Taking Over Is Permitted: A Week With the Ski Club in Tignes

The great outdoors and ‘being in the mountains’ is apparently the main reason British skiers go skiing. According to UK ski industry research*, 83% say being outside in the mountains is what motivates them to take a snowsports holiday. This is fortunate for tour operators and destinations, because the Alps have yet to make a convincing case for indoor skiing.

The mountains are only part of it, though. For 39% of skiers, it’s the adrenaline; for 35%, the challenge and the skills they learn; and for 19%, the chance to be with like-minded people. That last group may or may not include their family.

I found it surprisingly easy to tick all those boxes during a week in Tignes, France, at the end of the season, on one of the Ski Club of Great Britain’s new Takeover holidays.

What is a Ski Club Takeover holiday?

The idea is straightforward: book an entire hotel – in this case the well-positioned 4* L’Aiguille Percée – and fill it with around 100 Ski Club members. Add half-board, Ski Club reps, social activities and on-snow challenges and you have the ingredients for a very sociable ski week, with plenty of scope to ski at your own level in social groups.

Founded in 1903, the Ski Club began as a group of skiers keen to promote the sport and make it easier to travel to the mountains. It also organised some of the first international ski competitions. Today, more than 120 years later, around 18,000 members share that enthusiasm for skiing. The guests in Tignes ranged from 21 to 81, with just about every age and type of skier in between.

I sit somewhere in the middle, which meant I had plenty to talk about over the welcome drinks. Though, in fairness, the conversation soon turned to everyone’s favourite ski destinations and for some, the draw of this region of the Alps in the spring with its altitude and extensive ski area is a no-brainer.

How does social skiing with the Ski Club reps work?

The Ski Club had brought a small army of reps to run social skiing and activities through the week. Many qualify on the Club’s early-season reps course, which takes place in Tignes in December.

The reps aren’t ski leaders or guides, and that distinction is clear from the start. On the first morning, we gathered into groups according to the Ski Club’s levels: Blue, Red, Silver, Purple and Gold. The mood was relaxed and friendly, but everything was well organised. It felt nothing like ski school, which should reassure anyone who is new to the Ski Club way and has visions of being thrown down a black slope on morning one ski-off session.

Who goes on a Ski Club holiday?

There is a curious idea of what a Ski Club member looks like. Perhaps someone with a drawer full of badges, an encyclopaedic knowledge of ski touring kit and a stately home somewhere near Chelsea. The reality was way less predictable. I met Simon from Hereford, who is practically my neighbour, though we had never crossed paths. Then I met Linda, also from Herefordshire. It all felt a long way from the perceived stereotype and there’s a good mix of both men and women from all over the UK (about 3 men to 2 women during the week), including a hilarious (in a nice way) priest from Belfast called Tony.

Everyone was there for much the same reasons: to enjoy the mountains, ski with like-minded people, improve their skills and, perhaps, get a little adrenaline along the way. In other words, exactly the things the research says British skiers want.

What’s the story behind the Ski Club and the ESF?

There was another talking point: the ESF-organised ski race scheduled for the end of the week. It marked the launch of a new partnership, but it also carried some history. In 2014, the ESF supported a court case that found one of the Ski Club’s reps had been guiding illegally. The Club lost the case and had to withdraw its reps from France.

The situation has since changed. Ski Club reps have returned to France and are now present in more than 30 resorts across the Alps, including Tignes. The new partnership with the ESF felt like a big step forward. One guest joked that perhaps the Ski Club should have negotiated Brexit: ‘We’d all be in a better place.’ Not everyone was convinced. The giant slalom, they wondered, might be the moment that finally put the old story to bed.

What is spring skiing in Tignes like?

Before that, there was plenty of skiing to be done. The mid-April conditions were vintage: a generous late-season snowfall, temperatures hovering between zero and five degrees, and a forecast full of sunshine. It wasn’t powder-skiing weather, but the pistes were in excellent shape and held up through the week.

And Tignes was definitely not bleak. The spring light was extraordinary; the sun, after a long winter, felt medicinal. The air was still, the snow soft, and the slopes relatively quiet. It was a reminder of why spring skiing is so good. The snow was firmer first thing, but stayed very skiable through the afternoon, helped by temperatures that were cool enough to keep it from turning to slush.

Where is the best après in Tignes?

The slopes may have been calm, but the après scene was very much awake. Like many resorts in the Tarentaise, Tignes has venues playing live music every day. You can choose your soundtrack: Eurodance, mellow jazz or rock and pop covers. I realise the Ski Club takes its après seriously.

Our first stop was Le Bollin. I remembered it as a sleepy café, somewhere to take refuge on a snowy December morning. It has since acquired the feel of a compact La Folie Douce: DJs, dancing and a great spot above Val Claret. Dancing on the tables appeared to be compulsory, though I managed to stand on one that was too high and got asked to step down (dance on the tables, but don’t go too high!?).

On day two, we went to Cocorico, beside the funicular to the Grande Motte. The band was Queens of the Snow Stage, playing the sort of familiar covers that make it difficult to socialise, but in a good way.

Another day took us to the Marmot Arms in Tignes Le Lac, where X&Y, a techno-pop duo, got the room moving. There was also a trip over to La Folie Douce in Val d’Isère – just remember to catch the last lift back – and a stop at the Loop Bar in Tignes Le Lac. The week was developing its own après itinerary, and the Ski Club members showed no signs of calling it a day. Obviously all this partying isn’t mandatory – there’s a hotel spa, or afternoon tea available every day. But the sun was shining, the season was almost done and it just seemed like everyone else was getting involved.

How did the ESF giant slalom go?

By now, I was beginning to understand this whole Takeover idea. The hotel was full of people who had arrived as strangers, but the shared skiing, dinners and après stops were quickly giving the week its own character. There was still the ESF race to come – which felt like a great way to end the season. A solid coaching session in the morning was followed by two runs of a tight giant slalom course on a slope that didn’t feel intimidating but provided skiers with enough challenge.

With around 50 Ski Club members taking part, the mood was friendly competitiveness – I’m sure one of the club’s early adopters Sir Arnold Lunn would feel proud that the club is still doing what it was first set up to do and that people still want to experience the mountains, ski with like-minded people and feel that adrenaline rush that skiing allows more than a million people from the UK to experience every year.

As for the race, all I’m going to say is, it’s the taking part that counts. I might need to go back in December for that ski course to improve my skills.

Check out Rob’s video about the end of the week race here > xxxx

How to book

Rob travelled to Tignes with the Ski Club of Great Britain for its Tignes Takeover week in April 2026.

www.skiclub.co.uk/holiday/tignes-takeover

Dates for the 2027 Tignes Takeover: 17-24 April, 2027

Part of the Ski Club’s Freshtracks programme, the holidays are available exclusively to members. Full adult membership costs £99 (£49 for under-35s) www.skiclub.co.uk/membership

Price: from £1,099pp including 7 nights half board accommodation in the 4* L’Aiguille Percée Hotel, Tignes Le Lac, return group transfers from Geneva Airport, social skiing and activities with the Ski Club reps (activity costs are extra).

Lift passes can be purchased through the Ski Club at a slightly discounted rate and must be booked at least 3 weeks before departure.

Ski Rental can be booked through Skiset at its Mountain Story shop in Tignes Le Lac with a discount for Ski Club members: www.skiclub.co.uk/discount/skiset

Rob used Alpine Fleet for airport transfers between Geneva and Tignes.

Alpine Fleet run high frequency shared and private transfers to Tignes. Shared transfers start from £41 one-way. Private transfers also include waiting time, so you’ll have peace of mind if your flight is delayed. Alpine Fleet is also an official partner of the Ski Club of Great Britain and members benefit from a 10% discount on bookings: alpinefleet.com

* Research data source: Mountain Trade Network State of the Snowsports Market survey October 2026

Ski Club Tignes Takeover FAQs

What is the Ski Club Tignes Takeover?

It’s a spring ski week where the Ski Club of Great Britain books the whole 4* L’Aiguille Percée hotel in Tignes Le Lac for around 100 members. Half board, Ski Club reps, social skiing in groups by level, après and on-snow challenges, including an ESF giant slalom, are all part of the week.

When is the 2027 Tignes Takeover and how much does it cost?

The 2027 Takeover runs from 17 to 24 April 2027. Prices start from £1,099pp, including seven nights’ half board, return group transfers from Geneva Airport, and social skiing and activities with the Ski Club reps. Lift passes, ski hire and activity costs are extra.

Do you have to be a Ski Club member to go?

Yes. The Takeover is part of the Ski Club’s Freshtracks programme, which is open to members only. Full adult membership costs £99, or £49 for under-35s.

Are Ski Club reps ski instructors or guides?

No. Ski Club reps lead social skiing groups, organised by the Club’s levels (Blue, Red, Silver, Purple and Gold), but they aren’t ski leaders, guides or instructors. Reps now operate in more than 30 resorts across the Alps, including Tignes.