the other hand there definitely wont be the excitement of a powder day, and backcountry skiing doesn't exist.

Having said that it's hard to deny that if you are a resident in Dubai it would be an extremely exciting prospect, and just sometimes lots of money can make anything possible, even skiing in the desert! 

http://www.thetigneschaletcompany.com