Val Claret Park
Originally uploaded by plasticsnow
As it was another bluebird day today we spent the morning in the Val Claret park. If you’ve been looking for the park on the Tignes.net website ignore the park-cam they have there, it’s not pointing to the right place!
The Val Claret park can now be reached by heading up the Tichot lift, breaking left and then taking the Col Palet drag lift. If we hadn’t taken the Grattalu lift the other day we’d never have spotted it.
It’s perfectly placed to be in the sun from 9am when the lifts open so we headed straight up there this morning. After 3 days bombing round the piste I had decided that I need to get in the park and pipe before I got tired rather than leaving it to the afternoon when I have “girly legs” before I even start.
The park is well laid out giving you the chance to hit 6 kickers in a row or mix and match with some rails and boxes as well. As I’m riding a board with edges for a change (so I’m less sketchy in the pipe) I decided to give the boxes and rails a miss. Oh and I skipped the monster hip as well because it’s just an accident waiting to happen.
So after 6 runs through the park in a couple of hours (that’s probably 20 kicker hits more than I’d get in a dry slope session at home) we took a quick lunch break before heading to the pipe to ride it while it was in the sun.
I’m starting to get my pipe legs back a bit, and although I’m not getting out of the pipe yet I’m gaining in confidence with each run.
It looks like the weather may be closing in tomorrow with a cloudy/sunny morning forecast followed by snow overnight, so we’re just going to take the day as it comes and make the most of being on the mountain and not in the office!
Pipe Progression.
‘Tichot’
‘Bless you…’
Looks good. Doesn’t look like you’re having to fight off snaking gits in the pipe…mind you looks pretty big to an old fart like me. Maybe it’s jools’ lens.
BY the way, don’t be tempted to head down to les brevieres one afternoon – it’s low, icy and dark. Good restaurants at the bottom but you’d want to go for lunch. Folie deuce just above the mont blanc base is good for a laugh at 3pm though you’ll have to get back up the tommeuse before it shuts to get to the tignes side..
Just think how irritating I woud be if I was there.
Thanks for the translation Ruth :o) That’s a pretty cool lift name.
Doc – I don’t think I’d have had the energy to keep up with you! No snaking gits in the pipe, a few idiots in the park though.