Jobs in Tignes
Tignes is made up of five villages; Tignes le Lac & Tignes Le Lavachet, both on the north side of the lake at 2100m and Val Claret, 2 km beyond the Lac de Tignes. A free shuttle bus connects these three areas. Below these are the two older and more traditional villages of Tignes-les-Boisses (1850 metres) and Tignes-les-Brevières (1550 metres). Tignes benefits from the Grande Motte glacier and is one of the major European summer skiing resorts If you are very lucky you may find yourself a job that will allow you to stay for the summer too!
Although most of the accommodation in Tignes is in self-catering apartments, there are hotels, chalets & restaurants that need seasonal staff. When applying for a waiting or bar job you will need good French, but you will also find good English as a prerequisite as there are so many English-speaking holidaymakers. Bars and shops are also good places to look for seasonal work. If you are able to get here before the season officially starts it will be an advantage. And as with most resorts, finding accommodation can be more of a problem than finding a job start looking early!
The Skiing
Although a modern, purpose-built resort, the skiing more than makes up for the not quite so attractive architecture! Together with neighbour Val d'Isère, with which it shares a lift system, Tignes forms part of the vast ski area known as L'Espace Killy. The whole area is made up of 300kms of piste, over 100 lifts and extends from les Brevieres (1550 metres) to the top of the Grande Motte (3656 metres).
Not really a beginners' resort, Tignes is excellent for intermediates and advanced skiers. There are three main skiing areas: Tovière (which connects with Val d'Isère), the Grande Motte (from Val Claret up to the glacier) and Col du Palet/Aiguille Percé on the other side of lake. There are mogul slopes and a wide variety of red and blue pistes as well as one of the longest blacks in the Alps, the Sache and the off piste possibilities are just endless.
Tignes invest heavily in their lift system, more & more of the older, slower lifts are replaced each year and you will generally be pretty unlucky if you find yourself queuing more than a couple of minutes.
Tignes bars, pubs and clubs
Often overshadowed by its infamous neighbour, Tignes has après ski to be proud of! Le Lac, Val Claret and Le Lavachet have an ever increasing number of British bars (The Censored Bar, Lavachet, The Loop, Lac & the Fish Tank, Val Claret to name a few) which run alongside Dutch, Danish & French establishments. Tignes is very much based around the bar scene but if you fancy partying that bit later, head for Les Caves in Le Lac or the Sub Zero in Val Claret. There is little nightlife in les Boisses and les Brevières, but both have a number of charming traditional restaurant.