What's New in Tignes & Val d'Isere this Winter

Speaking of lifts there are some new ones in the Espace Killy this season. The biggest update that will get the most use is the new Toviere lift that replaces the Aeroski connecting Tignes Le Lac to the Val d'Isere side of the Espace Killy. Although the lift looks pretty similar it is faster, more reliable in high winds and most importantly it has seats. Anyone who has spent any time in the Espace Killy will tell you that this is a big improvement.

There are also plans to upgrade the Solaise Gondola with a new high speed bubble. Not a bad idea as it was installed in 1942, but to be honest the Solaise Express is such a good chairlift it seems a little redundant.

The Aquasportif under the Face in Val d'Isere set the standard for what a ski resort sport's centre should be and this will be the first winter of the new Tignespace. Maybe not as luxurious as it's neighbour, Tignespace does boast some impressive features; not least of all is sports hall that can stage pole vaulting and climbing competitions! It looks like it is aimed more at sports team who use the resort for high altitude training in the summer months than weekly holiday makers but it has some great facilities none the less.

Also new to Tignes this year is a whole new village; Tignes 1800. December 2013 will be the official opening date of the newest village in the Espace Killy. To begin with the resort will be quite quiet as there are not that many buildings here but plans are to expand the village in 2016. This winter there will be four new four star chalets and 108 new apartments from MGM joining the existing accommodation as well as a kids ski area, supermarket, two restaurants, two sports shops and a bakery.

Events this season have seen a bit of a shake up in the Espace Killy. X-Games Europe has been cancelled so there is a bit of a hole in the Tignes Event's Calendar. That said there is still plenty to look forward to across the Espace Killy.

Things kick off on the 10th December with the Men's edition of the Criterium de la Premiere Neige in Val d'Isere and are followed up ten days later by the Women's event.

The big event in Tignes this season will be the Fire Night Party on New Year's eve. In previous year the party has seen David Guetta and Martin Solveig on the decks and this year the bells will be heralded in by Joachim Garraud.

In Val d'Isere there will be Snow Polo on the 15th-18th of January and then a chance to see Olympic hopefuls an possible medal winners at the Frostgun Invitational.

Frostgun will probably be the big freestyle event in the Espace Killy this winter. The competition sits either side of the freestyle events of the Sochi Olympics with qualifying on the 12-14th of February and the finals on the 27th and 28th and hopefully it will be a chance to see some Olympic hopefuls in action before the games and a chance to meet medal winners afterwards.

Then in March there is European Snow Pride from the 22nd to the 29th and the Brits on the 29th of March 'til the 5th April. The Brits has firmly established itself as more than just a winter snowsports event but a full on festival in it's own right. The music line up is still to be confirmed but previous years have seen acts like Chase and Status, DJ Yoda and Pendulum entertain the crowds.

Throughout the season there are some really cool regular events too. In Tignes the glacier will be open for “First Tracks” every Wednesday morning. Take the funiclar to the summit, meet the piste patrol and have breakfast before skiing down to the heart of the resort before anyone else has been let loose on the slopes. In Val d'Isere families can enjoy the spectacular fireworks shows and torch-lit descent by the ESF.

For details of all the events mentioned here and a week to week calendar of what's on when you're in town visit our Event's Calendar for the Val d'Isere.