Tignes and Val d’Isère share a huge area of slopes known as L’espace Killy. Locally, Tignes’ biggest asset is the Grande Motte – and the runs from, as well as on, the glacier. The underground funicular from Val Claret whizzes you up to over 3000m in seven minutes. Fast chairs and gondolas get you up the mountain from most parts of the ski resort. Recent investment has added more fast chairs higher up too, but a few key slow ones remain that could do with being upgraded.
The main lifts towards Val d’Isère are efficient: a high-capacity gondola from Le Lac to Tovière, and a fast chair with covers from Val Claret to Col de Fresse. You can head back to Tignes from either: the return from Tovière to Tignes-le-Lac is via a steep black run but there are easier blue runs to Val Claret.
There are some serious challenges for the expert skier, Tignes has converted six of its black runs into ‘naturides’, which means they are never groomed, but they are marked, patrolled and avalanche protected. The intermediate skier is well catered for and for keen intermediate piste-bashers the Espace Killy is one of the top three or four areas in the world. For the inexperienced skier there are suitable areas, but for a beginner you would be better off in the Val d’Isere resort.