Travel to La Rosiere with travel insurance from Essential Travel

The traditional alpine village of La Rosiere on the French-Italian border links up with the larger Italian resort of La Thuile high in the western Alps. This purpose-built family resort is built on south-facing slopes and gives spectacular views across Tarentaise and Isere Valley, and boasts wide-open sunny pistes, perfect for cruising

La Rosiere provides fantastic skiing for all abilities and boasts an excellent snow record due to the resort altitude at 1,850m and its location on the Petit St Bernard pass. The 63 runs are made up of 7 green, 20 blue, 25 red and 11 black, with 12kms of cross-country routes.

The high altitude pistes combine with the Italian area of La Thuile to offer excellent skiing. The main chair and drag out of La Rosiere take you to heart of the slopes; from here, you have a choice of drags and chairs. It is possible to ski across the border into Italys La Thuile resort, a stunning journey which offers fabulous views of Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa.

La Rosiere, situated on a south-facing slope, has a well-deserved reputation for brilliant sunshine and also an excellent snow record; there is often a heavy snowfall at Easter, which ensures that the resort often stays open until May. A snow train operates direct from Waterloo/Ashford to Bourg-St Maurice (Bourg is at the foot of the mountain, directly below La Rosiere); from there, it’s an easy bus or taxi journey (20kms) to the resort.

Skiing in La Rosiere

The slopes in La Rosiere are generally fairly wide, interspersed with some testing reds and blacks, and are well suited to beginners through to competent intermediates. Advanced skiers will find more challenging runs across in La Thuile. The childrens facilities and ski schools are particularly good, making this a great resort for a family holiday.

The 63 runs are comprised of 7 green, 20 blue, 25 red and 11 black, with 12kms of cross-country trails. The high altitude pistes combine with the Italian area of La Thuile to offer excellent skiing. The main chair and drag out of La Rosiere takes you to heart of the slopes; from here, you have a choice of drags and chairs.

It is worthy to note that there are a lot of draglifts at this resort so snowboarders beware. A big plus point though is that the lift passes are comparatively cheap. It’s possible to ski across the border into Italys La Thuile resort, a stunning journey which offers fabulous views of Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa.

La Rosiere is the only resort in France to offer heli-skiing through its link with La Thuile in Italy. You can be whisked up to Ruitor Glacier and then start a 2,100-metre vertical descent in the powder snow. The après-ski opportunities in La Rosiere are quite limited; however, there are a couple of bars in town and a few good restaurants. La Terrasse du Yeti and L’Ancolie are recommended.

The terrain is high enough to ensure good snow conditions all season. There can be fresh powder on the high north-facing slopes even in April and the runs have perfect snow all season.

The nearest airport is Chambery, about 90 minutes’ drive away; while Geneva and Lyon are each about a three-hour drive away. La Rosiere is about a nine-hour drive from Calais, which still makes driving a realistic option. A snow train operates direct from Waterloo/Ashford to Bourg-St Maurice, which is at the foot of the mountain, directly below La Rosiere.

Apre-ski in La Rosiere

Perched high on a sunny plateau above Bourg-St Maurice, the resort itself is an attractive, traditional French village and caters perfectly for families. Chalets, both old and new, sit on either side of the winding road beneath the Petit St Bernard pass. During the winter, snow falls close off the pass just above the resort. La Rosiere has several bars and restaurants, a discotheque and two small shopping malls.

La Rosiere is an attractive resort linked to the Italian resort of La Thuile. The shops and bars are limited and the nightlife is laid-back. The highlight of the week for many of the younger visitors is the instructors’ torchlight-led descent.

Transportation to La Rosiere

La Rosiere resort is attached to the tiny village of Les Laix, high on the sunny south-facing slopes of the Isere Valley, set in pine woods close to the old border between France and Italy. La Rosiere is about a nine-hour drive from Calais, which makes driving a realistic option, especially from the south of England. Allow approximately €70 each way for road tolls. Fuel is cheaper than in the UK.

A snow train operates direct from Waterloo/Ashford to Bourg-St Maurice (Bourg is at the foot of the mountain, directly below La Rosiere); from there, it’s an easy bus or taxi journey (20kms) to the resort.

There is also a convenient overnight snow train which arrives early in the morning, allowing weekenders to ski on Saturday. The high-speed TGV train from Paris also goes direct to Bourg-St Maurice. From London, the Eurostar offers a direct service to Bourge-St Maurice and Aime-La-Plange on Fridays and Saturdays (overnighter), taking about 10 hours.

The nearest airport is Chambery, about 90 minutes drive away; however, Geneva and Lyon are about a three-hour drive away and offer more flight options from low cost carriers. Flight times from the UK are approximately 1 hour, 15 minutes and can cost as little as €42 each way. Bus/train and private transfers are available from all airports. Hiring a car gives you the flexibility of being able to explore other ski areas.

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