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June in Tignes is not the busiest or most exciting of the year, but it is the month when the resort blossoms into the high class summer holiday destination that we know and love. When I last reported small things were happening such as the erection of the tennis courts very early on and the arrival of the skate park components. Since then the courts have been warmed up by a few locals spurred on by the sensational events of Wimbledon and Roland Garros and the skate park has been expertly constructed and equally expertly tested ready for the influx of rolling talent. Not only this but the resort has been a hive of industry as the scores of activities Tignes has to offer are made ready.
Officially opened on the 27th June, just a few days ago, the Tignes Bike Park is back in tantalizing shape with a few new additions. First and foremost ITS FREEEEEE!!! Sorry to get carried away but they say nothing in life is free and they’re wrong! Rock up to Tignes, reserve your bike and equipment from the Canyon shop and when you’re fully kitted out head over to the lift where you will be welcomed with open gates and not a pass reader in sight! Amazing! It’s undoubtedly some profile raising / money making scheme cooked up by Canyon the bike supplier and our own PR department but who are we to argue when we are benefitting from this incredible offer? Ordinarily a bike, all the kit and a pass to boot might set you back a few euros but not this summer. Which leads me, in a roundabout way, to my second point…
This year is a great time to start mountain biking if you’ve always wanted a go but never been quite sure, not only because its all totally gratis but also because particular attention has been paid to the different levels riders this season. There are loads more practice areas for fine tuning skills and having a go before you set out on a lift that might be difficult getting down from. There are slaloms, burms, corners, big jumps, little jumps, moving obstacles and all sorts designed to give you a great repertoire of skills to use on the hill. Not only this but the whole area has been graded in a helpful colour coded system much like your usual piste map, just green not white. It’ll show you the routes and the difficulty of every path so you won’t get lost or have to negotiate something way out of your competence level. If, however, you are an adrenaline fuelled, thrill seeker with not the slightest fear of heights, falling or injury there is plenty to keep you busy too. Anyway, the Palafour section is open now and the Toviere bike park section opens in just a few more days on July 4th so no excuses….on your bike!
As ever Tignes is the epitome of fantastic value for money and the all encompassing SporTignes Pass is also free this year if you book your accommodation through Tignesreservation.net or one of Tignes’ accommodation agencies. If you don’t know about this card then you should. It entitles you to about €160 worth of activities all for free including swimming, tennis, beach soccer, beach volleyball, football, archery, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, pedal boating, archery, water jumps, trampolines, squash, mini golf and, oh loads more that I can’t even think of at the moment. Basically check it out and you’ll never want to go back to a boring ‘sitting by the pool’ holiday again.
Fab, so what else? Well, we had the French footie team here doing a bit of pre competition training for the world cup although I’d like to point out that the wonderful Tignes air, facilities and altitude have nothing to do with the team’s performance. They weren’t that great despite the extra red blood cells! After them came Olympic Lyonnaise, who are still training here, obviously not put off by the luck of the preceding team. The friendly played here in Tignes between them and the team from Geneva is just the beginning of the events line up for July.
So, here we go…
July 14th : Fete des Brevieres
July 21th: Rond Point des Pistes flea market
July 22nd: Slackline (tightrope walkers' demonstration & initiation)
From July 24th to 30th: Stade Français Paris Rugby Team in altitude training. We wish them more luck than the footie team had.
July 24th-25th: Pro Am Ski Golf. Yep, 2 amateurs, 2 professionals, 2 skiers and 2 golfers – 1 tournament and a great weekend had by all.
July 26th to 30th: Bag Jump - jumping on a big airbag via a large run up on a mountain bike. One of the safest ways to practice those crazy aerial jumps and a fascinating spectator event.
July 29th: friendly match Stade Français / LOU
July 29th-30th: Savoie wine festival – Although the main Tignes wine festival comes in August this is a special celebration of local wines, which contrary to popular belief can be very fine indeed. Did you know that the Romans planted the first vines in the Savoie?
From July 30th to August 1st: Tignes Cameride VTT. Another year and what’s sure to be another amazing set of films and photos from this event. You can check out last year’s event video and news report to find out more.
July 31st to August 1st: Beach Rugby – Back by popular demand.
You can find full Bar and Restaurant listings in the Dining and Going Out section of the site.
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