Tignes is Money: The Rise (and Fall?) of a Modern French Skiing Classic
Updated: 3 hours ago
Having just spent two-weeks in the iconic French resort of Tignes - and one I've visited many times before - there is an unsettling growth in the "flight to luxury" of what was once a place known for its excellent value.
Walk up the Rue des Almes above Tignes le Lac, and you'll notice two things. First of all, how slippery it can be after a fresh fall of snow with even a millimetre turning the street into an ice rink.
Secondly, and more importantly, the hotels that line the northern side of the street all have one thing in common. You won't notice it at first glance, or even if you stay at one of them, but take a second look at nameplate by the door and "Les Etincelles" will stare back at you from every one.
The Etincelles group has been quietly buying up hotel properties in Tignes le Lac for much of the post-COVID period. Their footprint is now huge in the village, making it almost possible to walk from one end of the village to the other without passing a building not owned by the group. Embodying the recent flight to luxury that has taken off in the ski industry in recent years, Etincelles have developed their properties into a varied collection of luxury 3, 4 and 5* hotels, in Tignes and across the French Alps.
For many, this is a worrying development. What was once a resort known for its competitive spirit and good value skiing is now at risk of becoming a poster child for the "flight to luxury" that has sped up since COVID-19 and risks pricing many skiers out of the industry. Can and will Tignes survive this transformation?
It is a measure of how far the resort has changed since its incredibly humble origins. The original village now sits flooded under the lake formed by the building of the nearby dam - sometimes the spire of the old church is still visible when the water drops low enough.
A facsimile of the same church was built as the anchor point of the new village to house the residents, casting a shadow back on where the old village used to be from the very edge of the dam. In a cruel twist of fate, the dam has never been used for electricity; in the years immediately following the dam’s construction in 1952, the nation switch to nuclear for its power, and the hydropower facilities at the foot were never completed.
That did not hold the village back, however, and the money the displaced community received was poured into building a purpose-built village higher up the valley – Tignes le Lavachet. The first lifts started turning in the late 1960s and the rest, as they say, is history. Tignes now boasts 300km of pistes shared with Val d’Isere, some of the world’s best lift access off-piste skiing, and a huge resort footprint spread over five distinct villages.
Tignes has always been somewhere for skiers to find excellent value. Often derided as ugly compared to many of the other headline resorts of the French Alps, the brutalist buildings spread across the villages are certainly an acquired taste. But the trade off has allowed skiers of all abilities and pocket depths to visit and enjoy world-class skiing, from short weekend breaks to week-long half-term jaunts with the family.
And what of its elevation? Val Claret sits at 2,100m, one of the highest resort bases anywhere in the Alps. The stadium that surrounds it carries skiers quickly and easily off to North, East and West-facing slopes that lead all the way up to 3,456m atop the Grand Motte glacier, bringing summer skiing to the region, too.
Alongside a comprehensive snow-manufacturing system, this provides a gateway to skiing from late November to early May, guaranteed. One of the only places in the Alps that can offer such a guarantee. And it is a guarantee. Even Val d’Isere, lying just a valley over, has had to push back opening week over the past few years.
From university ski trips, to friends seeking good value, guaranteed early-season skiing, to the Ski Club of Great Britain, there are so many reasons why so many people come to Tignes early in the season, but that snow guarantee must top the list.
But there is a feeling that Tignes is playing on this goodwill. Les Etincelles has been on something not too far short of a rampage, in recent years, buying up a huge slice of the hotel property in le Lac.
The restaurants, too, have become something of a poster child for the flight to luxury. Both Ursus in Tignes Val Claret and Panoramique have been gunning for Michelin stars in recent years, Ursus receiving theirs a few years ago and Panoramique, briefly, becoming the highest elevation Michelin starred restaurant in the world, sitting as it does at the foot of the Grand Motte. Whilst the latter has lost its star in recent years, it is still a place where 165€ for a glass of wine is completely normal …
Whilst many of us won't even consider paying that much, you are still looking at 11€ for a beer at après, and that is something that impacts the common man far much more.
And then there’s the lift passes. A few years ago, Tignes - Val d’Isere introduced a great incentive where any lift pass of six days or more gave you an extra ski day for free. This was an excellent deal for those staying Saturday to the following Sunday, but also didn’t disadvantage those staying Saturday to Saturday – which most are.
Over time, however, those prices have crept up and up, so you are now paying 426€ for a six-day lift pass - there is no way to escape the seventh bonus day, you are stuck with it with you want it or not, giving you seven days skiing in Tignes – Val d’Isere. That 426€ is now one of the most expensive six-day lift passes anywhere in the Alps, and on par with most resorts’ seven day offering, therefore eradicating any advantage for seven-day skiers and putting six-day skiers firmly on the back foot.
Tignes is embracing a flight to luxury, but at the same time it is at risk of putting off some of its biggest clientele.
That being said, there is still clearly value to be found in the region. Many of my friends, colleagues and acquaintances are going skiing this year, more so than on average. And most of them are going to Tignes. For them Tignes still presents value for money and excellent skiing.
And Les Etincelles group has entered liquidation. Clearly, Tignes has underestimated the power of its core group of skiers. Tignes has always been a resort in which to find great value, on snow and off and as long as people come to Tignes to find high quality skiing for less, it will have to thrive in this space to survive.
Where am I going with this? I’m not too sure. There is a lot of discussion about the “flight to luxury” with skiing pricing out many lower income skiers, and its ongoing impact on the future of the sport. There’s lots rumbling away below the surface of the iconic French resort, and it will be one to keep an eye on moving forward. Its future is snowy and popular, but is it bright?
No doubt I will be back in Tignes both this season and in the future, and I will be keeping a keen eye on the continuing evolution of this modern French classic.
Thank you for taking the time to find and read this blog. Please consider liking this piece and sharing with your friends, as it all helps more and more people unlock their skiing!
.jpeg)
Comments