The Tignesnet.Com Tignes Après Ski Report

Photographers watching for the perfect shot of the French Footie Team

Welcome back to Tignes everyone. This is the resort you know and love gearing up for a whole new summer season although I’m willing to bet that it looks nothing like you remember it. When the lifts finally closed we had some really mixed weather. I disappeared on a little escape to Italy and very bizarrely when I got back there was more snow than when I left – can you believe it, dumping in May! Anyway, since then the summer winds have been working their magic and brought the sun and warm weather to attack the layer of lingering snow. This is the time of year when one day you’ll just look out of your window…and BOOM…everything has gone green. Fair enough, until that point it all looks quite unappealing and browney grey but now the spring has definitely sprung into summer with the amazing colours of summer shining again.

Of course we kicked of this season a week or so ago with a very special celebrity visit from the French National Football team doing their final altitude training before the world cup friendlies start. The team left on Tuesday 25th ready for their match against Costa Rica but had been making the most of Tignes and all it has to offer in the way of fitness training. They headed on hikes up the glacier, took a spin on mountain bikes, did a bit of biathlon training and even had a few spills on motor buggies down in Les Brevieres. You might already have heard that William Gallas, French defender, had a lucky escape after he managed to roll his buggy, but crawled out with nothing more than a scratch. The team also did their usual pre-competition training on the new pitch, The Stade Cantona, in Val Claret. As well as promoting good vibes by training on a pitch dedicated to a former French champion the Stade Cantona provides a fantastic spot for the world and his dog to have a good gawp at what their up to. All week there were fans bussing up to the resort and more reporters than you can shake a stick at. The French are definitely excited about their chance in South Africa this year.

Elsewhere in the resort things are still pretty quiet. The official opening of Tignes doesn’t come until 19th June when the glacier reopens it’s slopes for a spot of summer skiing and with it everything else bursts into life. Amongst other things Tignes offers skiing, fitness, relaxation and a whole host of activities including swimming, fishing, mountain biking, archery, horse riding, quad biking and many more. You’ll just have to watch this space for the whole round-up of Tignes’ activities.

However the preparations are well under way for all the sports and activities that Tignes has under its belt and luckily it’s not necessary to wait for the glacier to find something to do. As soon as the snow has melted enough there are hundreds of different walking and hiking trails to keep us busy and the tennis courts are already up too. Granted they are still surrounded by a bit of snow but they have been dug out, cleaned and the nets are up. Until the season officially starts they are unlocked and free for anyone to knock up on. I had a little wander around resort, soaking up the sunshine and remembering that it was unfortunately hayfever time of year again. However I noticed that work is going on in the vicinity of the skate park so it seems like that too will be back in place pretty soon and now doubt home to the extreme riders and wannabes of the skating world.

There are a lot of other works going on, being that useful quiet time of year again, but one particular building site does interest me. If you know Tignes at all try and picture the gallery du Palafour which looks out onto the lake and the large building below it known as Tignespace. Well, this whole area is going to be redeveloped in an amazing way. The idea is to make a new gentle beginner ski slope that runs down in front of these buildings and links onto the snowfront near the ESF. It’ll provide a great new area that in the end should be accessible via the Palafour lift or on foot. It will also stop people feeling the need to ski down Rue de La Poste, the main road down the hill into Le Lac, which happens more than you’d think and is very dangerous. And my own personal favorite plus point, it will create really easy access to the great bars and restaurants such as Café Rouge and L’Embuscade. The down side is that the whole construction process is going to take a while and be somewhat of a work in progress for a few years. However, things are getting underway so we’ll see how far they get by the start of the next winter season.

So what else do we have to look forward to this month? Well, they might not be as internationally renowned as the French Football Team but Olympic Lyonnaise, the Chelsea of France’s Premiership, will be up in Tignes from 24th June doing their own altitude training. Later this season we have loads of village festivals, fireworks displays, the annual wine festival, the Tignes Cameride, Beach Rugby, Pro Am Ski Golf and much, much more. So, as I say….watch this space to be kept up to date with life and excitement in Tignes this summer.


You can find full Bar and Restaurant listings in the Dining and Going Out section of the site.