Tignes Summer Snow Trip July 2018
We just couldn’t wait for the snow any longer! Don’t get us wrong, we LOVE summer, and everything you can do here in the Summer in Morzine. It’s been a super fun couple of months mountain biking, hiking, swimming, BBQing, stand up paddle boarding, white water rafting, the list just goes on… But the pull of that white stuff and a couple days shredding summer slush on the glacier, with an awesome crew was just to strong.
Real Snowboarding (A Morzine based snowboard school) where running one of their summer camps, on the glacier, so we decided to join them for a couple of days.
After 3.5 hours of driving through absolutely epic mountain scenery, we arrived in Tignes, and went straight to the one and only Loop Bar for beers and pizza. It was very strange seeing the resort with no snow, the lake defrosted and an incredible glacier blue colour.
We had to pull ourselves from the bar early (it was hard, we where very excited and could of easily kept drinking!) but we had an early start the next day. Riding glaciers in the summer means up early while the snow is still hard, and down by lunch time when the snow gets too slushy.
We where staying in the Dragon Lodge, a friendly chalet run by snowboarders, who are there to make sure you have the best holiday ever. We could hardly sleep with excitement. Breakfast at 7am, out the chalet by 8am, the excitement was building. You drive around the Lake, and up to Tignes Val Claret where you board the funicular which takes you half way up the mountain. Its then a chair lift and a couple of drag lifts to the top of the glacier.
La Grande Motte stands tall and proud at 3656 metres above sea level. A 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains, in one direction you have Les Arcs, down to Bourg st Mourice, La Rosiere and the Italian alps, Mont blanc, and over to Val d’Isere. These where just the places i knew of, but there are snow capped mountains and lush green valleys as far as the eye can see!
The first run of the morning, was a little bit sketchy. We hadn’t been on our skis or snowboards since April, and have spent most of the summer on two wheels!! The sketchiness didn’t last long, we soon got into it and got our legs back, the feeling was just as good as we remembered.
After a few laps of a really fun fast piste, perfect for carving, playing around and getting the speed demons out of us, we headed to the top of the glacier where there is a really cool park set up. There was an xl kicker line, medium kicker and small kicker, and rails and boxes for everyone. The perfect summer park shred, was on!!
After a super fun morning of riding in the sun, the temperature was rising, it was time to leave the glacier. When you get off the funicular train lift in the town, the heat hits you, and you remember that its July. A quick lunch, followed by the skatepark, then down to the Lake for some stand up paddle boarding.
After lake chills, (literally, the water was sooo cold) it was back to the Dragon Lodge for a few beers while we chatted about the amazing day, looked back on videos and pictures and planned our progression park session the next day. Early bed, ready to do it all again tomorrow.
Thank you Tignes, you where amazing! For now, back to Morzine for more bikes bikes bikes!
