Mountain Layout — Skiing

Here is a larger, more detailed map in pdf format.

The ski area can be broken into five main sectors. If La Grande Motte is directly in front of you, La Tovière/Lava-chet is on your left and the Palet/Aiguille Percée/Palafour areas rise on your right. A few lifts rise from the villages of Les Brévières and Les Boisses 1,640 feet lower.

The skiing in La Tovière/Lavachet area is a steep 1,950-foot vertical drop back into town. There are some great off-trail runs over the back side of Lavachet into Val d’Isère or around the cliffs back into Tignes.

At Le Grande Motte, skiing on the glacier is wide open and relatively mellow—this sector of-fers the only lower intermediate terrain. The run under the cable car is a good intermediate test of stamina, and experts can go off the trail over the Rochers de la Grande Balme into the Palet sector. Many skiers come to Tignes and never leave this section of the mountain since there is so much variety. On the expert slopes there is often avalanche danger, so check with guides.

The Palet/Aiguille Percée offers relatively mellow terrain under the Col du Palet, with relatively tough in-termediate runs down from the Aiguille Percée. Experts have a wide swath of off-trail possibilities, as well as itineraries over the Col du Palet or over the back side of Aiguille Percée down Vallon de la Sache to Les Brévières.

Night skiing is also available in Le Lac, Le Lavachet and Val Claret. Your lift ticket for the day takes care of the costs.

Mountain rating
It’s easy to see why the area has been rated as tops in every category. Just the expanse of snow is mind-boggling. With a vertical drop of more than a mile and a third, coupled with 30,000 acres of terrain, there is something for everyone. Beginners and interme-diates can cruise all over the upper reaches.

Experts can push themselves on extensive off-trail and powder runs. It is best, at least for a day, to take a guide along who will show you the best places to test your skills. Before skiing off-piste, check with ski school for the latest on snow conditions.