Les Lacs du Chardonnet et l'Aiguille Percée
Andy Parant
TIGNES

Les Lacs du Chardonnet et l'Aiguille Percée

Architecture
History
Lake and glacier
Summit
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Take to the skies above Tignes and discover the majestic peaks of the Vanoise Massif.
A route packed with contrasts, where you can get a true taste of wild landscapes without straying too far from the Tignes resort,. On the programme: seek out your reflection in the Chardonnet Lakes’ crystal-clear waters, listen to the woodchucks whistling in the alpine pastures and admire the unobstructed view of the surrounding mountain peaks.

Description

Departing from Tignes le Lac, just a step or two away from the Albertville ’92 Winter Olympics’ cauldron of the Olympic Flame, the route takes you along the shores of Tignes Lake to the Michel Faugère Stadium, where you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of some of the world’s top international teams training. With a little help from your e-bike, make your way up to the alpine pastures and high mountain Chardonnet Lakes. Take the time to admire the view of the Aiguille Percée (the Eye of the Needle), a geological curiosity well-known to hikers and skiers, before returning to your departure point down the “Smoothie" mountain-bike trail (green level).

Waymarking to follow : Chardon'Up

To rent e-bike :

Yab Sports
04 79 09 19 01
Avenue de Grande Motte Immeuble le Diva
VAL CLARET - Grande Motte (bas)

Jubike Sport 2000
04 79 06 40 23
Les Hauts du Val Claret Place du Curling
Centre (haut)

Ski One
04 79 06 37 12
Le Sefcotel
Centre (haut)

Skimium Duch Sports
04 79 06 30 27
Rue de la Poste Callet Millonex - Chemin de Crouze
Immeuble Le Bec Rouge
Tignes le Lac

  • Departure : Tignes le Lac Place centrale – Palafour Chairlift
  • Arrival : Tignes le Lac Place centrale – Palafour Chairlift
  • Towns crossed : TIGNES

Forecast

Altimetric profile

Recommandations

Rando Vanoise has been designed to help you pick and choose your outings, but cannot be held liable where they are concerned. The mountain offers up a wide range of routes and trails for cyclists of all levels, but remember, it is a living, unpredictable environment and it is important that you head out suitably equipped. Ask advice from cycle rental operators.
If in doubt, you can take an introductory lesson in how to ride an electric bike with an instructor.

If you see a herd ahead, slow down and go round it. If there is a patou, a guard dog, climb down from your bike and walk, pushing it alongside you. Avoid making any sudden or aggressive gestures towards the dog and move away from the herd slowly and calmly. The dog will only be checking that you do not pose a threat to its herd. Respect the parkland and close gates behind you after you've gone through them.

The mountain is living, please respect it by staying on the paths and tracks.

Transport

Train services run as far as Bourg-Saint-Maurice.
Find out more at: www.oui.sncf.com
You can then get a coach to Tignes.
Find out more at www.transavoie.com
Have you also thought about car-sharing? www.mobisavoie.fr

Access and parking

Take the RD 902 and RD87a, towards Tignes.
Parking : Parking du lac 3, Tignes le Lac

Parking :

Parking Le lac 3

9 points of interest

  • La Grande Sassière
    La Grande Sassière - Andy Parant
    Summit

    Tignes’ Great Ladies

    Linger on the lakeshore awhile and look up at the mountain peaks around you… Magnificent, aren’t they? Can you recognise Tignes’ three” Great Ladies”?
    You can make out the Grande Motte (3,653 metres), famous for its glacier (and incidentally the resort’s logo) and its neighbour the Grande Casse (3,855 metres) with its ridgeline and much more precipitous walls. And behind you, the Grande Sassière, France’s highest peak, is accessible in the summer with no need for climbing equipment: a hike that will take you 3,747 metres above sea level!

  • Lac de Tignes
    Lac de Tignes - Andy Parant
    Lake

    Tignes Lake

    Frozen over in winter (you can cross it on foot!), Tignes’ natural lake turns itself into a playground in the summertime, ideal for sportspeople, families, fishermen and food lovers… On no account to be missed: Acroland, the watersports centre’s most mind-blowing facility! Equipped with wetsuit, helmet and lifejacket, thrill-seekers slide down the 7 hot-jumping tramps on their backs, bellies, bodyboards or inflatable buoys… before finally plunging into the lake. A refreshing spectacle indeed!
  • Golf de Tignes
    Golf de Tignes - Cande_STMG
    Architecture

    Europe’s highest 18-hole golf course

    This highly unusual golf course, Europe’s highest 18-holer, provides outstanding views of the Grande Motte’s glacier, the shimmering waters of Tignes Lake and the surrounding mountains, along its 5 km of fairway. An out-of-the ordinary experience, with players fine-tuning their swing among the woodchucks, who have appointed themselves the course’s guardians!
  • Architecture

    Michel Faugère Stadium

    At 2,160 metres above sea level, this is Europe’s highest football and rugby ground. You may well be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of some of the world’s top teams there.
  • Sur la tourbière, un individu adulte mâle d'aeschne des joncs. (PNV PO, APPB du Plan de l'Homme).
    Sur la tourbière, un individu adulte mâle d'aeschne des joncs. (PNV PO, APPB du Plan de l'Homme). - PNV - STORCK Frantz
    Fauna

    The common hawker

    Thanks to a stop near the Lac du Chardonnet, you may be able to see the common hawker flitting about. The exclusively aquatic larva of this dragonfly takes nearly 3 years to reach maturity. It emerges from the water and sheds its skin to become a flying adult whose short life (a few weeks) is devoted to reproduction. With nearly 100 species, France has the greatest wealth of dragonflies in Europe.
  • Lacs du Chardonnet
    Lacs du Chardonnet - Andy Parant
    Water

    Chardonnet Lakes

    Their cold clear waters served as a setting for the film "The Big Blue"!
  • Architecture

    Protection of the ski area, roads and buildings

    A range of more or less discreet fixtures ensure that the ski area, roads and people are kept safe. Among the most visible from the resort are the avalanche barriers. Set along a contour line, they are designed to hold back accumulations of snow. During your walks, you’ll probably see one or more large metal pipes. They’re part of the Gazex avalanche control system, which has the advantage of being able to secure hard-to-reach areas and can be triggered remotely.
  • Aiguille Percée
    Aiguille Percée - Andy Parant
    Summit

    The Aiguille Percée

    At 2,778 metres above sea level, this spectacular natural arch, Tignes’ most photographed geological curiosity, watches over the Tignes-Champagny Nature Reserve with admirable finesse.
    The hike from Tignes Lake to the Aiguille is a great classic, with an orientation table not to be missed out on. A loop trail of around 9 km with a 700-metre elevation gain – a 3½-hour walk. Joining the trail at the Palafour Chairlift arrival cuts 1¼ hours off the time required.

  • Ski à Tignes
    Ski à Tignes - Mylène HERRMANN
    History

    The Olympic Flame

    In 1992, on the occasion of the Albertville Winter Olympics, Tignes hosted the three acrobatic skiing events: ski-acro (or ski ballet), freestyle skiing and the Games’ first mogul skiing event. There are still traces of the resort’s Olympic past to be seen, including the Olympic Flame’s cauldron to the left of the Palafour chairlift and the ski-acro and freestyle skiing pistes in the Tignes Val Claret sector. And the resort’s Olympic adventure continues today: Tignes’ candidacy was officially selected by Paris 2024 as one of the preparation centres for athletes who will be competing in the next Summer Olympics and Paralympics. A source of great pride for the resort, which has always hosted top national and international teams!