The Perfect Ski Day In Tignes

Today we are going to take you onto the ski slopes of Tignes for the perfect ski day with our partner ski school, Oxygene Ski & Snowboard School.

Let’s Get Ready for The Ski Slopes

First thing in the morning we go to rent our equipment from the Oxygène ski shop in Tignes Le Lac. While we are getting ready, we can enjoy a nice flat white coffee and a delicious cinnamon roll in the Oxygène Café just next door – there is no better way to start the day in Tignes!

Our instructor comes to meet us at the shop and when we are all set, we clip in and ski the short distance to Chaudanne for the lifts opening at 9 am. We then head to Tignes Les Boisses and take the blue slope, Rhododendron, from the top of Chaudanne to Aiguille Rouge and get first tracks through the forest. The perfect way to begin our ski day.

Now We Are Up on The Mountain, Let’s Get Our Ski Legs Moving

If you are a beginner, you can easily start your day in any of the free beginner areas in Tignes Le Lac. This includes the “Tapis du Centre”, the magic carpet in the centre of Tignes Le Lac, and the brand-new magic carpet in Tignes Le Lavachet, which is on a green slope ideal for beginners.

For those who have already mastered their turns, the Rosset chairlift offers access to either a green or a blue run. Whilst the Les Almes chairlift will take you halfway up the Anemone for a nice blue run where you can enjoy the view across the frozen lake of Tignes 2100 and Tufs rocks.

After our warmup on the Rhododendron, we ski down Mélézes through the magical forest of Tignes Les Boisses, with an amazing view of the Chevril lake and Mont Blanc. Mélézes is an easy red run, perfect in the early morning to avoid the crowds and amazing on snowy day’s when visibility is reduced.

In Tignes Les Boisses we decide to go to the top via the bubble lift and Aiguille Rouge chairlift and get ready for a nice group picture with the automatic camera on the last pylon! You can send it straight to your email from the big screen at the top.

Time for Elevenses

Now we have got our legs warmed up, why don’t we stop for refreshments. A hot chocolate at the restaurant “Lo Soli”, which boasts an amazing terrace, lets us enjoy our beverage with stunning views of Tignes and all the surrounding mountains. The beauty of this natural stadium will be sure to leave you speechless.

A Few More Slopes Before Lunch

As we are all looking forward to a long lunch, lets burn off a few more calories to make our menu choices guilt free. We are now ready for a more challenging red run, but first let’s carve down the Rhododendron piste again, so we can then take the brand-new Marais chairlift. New for winter 2024/25, the chairlift gives us a great view of the Eye of the Needle rock, a famous local landmark! We can now ski down the sweeping Cyclamen red run, followed by the blue run Anémone, before continuing onto the blue Gentiane slope back into Tignes Le Lac.

Lunch Choices

If you are booked onto a half day private ski tour, then as your time with us is finishing for the day, The Oxygène Café is a great spot for a quick bite to eat before heading out on your own to further discover the ski area. The café in Tignes Le Lac is ready to welcome us with an amazing choice of soups, sandwiches or main courses. There is something for everyone, including different and varied vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options.

After lunch we enjoy an espresso made with fairtrade “Women in Coffee” coffee served in a pink mug, and we can’t resist the amazing smell of the chocolate brownie or the crumble for dessert.

If we are skiing for the whole day, instead of taking the Gentianes slope back to Tignes Le Lac, we will continue over to Tignes Val Claret. After the Merles chairlift we can enjoy the hugely wide Grattalu and Carline blue pistes that brings us down to the Funicular.

Now we have the wonderful option to have lunch at the top of the Funicular, at the Panoramic restaurant, with the choice of either the self-service canteen or the restaurant. The restaurant previously held a Michelin star and is perfect for meat lovers with the different kinds of meat slow cooked in a wood oven. There is also a large dessert buffet with all kinds of French patisseries.

Post Lunch Skiing Challenges

After a delicious lunch it’s back to the slopes to head up onto the glacier, where the snow is still perfect in the afternoon. From outside the restaurant, we can take the Grande Motte cable car to arrive at the top of the glacier at a heady height of 3,456m. For the brave, we can ski our first black mogul run of the day, or if you want to get things moving more gently after lunch, the red “Glacier” piste will bring you back to the bottom of the cable car.

After enjoying the challenging slopes on the glacier, the ski back down to resort level is a real treat. We can enjoy the great snow on Rimaye and Double M back down to Val Claret, and these runs are perfectly positioned to keep the snow good all day long.

Après Ski Time

Once we are back down in Val Claret, we can decide how many more ski slopes we want to ride, or if we want to head straight to the après ski. For those with plenty of energy left to burn, lets head over to La Folie Douce on the Val d’Isere side of the Espace Killy ski area.

At the bottom of Val Claret we take the Bollin and Fresse chairlifts to our last easy, green runs of the day, Fresse and La Verte. This brings us directly to the Folie Douce where the show has already begun! After soaking up the atmosphere for a while, we head back onto the slopes. We ski the last part of La Verte to the Tommeuse chairlift back to the top of the Toviere mountain at 2,704m.

For those who are now ready to head back to their chalet so they can sink into their hot tub, there is always the choice to return to Tignes Le Lac via the Tovière gondola. If you are wanting to ski until the mountain closes, then we opt to ski back via the red Combe Folle and black Johan Clarey runs. It is challenging at the end of the day but one that surely must earn you an extra beer or two.

Once back in Le Lac, you will be ready for a well-earned drink in the Loop Bar where live music has already begun. You can also spend your evenings here, as they serve relaxed evening dining as well as great lunches too. If by any chance you still have any energy left after dinner, ‘Cave the Loop’, the nightclub next door, is open until 2am!

If you are after a more relaxed end to your ski day, at the bottom of Val Claret we instead take the Bollin chairlift and stop at the Bollin Restaurant and après ski. The DJ is always impressive, and the atmosphere is great fun! Bollin is also an excellent restaurant for lunch serving local Savoyard food.

After the party we just ski down the Bollin green run, perhaps stopping at Cocorico for one more drink, where the party keeps going until 9pm. From Val Claret, if the ski lifts have stopped running for the day, you can just jump on the free resort ski bus back to Tignes Le Lac. The ski bus operates all day and night, making it easy to discover all this amazing high altitude ski resort has to offer.

Other good places for après ski are The Palet restaurant in the Val Claret area and the Pom Pom bar in the Levanna Hotel, based in the centre of Tignes Le Lac.

Want to Discover More?

Oxygène Tignes is a family friendly ski school dedicated to teaching skiing and snowboarding with no language barriers. Our young and likeable instructors will give you a taste of the pleasures of sliding in private lessons or small groups. As well as offering ski lessons and equipment hire, the manager Béa invites you to come and enjoy homemade dishes and desserts on the lovely terrace of our shop in Tignes le Lac.

Ready For Your Prefect Ski Day?

Why not come and explore Tignes with us. We hope this guide has given you a better idea of what you can expect from a ski holiday to Tignes. If you’re looking for ski or snowboard lessons for your holiday, then Oxygene Ski & Snowboard School is Luxury Chalet Book’s ski school partner.

Luxury Chalet Book’s in-house concierge team will be delighted to assist you with booking either group ski lessons or a private instructor for your next luxury ski chalet holiday in Tignes.

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