Dan Lever
Oct, 27 2025- 7 mins
8 Reasons Tignes’ Mountain Shaker Belongs on Your Ski Calendar
If you love skiing, live music and adrenaline-packed entertainment then Mountain Shaker might be your dream event: a week where Tignes fuses its world-class ski terrain, freeride action (from the best in the game), concerts, skateboarding, a festival atmosphere and a whole lot more! Now a staple in the freestyle calendar, Mountain Shaker takes place every March.
I went along in 2025 to see what all the hype was about... Verdict: One of the most memorable (and fun) ski trips I’ve had in a long time!
Here are 8 reasons why Mountain Shaker needs to be part of your ski plans this season:
1) Activities for Everyone
What surprised me most of all is that it’s not just a mountain festival for hardcore freestylers and park rats - there’s something for everyone with a range of fun activities for kids, families and party-goers alike. Expect fun games, giveaways, mascots, athlete signings, brand pop-ups, ski films, creative workshops, talks, live DJs and FIS Freestyle events - there is more than enough going on to entertain the whole family, on and off the slopes.
© Tristan Shu - Tignes
2) One Week, Four Competitions
The key ‘board-culture’ events at Mountain Shaker are the (mind-blowing!) competitions across various freestyle disciplines throughout the week. When I visited, this included the Evolution 2 freeride series (insanely talented and fearless skiers sending it off cliffs and natural features), followed by the FISE Xperience series (skateboarding and rollerblading comps hosted in Tignespace) and then the FIS Big Air World Cup Finals and Slopestyle World Cup Finals. Watching these events on TV is one thing but to witness them in real life is on another level - prepare to be amazed!
© Mateo Sgambato/Agence Zoom - Tignes
3) Watch the World’s Best Park Athletes Up Close
The Big Air and Slopestyle skiing events at Mountain Shaker are where the winners are decided for the season-long FIS World Cup competitions, with Tignes playing host to the finals. This makes for some spectacular viewing as riders push themselves beyond the possible in a last-ditch attempt to secure the points needed to win the overall crystal globes. You can catch the slopestyle qualifiers and finals across several days, in between powdery runs of your own. However, THE must-visit event of Mountain Shaker is undoubtedly the finals of the Big Air. The Val Claret snowfront is transformed for the competition, with an electric atmosphere ringing from all sides of the huge kicker: lights, MCs, food & drink, music, big screens, cheering, fireworks and a whole lot of stoke as the best freestylers in the world throw down under the lights! Expect to see the world’s best athletes sending triple 2160s, 1800s, switch zeros, humongous backies for the crowd and more in this adrenaline-pumping, high-octane back-to-back masterclass! Complete with appearances from all your favourite skiers from Olympians like Tess Ledeux and GB’s Kirsty Muir to X Games winners Alex Hall, Matej Svancer and Andri Ragettli.
This year it was a sibling sweep, with Flora Tabanelli and Miro Tabanelli winning the women’s and men’s Big Air World Cup final in Tignes.
Pro tip: arrive early for barrier spots, with the clearest sight of the landing and high-five competitors as they celebrate putting their tricks down. The event is open to skiers and non-skiers alike and you can simply walk to the Big Air area, without the need for a lift pass. Be sure to wrap up warm!
© Tristan Shu - Tignes
4) Tignes’ Backcountry Bonanza
The Couloirs des Tufs above Tignes le Lac played host to the Evolution 2 Freeride World Qualifier + Freeride Junior Tour - both official feeder events toward the Freeride World Tour. With riders picking their own line on natural terrain, cliffs, natural kickers, etc, competitors are scored on line choice, control, fluidity, technique and tricks. Ski a couple of laps in the area and then watch the pros throw down from a spectator village at the foot of the cliff-lined, intimidating face. If you’ve never watched freeride live, this is the perfect introduction - lift-served, family-friendly viewing with big mountain thrills. Put it on your list for next year.
© TD / Ambiance - Tignes
5) FISE Xperience
To round off this celebration of board culture, Mountain Shaker transformed the Tignespace sports centre into a pro skatepark. The FISE park event is a boardsports playground with heats, demos and a friendly, buzzy crowd. It’s easy to drop in for an hour, recharge, then head back out for the next on-snow hit. With a packed agenda, we only got the chance to check out some of the athletes training, but the setup was impressive nonetheless.
© Nils Gubelmann - Tignes
6) Spring-Sure Snow Across a Huge Ski Area
As we visited during the popular Mountain Shaker week, I’d expected long lift lines and busy slopes. This couldn’t be further from the truth and the huge ski area of Tignes in mid-March is tailor-made for this format: we were lucky with both the snow and the conditions throughout the week - even scoring some decent powder turns up on the Grande Motte glacier. We had a ball maximising our ski time and ripping round as we explored the huge ski area.
As someone who hates compromising on ski time, the format works well as it’s easy to dip in and out of the various freestyle qualifier events, in between runs - although I’d recommend sticking around for the finals! Slopestyle on Double M slots perfectly into a Val Claret ski day. Ski hard, watch the qualifiers at lunch, then head back for the unmissable Big Air final.
© Tristan Shu - Tignes
7) Night Shows: Live Music, DJs, Food - and Fireworks
There’s no shortage of evening entertainment at Mountain Shaker. Val Claret is at the heart of the festival, with a proper stage setup, DJs, live performances and street-food pop-ups to keep everyone fuelled. The energy builds through the week, but everything is geared toward Big Air Finals night - the biggest celebration on the programme. The crowd packs in along the snowfront, commentators ratchet up the hype, riders send it off the illuminated kicker, and fireworks top off the celebrations.
© Tristan Shu - Tignes
8) The Lively Resort Atmosphere
Tignes is already a stand-out destination with loads of great places to eat, drink and dance; the festival adds extra energy. The legendary Cocorico is packed wall to wall with party-goers hyped up from the events. There’s a palpable buzz and noticeable excitement across the whole of Tignes with a fun, friendly and stoked festival atmosphere. Lift-line chat switches between the spectacular events and powder run debriefs, and the freeride competition chats spill into dinner. It’s a week-long community hangout with world-class sport baked in. Just like your usual ski trip but with the entertainment dialled up to 100!
© Tristan Shu - Tignes
Planning your trip
Where I stayed - and what I recommend
Base: Chalet Hôtel Quartz, Tignes Val Claret - I stayed here and loved it. Smart, modern rooms, super friendly team, and you’re right by the Mountain Shaker action on the Val Claret snowfront. If you want maximum show-to-slope convenience, this is the spot.
- Book/learn more: Chalet Hôtel Quartz
Recommended food spots
Lunch: Bazurto - Juan Arbelaez’s Colombian restaurant. Expect bold, sun-kissed Colombian flavours at Bazurto, chef Juan Arbelaez’s Alpine outpost: zesty ceviches bright with lime, crisp-fried empanadas, and wood-fired beef cuts with punchy seasonings and herb-driven sauces. Plates are designed to share, balancing fresh, citrus-led seafood with hearty grills and Latin staples. It’s lively, colourful, and far from typical mountain fare - perfect for a treat between laps.
- Menu/info: Bazurto Tignes
Dinner: La Pignatta. La Pignatta focuses on hearty Italian-Savoyard comfort: blistered, wood-fired pizzas, fresh pastas, and oozy Alpine classics like fondue and raclette, plus big salads and charcuterie to share. Portions are generous, flavours are bold and comforting, and the vibe is lively. You'll need to book. It was rammed when we went - so much so that we still had to wait half an hour before getting our table (despite booking!) - although the delicious Neapolitan pizza made up for it in the end!
- Menu/info: La Pignatta
Getting around & practicals
- Best base for Mountain Shaker: Val Claret. You’re steps from the Big Air arena and minutes from Double M. Tignes le Lac is a lovely alternative if you want the lakeside vibe and instant access to Tignespace for the events and activations there - wherever you stay, the free shuttles make hopping between hubs easy.
- Travel in: Fly into Geneva, Lyon or Chambéry, or train to Bourg-St-Maurice then transfer up the valley.
- Passes & access: Standard Tignes–Val d’Isère passes cover your ski day. Many viewing zones are at resort level; FISE is indoors.
- Programme & dates: Check the official live schedule for this season’s timings and venues: Mountain Shaker Programme. There is no additional cost or festival ticket needed to watch any of the events and join in on the fun.
Who won last time?
- Big Air: Flora Tabanelli (ITA) & Miro Tabanelli (ITA).
- Slopestyle: Kirsty Muir (GBR) & Alex Hall (USA).
Who took the season Crystal Globes (2024/25)?
- Women: Big Air - Flora Tabanelli; Slopestyle - Tess Ledeux; Overall Park & Pipe - Flora Tabanelli.
- Men: Big Air - Luca Harrington; Slopestyle - Alex Hall; Overall Park & Pipe - Matej Svancer.
© Nils Gubelmann - Tignes
FAQs
Is it free to watch? Outdoor finals on the snowfront are completely free to spectate. This makes the event great value entertainment for all the family. Always check the live programme.
When is it? Typically mid-March. See the official programme for exact dates.
Where are the venues? Big Air - Val Claret / Grande Motte snowfront: Huge kicker at the base area in Val Claret.
Slopestyle - Double M to the Big Air finish: Course runs down Double M and finishes on the same big kicker used for Big Air (best spectator spot).
FISE - Tignespace (indoor): Action-sports contests (skate, scooter, inline) on a built park inside the Tignes sports hall.
Freeride - lift-served alpine faces: Venue announced each year; in 2025 it ran on Couloirs des Tufs above Tignes le Lac.
Best base? Val Claret + Chalet Hôtel Quartz for the all-action setup. Tignes Le Lac if you want to be by Tignespace and the lake - both are a quick, free bus ride apart.
© Tristan Shu - Tignes
If your perfect ski week involves world-class skiing in the day, freestyle finals in the evening and fireworks with a beer (or hot choc) at night, Mountain Shaker is the event for you. I left Tignes with sore legs, a full camera roll and a grin that didn’t fade until I got back to Gatwick. See you by the barriers next time around!
