Located at an altitude of 3,032 meters on the Grande Motte Glacier at the gateway to the Vanoise National Park, the new Tignes aerial tramway belongs to a new generation of equipment. Its two open-top cabins will offer passengers a unique 360-degree view of one of the most beautiful panoramas of the French Alps with views of Mont Blanc, the Cime de Bellecôte and the Aiguille de la Grande Sassière (3,747 m).
This exceptional new aerial tramway was designed to withstand the weather at an altitude of over 3,000 m, blending in perfectly with its surroundings and offering passengers a unique view of the incredible natural setting. It was designed in Switzerland by Garaventa AG and is equipped with state-of-the-art comfort and safety technologies. It will first open to skiers this winter once the ski area itself is opened. Due to extreme temperatures and heavy snowfall in winter at over 3,000 m, both open-top cabins will be open to the public in May.
Financed by the Société des téléphériques de Grande Motte (STGM)—the company operating the Tignes ski area—this new aerial tramway is part of a global investment project called ALTITUDE EXPERIENCES, reaching a EUR 17 million budget. Created as part of a partnership between STGM and the Vanoise National Park, ALTITUDE EXPERIENCES is a "Unique, Fun & Educational" route that will start at the Tignes funicular station at 2,100 m and will reach the Grande Motte Glacier at 3,032 m altitude. ALTITUDE EXPERIENCES will open to the public in May 2019. It will be accessible to the general public, including people with disabilities. Between an elevation 3,032 and 3,456 meters, visitors will be able to enjoy the spectacular views from various altitudes as they feel like they are flying through mid-air. In addition, educational materials in various shapes and forms will provide information on this exceptional environment and ecosystem.
Technical Characteristics
- Dual-rope aerial tramway with two open-top cabins
- Bottom station altitude: 3,034 meters
- Top station altitude: 3456 meters
- Transport capacity: 1,000 people/hour (in each direction)
- Total number of carriers: 2 (open-top cabins)
- Capacity of each cabin: 100 people
- Capacity of each open-top deck 20 people
- Travel time: 5 minutes
- Line length: 1,996 meters
- Altitude rise: 421 meters
- Max. operating speed: 10 m/s
The Tignes ski resort comprises 5 locations; Val Claret, Tignes le Lac, Le Lavachet, Tignes Les Boisses, and Tignes-les-Brévières. The first three are very close to each other and are located at 2100 meters. Les Boisses and Les Brevieres are located in the lower part of the valley, above and below respectively the large dam built in 1952 and which buried under its waters the old town of Tignes.
The ski area of Tignes - Val d'Isère is one of the most beautiful and largest ski areas in the Alps. 300 kilometers of ski slopes suitable for all levels, from beginners to experts (green, blue, red, black and "Naturide", safe off-piste itineraries not groomed). Tignes - Val d'Isère has a modern network of 78 ski lifts.
The ski domain known as Espace Killy owes its name to Jean-Claude Killy, former Alpine ski runner who dominated the world circuit in the late sixties, winning two World Cup titles in 1967 and 1968. It was also a triple Olympic champion, winning the three alpine events at the 1968 Winter Olympics. The Espace Killy extends from the Pisaillas Glacier over the Col de l'Iseran in Val d'Isère to the Grande Motte glacier above Val Claret in Tignes. The domain has a vertical drop of 1906 meters. Its highest point is found at the top of the Grande Motte cable car at 3456 m. From this point, we can descend skiing to the village of Tignes Les Brévières at 1550 m.The glacier area remains open in summer and autumn to practice skiing with 20kms of ski slopes located between 3456 and 3000 meters.