Ice diving in Tignes, France

by Kingston BSAC

Straight after New Year I normally look for a cheap skiing holiday to somewhere in Europe that has snow! This year was no exception. Searching the internet on www.ifyouski.com I found a Chalet in Tignes operated by Ski Val.
After dinner and plenty of red wine the two Chalet hosts gave us the run-down on some apres-ski activities; Pub Crawl, tobogganing, sleigh riding, ice climbing and ice diving. For myself the latter two were the most appealing.

After a morning's skiing, myself, Jools and Al all turned up at the small wooden hut adjacent to the edge of the frozen Tignes Le Lac. Here we were introduced to Albon (instructor) and Seb (surface attendant). All three of us were given a briefing on the equipment and the dive plan.
It was a relief to get the dry suit on. At least I didn't have to walk around in ski boots for a couple of hours. Each diver was then fitted with a pair of screw-fit dry gloves, making your hands like the 'Tango man'.
A short distance away from the hut was cordoned off area with a series of holes cut into the ice. From here there was a spectacular view of the head of the valley, with clear blue sky and lots of snow. The outside air temperature felt mild, even though it was -10°C.

Adjacent to the largest hole in the ice, our entry point, was a large pile of broken ice blocks. This was a result of the previous night's freeze. The water in the holes freezes over to a thickness of 2-3 cm each night, which needed clearing before diving could begin each morning.
At the edge of the largest hole we sat on the ice and kitted up. The last item to put on was the facemask, this completely covered the face, so no skin was exposed to the water. The regulator mouthpiece passed through a hole in the centre of the facemask.
Prior to entry to the water the instructor clipped me onto a static line, which ran beneath the ice following the path of the holes. This lifeline gave me some freedom of movement but ensured I was always able to get back to a safe exit point from the restricted overhead environment.
The initial view of just below the ice was strange. I was expecting the bottom of the ice to be uneven, like the submerged part of an iceberg. However, it was really smooth and had the appearance of frosted glass. As expected, the visibility was pretty good. Light beams penetrated through the holes on the surface.
Beneath the ice the exhaust bubbles from the regulator were good to watch. When they hit the ice they danced around in all directions. The majority of the time the bubbles escaped through one of the holes but sometimes they became lodged under the ice. This caused small air pockets and weak spots within the ice were created. Some were large enough to get you head in to.
Most of the dive was spent looking at the ice but I ventured to a shallow part of the lake and found some weeds and the bottom was made of clay. The minimum water temperature was 1.2°C, not quite the same as Littleton Lake!
After the dive we still had to ski back to the Chalet, via a Vin Chaud stop in a mountain restaurant.

The dive was through "Ecole De Plongee Sous Glace" and booked via "Evolution2 Ski". If interested, book very early in the week as places rapidly fill up.


Kingston & Elmbridge Branch www.kingstonbsac.co.uk

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