The Tignesnet.Com Tignes Snow Report

The crowds gathered for the last Funi....

The weather did not let us down for the last day of the season. There were a few clouds around during the day but on the whole the sun was able to dominate the proceedings which were perfect. It also felt like it may well have been the hottest day of the season so the sun cream was continually reapplied to try to avoid any burnage! In a quite fitting moment to confirm the closure, the resort wept as the last skiers came off the hill with light rain. The rain didn’t last for long because the weather has been absolutely stunning ever since.

We got out by about 10h00 on Sunday determined to make the most of the last day and maximise the brilliant snow conditions out on the hill. Waiting for the Funival it was apparent that most of the people must have treated Saturday as their last day because there was nobody about. This was confirmed as we were forced to ski the Diebold as our last run…even on the last day of the season there were still people race training on the OK.

I might struggle to remember our entire route from here, but apart from the odd sticky snow moment there wasn’t really anything to fault. From the top of the Toviere we traversed around onto the L’Avachet Wall to grab a couple of photos and ski some decent spring snow. Apart from having to work our way around the debris of a massive slide the snow was spot on, with a loose layer of snow atop of a firm base. We then took the Palafour and Aiguille Percée chairs to ski the Corniche and Bleuets runs back into Le Lac. Having a mild hunger on we then headed for Val Claret from the top of Toviere and down Piste H. It was rather pleasing to find the puddle at the bottom had increased in size, so we started a bit of a trend with some French and recycled the Bollin a good few times, just to make a splash…a snowboarder almost went in, but luckily for him he fell over sideways and landed on dry snow!? Food options at the bottom were limited as everywhere appeared to be running down stocks so we headed back to Le Lac and a faithful Croq Burger…and a farewell ski down the Trolles which was ******* brilliant!

It was tough to leave the sun drenched terrace but we were aware of the time and the need to be in La Daille for the last Funi. Just to squeeze a little bit more in we got to the bottom of the train and headed back to the top…it was time to say goodbye to the still open Face. This was my highlight run of the day with massive slushy bumps and nobody around. The impact enabled the slush to splash up and cool the face and back! At the bottom, too lazy to walk we took the Rogoney lift up and then skied the last pitch of A straight to the bus stop to get home and change kit for the last run.

We re-emerged with our Telemarks and me with some rather fetching shorts, although these were somewhat undermined by the sheer volume of eighties gear on display by the train! Most people got on the 2nd to last train, but a select few of us got on the last and laughed at a group who almost made it. The top was the full of all sorts of outfits and downhill equipment. Apart from the usual sleds and tandem skiers the funniest was probably the 4man paddling pool which wiped out anybody who stood in their way. Adam took Airboarding to a new level with some gut wrenching air…talking of air even V was at it, but I kept missing the photo opportunities. I did however end up in a massive heap as I tried to turn and watch a jump…a very cold experience when you are in shorts! The weather finally closed in at about 18h30 whilst we were still between the Folie and Trifolet restaurants, so we decided to leave everyone else to it and cut onto Piste Raye for the final descent.

Even though there is still a metre of snow left at the top of the mountain the lifts are now closed in the Espace Killy. Job done….apart from a few niggling aches and strains there is no long term damage done to my ever so slightly aging body…bring on the summer.

The weather has been really lovely since the lifts closed and the forecast is set for this to continue. If you should still be here then it is a great opportunity to pull up a deck chair and relax…most of the resort is shut so there isn’t much else to do anyway!