If there's one lift you absolutely have to take while you're in Tignes, it's the Grande Motte cable car.
One of the real highlights of the entire Tignes–Val d'Isère ski area, the Grande Motte sits at over 3,450 metres. It's the highest lift-served piste in France and, thanks to its altitude, usually offers excellent snow throughout the season together with spectacular views across the Alps to Mont Blanc.
From Val Claret, the funicular takes you up in just 10 minutes or so - but on sunny days those in the know prefer the double chairs for the view and the rays.
Either way, you end up on the plateau by Jean Michel Bouvier's gastronomic Panoramic restaurant with its amazing 360° views.
The food here, as befits a Michelin-starred chef, is superb but if your budget doesn't quite run to it there's also an outside snack bar or a fast-food self-service where you can still savour the view.
Once you're up this far, you just have to get the cable car right to the very top. It's all downhill from here - the top section is either a red or black, but both are pretty easy. Then, if your legs are up to it, head straight down Double M right to Val Claret, a vertical drop of over a kilometre.
This can be quite icy in the shade but if the snow conditions are good and there aren't too many people on it, we love it. For less of a leg burn, head skier's right down Genepy - a lovely rolling run that's surprisingly quiet and gives you the feeling of being out in the middle of nowhere.
Off-piste, the Grande Motte remains one of the classic areas in the Alps, from the famous Couloirs One, Two and Three and the Wall of the Glacier (unfortunately nowhere near as much of a challenge as it was even 15 or 20 years ago) to the North Face of the Grande Motte and the Tour de Pramecou or even the West Face of the Sana.
