Alps trip. Is it worth stopping off in Tignes

The marked stuff is apparently very bike parky.

There's good stuff round there, and some big mountain epics, but it's not easy to find or get to and from, especially from the lifts.

I think that Les Arcs, La Plagne and Meribel and around are better.

i'd say it's defintely got a solid day or two in it. There is a lot of bike park, but there are also a growing number of more enduro type trails that are marked (but need a bit of concentration) that take you out into some more remote areas and do need a bit of pedalling up hills - particular highlights (for me at least) being the trail that drops out under the olympique bubble (Very Bike Trail) starting from just below the top of the Borsat chair, and Rock N Ride from the top of the Olympique. I like the stuff down into Brev too actually, despite it not being as high a grade - but it's always nice and quiet down that direction (free bus back up) and is quicker to get to from Val Blue and Le Lac than the stuff over near the plateau Val D'Isere direction. Price wise lift pass is relatively cheap at (IIRC) €18 a day - €40ish for 6 days though.

Also - maybe see if you can do a guided day with the White Room - it's uplifted (by 4x4) and there's some seriously amazing stuff further down the valley. We met them at Sainte Foy at did a great full day based around there.

Thanks. Does the free bus allow bikes

Been with White Room before for a week so know some of the stuff they have access to and how good it is

yep - free bus takes bikes - it pulls a bike trailer!

That's good to know. Does the gondola run up to Tignes in the summer

It's a few years now since I was there but it was basically a trail centre with lifts. Which was awesome, we went on our rest day and had a lovely chilled day with brains turned down a notch. There's some pretty fearsome black runs that basically go straight down the mountainside but everything else was very bikeparky, and basically very simple. Also really easy to navigate which is a plus, not like say les arcs which has better riding imo but is just all over the place. All in all, really nice but I wouldn't go there for a "main riding day" or similar. There's some much more interesting "enduro" trails which are less "drive a bucket excavator across a hill" and generally shonkier and more fun, but not realyl enough to make the place stand out. If you've been to les 2 alpes, it's quite a lot like goign there but only riding the "upwards" stuff.

Yes...

Trails from the Palafour lift are a bit generic, but the trails leading down to Les Brevieres are proper good alpine fun....! Wish I had ridden them earlier and not on the last days.

Trails below the Borsat lift are decent... Decent bit of flow with some nice features. Same goes for those trails descending to Val Claret from la Toviere.... Although there is one line with silly big features.

(Val Claret is also good place to park the van.... Spent a week there and on the last day the commune police types turned up but the only wanted 10€ for that evening 🤷).

Don't bother with Wild 10 Nez unless you like gnadgery riding with no flow and lots of shitty inclines. Oh and walkers. Lots of them.

Trails down to Val d'Isere are great. Again, one of the lines has big features, but the others don't. Very Bike Trip (shit name, good tail) is worth riding if you like big alpine type gnadgery stuff....

Lift ticket Was only 17€ last year. They didn’t check tickets from Val d'Isere Olympique lift or for the bike shuttle.... Saved a few euros!

Thanks. Looks like it could be a stop off for two or three days.

My family rate it as their favourite.

I have absolutely no clue where Kramer gets this from, but each time his own :
"The marked stuff is apparently very bike parky.

There’s good stuff round there, and some big mountain epics, but it’s not easy to find or get to and from, especially from the lifts."

The reason I like Tignes so much is precisely because there are loads of signposted NON bike parky trails. Marked as enduro they're brilliant. And easy to get to.

Top tip, don't ride the road to the top of Col D' Iseran to descend the GR path back to Val it's pisch. I'd honestly say I enjoyed the tarmac climb on the enduro bike fully padded up than I enjoyed the descent 🙁

@thegeneralist, I’ve only done the enduro trails round there and they seemed a fair distance from the lifts when I did them. The bike park I’ve not been to for years, but someone had told me a year or two back that it was much the same.

If you want "enduro" trails with lift  access go to La Thuile, but you knew that already.

Or.... Viola and San Giacomo in Piedmont.

Closer to Finale than Tignes, but great little bike parks. Finale has jumped the shark now, anyways.... 60-80€ for a shuttle day plus 15-20€ for lunch and 8 trails if you're lucky.

Will have a look at those two when we finalise the Finale trip in September/ October

I’ve always liked Tignes, it’s quiet, chilled. I have y been in 5 years though.

I like Tignes & Val, some great enduro stuff down to le Brevieres, there is also little campsite there. Last time I was there we got the shuttle bus back up that you pick up next to the lift, you can also get over to Val if my memory serves me right. It may be worth getting the My Tignes card for discounts and lifts, we got it free last time, this may have changed though

https://en.tignes.net/activities/my-tignes

We've been quite a few times and always stay at the Les Brevieres campsite. The Grand Motte car Park is stark and noisy.  Its much nicer under the trees in the campsite. We've never had a problem getting the free bus up in the morning but we tend to sneak out the back of the campsite and down the hill to pick it up at Les Brevieres village. Its also an easy 10 min walk down (and a slightly more puffy 15 min walk back up).  Whenever we've been,  there are a few bars/restaurants open in the village which is enough for us.

Not been to Tignes since White Room were based there 10+ years ago.

But if you're after somewhere different to add on, we had a day at La Clusaz last year and I'd recommend it.

Main DH track good for all abilities (reminded me of Pleney) and there are some good enduro tracks too, including some v steep.

Also - if you're there and can be bothered, pedal up the road to the foot of the grand sassiere (the big pointy mountain on the opposite/north side of the valley to Tignes) - hook a left when you get to the first lake/resevoir and traverse west along the valley, then picking your way down through the forest to Brev. Very, very nice  ;o)

Thanks for all the pointers. Have messaged the campsite in Les Brevieres to get some ideas on availability as it looks quite nice.

We have done La Clusaz before with Abigale. Will go again but not this holiday

My goal for this holiday is to bring him back intact and hopefully build on that. We haven't got the OK from the Consultant yet and also need to get some more riding done before then, So far he has two flat rides on the TPT

Skied down the green 'piste' road to Les Brevieres  through the campsite many times, its lovely, always fancied going back in Summer.

Can't speak for the riding but the town is ugly AF.

Can’t speak for the riding but the town is ugly AF.

And expensive!

32€ for a burger?!?!

The supermarkets are also rather pricey.

Fill your cupboards in  Bourg-Saint-Maurice before driving up the valley. Spoke to the shuttle driver and he said they make a weekly trip down to Bourg-Saint-Maurice for their shopping.

Most of our stuff will be in the van before we leave along with a load of spares

Have used the supermarket at the back of the lift in Aosta in the past.

Bourg will be after the others. Should only need milk and bread.

Stayed in Val last year in the van for 10 days, its fine.  Val is pretty nice, trails were a mix of bike park berm-roller-berm type stuff and then some pretty good marked enduro type track, some pretty techy sections.  There are some walking paths which are OK too.  I quite liked the more natural techy stuff.  Tignes was def less easy on the eye (snow covers a lot of sins), the trails were pretty good though.  Similar bike park, marked enduro stuff.

Just to calibrate my preferences, im not a massive fan of endless smooth, berm/roller/berm type tracks, they are fine, but repetitive.  I prefer the more techy, natural and steep type stuff.  Id go back though, and as other have said, you can get around on the buses with bikes, and Val and Tignes are linked with the lifts (its a long way from one end to the other though).

I didn't think Val was that expensive, we ate out a lot, and it was more than UK, but not much more.  Supermarket in Val was comparable to our local M&S.  Its def not Zermatt expensive.

Had a few trips to Val snowboarding and really enjoyed it. I emailed the campsite in Brevieres yesterday as the telephone number was disconnected. I got an email back saying the campsite had been sold but they had no further details.

Spoke to the Tignes tourist office this morning and they have no idea yet as to the site reopening so will have to check back nearer the time. If its not open then we are OK with off grid.

Park here....

There's water, water disposal,  a toilet and you're not far from the lifts.

Lots of folks there this year with the awning out who had seemingly been there for weeks on end.

We were there for a week and only had to pay for the last day (10€).

There is a campsite in Val too. Arguably better positioned for the lift, but nothing like as scenic, and also not good for the end of day enduro to brevieres.

Park here….

https://maps.app.goo.gl/R6kkdXPqQG1Yds8t6

Website shows it as part of the 'Onlycamp' network ? Seems to be opne now. I stayed there after the Tignes 2007 tour stage, Rasmussen won that day.

<a href=" removed link ">Camping in Tignes: the real campsite in Tignes - Onlycamp