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More sub-zero temperatures and busy roads for half-term start

Be prepared and stay safe

featured in News & reviews Author Robin Deering, Tignes Editor Updated

Travelling to and from Tignes this weekend will prove difficult with continual sub-zero temperatures across France coinciding with the start of UK & French school holidays.

Heavy traffic is expected on Saturday and temperatures of -13° C across all of France

With near on record lows (-26° in Val d’Isere, -23° in Chamonix..) for a February last weekend, temperatures have slightly edged their way up the scale but the cold front is due to persist well into this coming weekend.

The recent cold snap in ski resorts has left holiday makers stranded with frozen diesel and flat batteries.
Breakdown services have been working overtime with a huge number of call-outs (some 500 in 3 days) due to the freezing temperatures. In some instances cars have had to be left for up to 24hrs before being recovered.

For those coming to Tignes with a diesel car; fill your tank with diesel treated to at least -20 and add an anti-waxing (anti-figeant in French) additive for extra measure – but don’t over use the additive as this won’t be good for your engine.
Batteries also struggle with the cold so try to park your car in a covered car-park overnight to take the edge off.

French traffic news website the Bison Fute recommends avoiding the ski road rush by planning your journey around the 10am to 4pm peak travel times.