Duthie's Diaries: Back to the well

thumbs-up moments from Andrew Duthie on Vimeo.

While the snowfall records at Scottish resorts continue to tumble, out in Brides it's been nothing but thaw and rain. Even in the heights of Val Thorens, it's resembling late April at the 'gorms. High time, then, for a change of scenery....

Ever since I spent a season there in 2004, Tignes has always been, for me, the resort to beat. The memories of the thankless dogsbody job fade away when reminded of the great people, great times and still the best all-round terrain I've come across. As soon as I heard that the Three Valley season pass gives you two complimentary days in Tignes (as well as another two in the Paradiski area), I knew it wouldn't be long before I made the pilgrimage. When a particularly bad run of weather at my end coincided with fellow season survivor Paddy Dunleavy's visit, I dropped everything and headed Killy-wards.

A train and two buses later, I met up with former Garthdee stalwart Ben Kinnear (regular Unbezzers will need no introdution) at his base in les Boisses, just below Tignes and right on the piste. It was snowing heavily as I arrived, in a way that the Three Valleys hadn't seen in weeks. After dinner and some unidentifiable booze (cooking brandy, we later discovered. Definite thumbs down) we headed out to Alpaka and the Loop to take in the sights of a knitting circle and a sponsored chest wax, respectively.

Calvados: non!

The next day on the hill passed by all too quickly, but we definitely made the most of the good conditions. Among the many highlights were the tree runs down to les Brevieres, discovering 'Coz's Corner' in Val Claret, lapping the Val Park rails, a pit-stop at the notorious Folie Douce and a hilarious, hair-raising adventure down the Lost Valley. With regards to the latter, thanks are due to the man in the flourescent pink ski jacket, whose many pratfalls on the perilous descent just about had the tears streaming from our eyes.

Corrine, Ben and Lucy negotiating the Lost Valley

Paddy arrived the next morning to blue skies and even more fresh powder. Sadly, it didn't last, and by the time we met Ben in the afternoon the visibility had become pretty poor. Lucklily, in Tignes there are always trees to explore, so we headed back down to les Boisses and les Brevieres. Before long we were finding lines that even the locals hadn't ventured down yet, complete with all the drops, pillows and jibs that anyone could ever want. It seemed we were finding new features on every run, and once again it was all over too soon. To anyone looking for the complete resort, offering the best in everything from park, powder, sidehits, glaciers and trees, Tignes is the number one choice. Hopefully I'll be back soon.

Corrine on home turf, les Boisses

Cheers to Ben and Corrine for putting me up, and to Paddy and the rest for a great couple of days' riding. A special thanks to 'Rachel' for the supreme effort after I missed my train. I owe you one....

Duthie