The Funiculaire du Perce-Neige in

Tignes Tignes () is a commune in the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France, known for the highest skiable area and the longest ski season in Europe. It is located in the Savoie region with good t ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

is an underground

Funicular A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite e ...

from the neighborhood ''Val Claret'' to the summer-skiing area and the lower station of the Telepherique Grande Motte.

General information

The Perce-Neige transports the passenger from Val Claret at . in 6 minutes to the slopes of the ''Grande Motte''. On arrival at one can transfer to the Grande Motte cable-car that brings the skier to , the highest point in

. The system opened on 15 June 1989. The name ''Perce-Neige'' is a play on words, in that ''perce-neige'' is the French word for a

snowdrop ''Galanthus'' (from Ancient Greek , (, "milk") + (, "flower")), or snowdrop, is a small genus of approximately 20 species of bulbous perennial herbaceous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae. The plants have two linear leaves and a single sm ...

but can also be interpreted more literally as the funicular that pierces through the snow.

Technical details

References

* * {{coord, 45.4354, 6.9020, type:landmark_region:FR, display=title Perce-Neige, Funiculaire Du Von Roll Holding people movers 1200 mm gauge railways in France Railway lines opened in 1989 Subterranean funiculars

General information

Technical details

See also

References