Tignes | |
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Tignes Le Lac taken from the Aiguille Pierce mountain, with views of Val Claret in the background | |
Coordinates: 45°28′06″N6°54′20″E / 45.4683°N 6.9056°E | |
Country | France |
Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
Department | Savoie |
Arrondissement | Albertville |
Canton | Bourg-Saint-Maurice |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–2026) | Serge Revial [1] |
Area 1 | 81.63 km2 (31.52 sq mi) |
Population (2021) [2] | 2,005 |
• Density | 25/km2 (64/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | 73296 /73320 |
Elevation | 1,440–3,747 m (4,724–12,293 ft) (avg. 1,810 m or 5,940 ft) |
Website | https://en.tignes.net |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Tignes (French pronunciation: [tiɲ] ) is a commune in the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France, known for the highest skiable area [3] and the longest ski season [4] in Europe. It is located in the Savoie region with good transport links in and out of Lyon, Geneva and Chambéry.
It is best known as a snow sure ski resort. Together with neighbouring Val d'Isère, it forms the Tignes – Val d'Isère ski area. The proximity of two resorts offers one of the most seamless links between ski areas in Europe, in effect creating a single skiable area of over 300 km piste. Whilst not the largest ski area in the Alps, the level of integration between the two resorts is so good that it is often described as feeling like one of the largest single ski areas as a result.
Tignes was the freestyle skiing venue for the 1992 Winter Olympics, co-host city for the 1992 Winter Paralympics and host of the Winter X Games. This, coupled with the year round skiing, season length and large number of ski parks/slalom runs has cemented Tignes as the go to training ground for snow sport athletes. [5]
The terrain of valley lends itself to more challenging skiing, with advanced skiers often opting for the resort as their preferred ski area. The town has however strived to improve its appeal to beginner and intermediate skiers with the introduction of easier runs lower down in the valley towards Tignes-Les-Brévières and upgrading existing chairlifts and installing new ones with smaller elevation gains.
The main villages of Tignes sit within a base of a high altitude valley with the Grande Motte at the furthest point and an array of other peaks wrapping around the valley. The other end is open, and drops away to the Lac du Chevril. This geography is described as having the feeling of being in a large open stadium, and Tignards (locals) often refer to the area as the "Stade Naturel", or Natural Stadium in English.
Tignes comprises 5 Villages; Tignes Val Claret, Tignes le Lac, Le Lavachet, Tignes Les Boisses and Tignes-les-Brévières. The first three are close together at 2100 m with Les Boisses and Les Brevieres further down the valley, above and below the dam respectively. All the towns located above the dam are linked by a free continuous shuttle bus. The only village located below these villages, Tignes Les Brévières, is accessible to the others via a free gondola service which operates late into the evening. Les Brévières remains the only remaining part of the original town, with all the others created as part of the dam construction or development of the ski resort. All the villages are part of the ski resort known as Tignes.
The original village of Tignes was in the Isère valley below Val d'Isère. After the second world war, France needed electricity and it was decided to build the hydro-electric Tignes Dam in the Isère valley. Whilst this was a great achievement for French engineering and was for the greater good of France, it meant that the old village of Tignes was drowned. The dam was completed and the village was submerged in 1952. A replica of the original church was created in Tignes les Boisses. Once every 10 years the lake behind the dam (Lac du Chevril) is drained for maintenance work and the remains of the old village becomes visible.
The dam was painted with a fresco of Hercules in 1989 by Jean-Marie Pierret with the help of eight mountain climbers; it was funded by private corporations interested in boosting the Olympic appeal during the winter games of 1992 which took place in nearby Albertville. [6] [7]
Tignes has a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc). The average annual temperature in Tignes is 2.8 °C (37.0 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,036.6 mm (40.81 in) with August as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around 11.6 °C (52.9 °F), and lowest in January, at around −5.3 °C (22.5 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Tignes was 29.9 °C (85.8 °F) on 23 July 2019; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −27.8 °C (−18.0 °F) on 27 February 2018.
Climate data for Tignes (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1992−present) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 10.6 (51.1) | 12.0 (53.6) | 13.9 (57.0) | 14.3 (57.7) | 20.6 (69.1) | 27.0 (80.6) | 29.9 (85.8) | 26.5 (79.7) | 22.4 (72.3) | 20.4 (68.7) | 15.9 (60.6) | 9.0 (48.2) | 29.9 (85.8) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −1.2 (29.8) | −0.3 (31.5) | 3.0 (37.4) | 5.4 (41.7) | 9.4 (48.9) | 14.1 (57.4) | 16.4 (61.5) | 16.3 (61.3) | 12.3 (54.1) | 9.0 (48.2) | 2.9 (37.2) | −0.3 (31.5) | 7.3 (45.1) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −5.3 (22.5) | −5.1 (22.8) | −2.0 (28.4) | 1.0 (33.8) | 5.2 (41.4) | 9.5 (49.1) | 11.5 (52.7) | 11.5 (52.7) | 7.9 (46.2) | 4.7 (40.5) | −0.8 (30.6) | −4.2 (24.4) | 2.8 (37.0) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −9.3 (15.3) | −9.9 (14.2) | −7.0 (19.4) | −3.5 (25.7) | 1.1 (34.0) | 4.9 (40.8) | 6.6 (43.9) | 6.7 (44.1) | 3.4 (38.1) | 0.5 (32.9) | −4.6 (23.7) | −8.2 (17.2) | −1.6 (29.1) |
Record low °C (°F) | −24.3 (−11.7) | −27.8 (−18.0) | −22.5 (−8.5) | −15.9 (3.4) | −11.4 (11.5) | −7.1 (19.2) | −1.7 (28.9) | −2.8 (27.0) | −7.6 (18.3) | −13.4 (7.9) | −19.0 (−2.2) | −22.7 (−8.9) | −27.8 (−18.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 92.0 (3.62) | 65.3 (2.57) | 73.6 (2.90) | 61.4 (2.42) | 104.3 (4.11) | 102.4 (4.03) | 100.3 (3.95) | 105.0 (4.13) | 72.4 (2.85) | 85.3 (3.36) | 76.7 (3.02) | 97.9 (3.85) | 1,036.6 (40.81) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 9.6 | 7.9 | 9.7 | 10.0 | 13.7 | 12.5 | 11.6 | 11.8 | 9.6 | 9.8 | 9.9 | 10.8 | 126.8 |
Source: Météo-France [8] |
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
1968 | 901 | — |
1975 | 1,412 | +6.63% |
1982 | 1,486 | +0.73% |
1990 | 2,005 | +3.82% |
1999 | 2,220 | +1.14% |
2007 | 2,169 | −0.29% |
2012 | 2,494 | +2.83% |
2017 | 2,196 | −2.51% |
Source: INSEE [9] |
After the loss of the old village it was decided to develop a ski resort at the higher lake (Le Lac). This was surrounded by a bowl that is ideal for skiing and is headed by the Grand Motte glacier. The resort was developed largely during the 1960s and the building style reflects what was regarded as good building design at that time. In recent years the town has worked to improve the look of the new villages with some success.
The lifts of Tignes have been managed since 1967 by the company STGM (The Société des Téléphériques de la Grande Motte). [10] Many lifts are fast 6 or 8 person chairlifts and there are 113 snow cannons which produce 450,000 m2 of artificial snow each year. [11] The ski area is linked through easy access with the adjacent resort of Val-d'Isère, combining to form the Tignes-Val d'Isere ski area (formerly known as Espace Killy). At 4.2 km, Tignes boasts the 4th longest funicular in the world.[ citation needed ] Ski trails in Tignes reach a height of 3456 m, aiding its reputation as one of the best resorts in the Alps for snow sureness. [12]
The resort has also become the home for Apex 2100, an international ski academy aiming to become the world's leading academy for young skiers. The academy is headed by former English rugby union player and coach, Sir Clive Woodward.
There are 56 ski patrollers covering the resort of Tignes. [13] 15 snow cats maintain the quality of the pistes. Four of these are equipped with winches for working steep slopes and one is adapted for shaping the half pipe. Around 60 percent of the slopes are groomed each evening. [14]
Owing to the presence of the Grande Motte glacier, Tignes used to offer year round skiing but, as the glacier has receded in recent years, this has now ceased. However skiing on the glacier is still possible during some of the summer months and in autumn, as well as during the winter season (end of November to beginning of May). The Grande Motte cable car has recently been upgraded to increase access to the top of the glacier.
Tignes and Val-D'isere were the first resorts of their kind to be internationally recognised for their commitment to providing an environmentally friendly skiing area by gaining a GreenGlobe certificate. The award was given for the towns high quality public transport connectivity and integration as well as its total use of renewable electricity. [15]
The Tarentaise Valley is the biggest concentration of world-class ski resorts in the world. The well-known neighbour systems are Paradiski (Les Arcs and La Plagne) and Les Trois Vallées (Courchevel, Meribel, Val Thorens and more). There were once plans to interlink all systems and resorts to create the largest ski area in the world. However, that vision was ended with the creation of the Vanoise National Park.[ citation needed ]
On 13 February 2017, four people died in an avalanche in the ski resort. It was reported to be at least 400 metres (1,300 ft) wide and at an altitude of 2,100 metres. [16] The members were being led by an ESF instructor but were skiing on a notoriously avalanche prone area, on a day when the avalanche risk in the resort was high.
Tignes is well known for its year round amenities. In the summer Tignes shifts towards a multi activity resort with particular focus as an altitude training base for athletes. Many come to the resort to utilise the facilities it offers for altitude training with notable sports people such as the French national rugby union team making use of the facilities. France's national football team famously trained here prior to their 1998 World Cup win. [17] More recently a string of football teams from the UK have used the location for pre-season training, including premier league team, Brighton & Hove Albion. [18]
However, Tignes still maintains its appeal as a ski resort by offering skiers the ability to ski on the Grande Motte glacier from the end of June to the beginning of August.
Tignes has the second highest golf course in Europe. Designed by the golf architect Philippe Valant, the course features a full 18 hole course running along a 5 km stretch of the mountainside. [19]
Tignes was first used as a summit finish for Stage 8 of the 2007 Tour de France. [20] Tignes was scheduled to be the summit finish for stage 19 of the 2019 Tour de France. Due to a snowstorm and mudslide, the road to Tignes was impassable and so the stage was ended at Col de l'Iseran instead. [21] [22] Tignes was the summit finish for stage 9 of the 2021 Tour de France, as well as the location for the first rest day of the Tour. [23] The stage was won by Australian Ben O'Connor. [24]
Val-d'Isère is a commune of the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department in southeastern France. It lies 5 km (3 mi) from the border with Italy. It is on the border of the Vanoise National Park created in 1963, with good transport links in and out of Lyon, Geneva and Chambéry.
Val Thorens is a ski town in the Tarentaise Valley in the French Alps at an altitude of 2,300 m (7,500 ft). It is located in the commune of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville in the Savoie department. The resort forms part of the Les Trois Vallées ski area which, with over 600 km of slopes, is one of the largest linked ski areas in the world.
Méribel is a ski resort in the Tarentaise Valley in the French Alps. Méribel refers to three neighbouring villages in the Les Allues commune of the Savoie department of France, near the town of Moûtiers, called Méribel Centre, Méribel-Mottaret and Méribel Village. The villages are within Vanoise National Park and a part of the Les Trois Vallées interlinked ski system.
Les Trois Vallées is a ski region in the Tarentaise Valley in the Savoie department of Southeastern France, to the south of the town of Moûtiers, partly in Vanoise National Park.
Tignes-les-Brevières (1550m) is a small skiing village in the French Alps that is the lowest point of the ski resort of Tignes.
Verbier is a village located in south-western Switzerland in the canton of Valais. It is a holiday resort and ski area in the Swiss Alps and is recognised as one of the premier off-piste resorts in the world. Some areas are covered with snow all year. Skiers have settled in the Verbier area in order to take advantage of the steep slopes, varied conditions, and resort culture.
Les Arcs is a ski resort located in Savoie, France, in the Tarentaise Valley town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Initially created by Robert Blanc and Roger Godino, it is a part of the huge Paradiski system which is under ownership by Compagnie des Alpes, a French-listed company owning several other ski resorts as well as theme parks.
Les 2 Alpes is a ski resort in the French department of Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The village sits at 1,650 m (5,413 ft) and lifts run to 3,600 m (11,811 ft). It has the largest skiable glacier in Europe and is France's second oldest ski resort behind Chamonix. It has the longest, normally open full on-piste vertical available in the world. It is a 71 km (44 mi) drive southeast of Grenoble.
La Grave is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France Association.
Paradiski is a ski-area in the Tarentaise Valley of France that offers uninterrupted skiing in between the areas of Les Arcs, Peisey-Vallandry and La Plagne. The area is linked, since December 2003, by the Vanoise Express lift. In total over the three resorts there are 160 lifts and 425 km (264 mi) of pistes, with 152 green/blue (beginner) runs, 79 red (intermediate) runs, and 22 black (expert) runs.
Vanoise National Park is a French national park between the Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys in the French Alps, containing the Vanoise massif. It was created in 1963 as the first national park in France.
Col de l'Iseran is a mountain pass in France, the highest paved pass in the Alps. A part of the Graian Alps, it is in the department of Savoie, near the border with Italy, and is crossed by the D902 roadway.
Tignes – Val d'Isère is the combined ski resort area of Val d'Isère and Tignes in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie in the French Alps. It is sometimes known as Espace Killy, in honour of the spectacularly successful skier Jean-Claude Killy who was raised there.
The Vanoise massif is a mountain range of the Graian Alps, located in the Western Alps. After the Mont Blanc Massif and the Écrins Massif it is the third-highest massif in France, reaching a height of 3,885 m at the summit of Grande Casse. It lies between Tarentaise Valley to the north and the Maurienne Valley in the south. The range is the site of France's first national park, established in 1963, Vanoise National Park. The ski resorts of Tignes and Val-d'Isère and the 2,770-metre-high Col de l'Iseran are located in the eastern part of the range.
Valloire is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.
Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.
Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.
Tignes Val Claret is the highest of the five villages that make up the Tignes Ski resort, sitting at 2,100 metres. It is the resort's newest village, built mainly in the 1960s as demand grew for skiing in the resort of Tignes.
The Montroc avalanche occurred on February 9, 1999, 14:20 local time. Twelve people died in the avalanche, and multiple structures were either damaged or completely destroyed due to the massive force. The avalanche was said to be one of the most destructive to ever occur in the French Alps since the 1970 Val-d'Isère avalanche.