Where to Ski And Snowboard - Free activities in Tignes

Free activities in Tignes

7th May 2011, by Chris Gill

Summer in the mountains - the glacier is tucked high up behind the ridge

With resorts looking for more ways to attract visitors in summer as well as winter, Tignes is giving access to many of its activities for free this year, as well as the opportunity to combine them with a bit of summer glacier skiing.

Free activities

From 2 July to 4 September 2011, Tignes will be offering its visitors €160 worth of activities per person, per week. The Sportignes Card is valid to anyone booking an overnight stay or more in the resort, and includes entry to the swimming pool, 2 lifts, the crazy airbag, tennis and squash courts, archery, airguns, trampolines, mini golf, plus access to Tignes’ water sports complex, its sports grounds and multimedia area.

What’s more, keen mountain bikers will also get to use the resort’s dedicated bike trails and park for free too. This has proved very popular in recent years, with lots of Alpine resorts now investing in biking routes as a sustainable summer activity – and with more families and individuals enjoying the sport on mountain holidays.

This summer, there are two new cross-country trails to explore the Palafour area; on of these is graded green, so can be enjoyed by novices and families. Downhill addicts should hit the Tovière sector for some adrenalin speed, and there are various new additions to the freestyle areas to keep up the amusement of the jumps and bumps. And there’s a test centre, where you can try a range of Canyon bikes for free.

If you want to try out the Tignes park in the first week of the season, the resort is suggesting a 50 euro per person package of a 7-night stay in a basic studio – including free access to the park and a Sportignes card.

Also new this summer is a deal allowing pedestrians to enjoy the mountain environment for free too: All visitors will have free and unlimited pedestrian access to two lifts, the Palafour detachable chairlift and the Aeroski. Beyond here, pedestrians can also pay for the funicular to reach the Panoramic bar/restaurant — for great views of the glacier.

Summer skiing

And the summer skiing … this kicks off on the Grand Motte glacier again from 19 June to 29 August (subject to snow conditions). The 20km of piste, 12 lifts and a terrain park are open daily from 7.15am to 1pm (so you can ski in the morning and bike in the afternoon if you wish!). There are various pass options: a one-day ski pass costs 29.50 euros (adults) or 24.50 euros (kids). Alternatively, the two or three day passes can be used non-consecutively.

Various tuition is available throughout the summer ski season too, either as lessons with ESF or on freestyle camps. Try GFS Ski Camp (www.gfs-tignes.com).