La Thuile ski resort guide & reviews Ski area, apres-ski, things to see & do in La Thuile
Overview
La Thuile is a high altitude resort sitting at 1441m sharing the extensive ski area with La Rosiere in France. The village sits in a basin over looked by the Rutor Glacier on the international road link of the Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo.
This old mining town has been transformed over the years into a popular ski resort but has managed to keep its charm and tradition making it an extremely friendly and welcoming resort. The village is compact so you can walk everywehere and if you are not skiing, the streets are dotted with shops, bars and great family run restaurants.
Après-ski
The nightlife is fairly relaxed and is more about enjoying the local cuisine in the many restaurants around the centre of the resort. However, there are several bars which do get very lively especially at the weekends when the locals from Turin and Milan escape the city. Try the famous Coppa dell’Amicizia, a wooden, low and large container with a cap and many small beaks traditionally used to drink the valdôtain coffee à la ronde.
| Key information (whole area) | |
|---|---|
| Altitude | 1441m |
| Top lift | 2612m |
| Family | |
| Beginner | |
| Intermediate | |
| Expert | |
| Piste (km) | 150 |
| Longest run | 11 km |
| Off piste | |
| Cross country | 12 km |
| Season | Dec - Apr |
| Snowboard parks | 3 |
| Heli Skiing | ✔ |
| Summer skiing | ✘ |
| Glacier skiing | ✘ |
| Babysitting | ✘ |
| Creche | ✔ |
| Apres ski | Relaxed |
La Thuile ski area guide
The La Rosiere - La Thuile ski area is one of the largest in the Aosta Valley with 150km of pistes spread across both resorts. From the village, the main gondola takes you up to Les Suches area which is where many of the beginner slopes are based. From Les Suches, you can take a chairlift to the top and cross over the Petit St Bernard pass and ski down into La Rosiere. Overlooked by the Mont Blanc Massif, snow is pretty much guaranteed due to the height of the resort but also because of the northerly facing slopes. The terrain is varied with wide opens powder bowls and tree skiing on the lower slopes heading back to town.
Beginners
There are 4 beginner areas with many of the easy blues accessed via the Chalet Express and Chaz Dura lifts. From Les Suches, the runs through the trees back to the village are suitable for beginners and are great fun.
Intermediate
A paradise for intermediates especially if you like touring with literally more piste than you could possibly cover in a week when you venture over in to La Rosiere. One of our favourite runs is the 11km cruise down to La Thuile from the top of the Fourclaz Express lift.
Advanced
Not too much for experts on-piste but there are some seriously steep trails heading back into town plus lots of off-piste opportunities. Heli-skiing is therefore very popular as the back-country trails flowing off the high peaks are some of the best in the Alps and its not that expensive compared to some of the other resorts. Contact Heli Ski Valgrisenche at www.heliskivalgrisenche.it for prices and to book.
Snowboarding
As La Thuile has many wide and gentle pistes and not too many draglifts, it is an ideal resort for beginner and early intermediate boarders. There is also a terrain park called Wazimu in Les Suches area which has an area specifically geared towards children.
Things to see & do in La Thuile
- Thermal spa at Pre-St-Didier
- Tobogganing
- Ice skating
- Snowshoeing
- Heli-skiing
- Parapenting
Children
La Thuile has some excellent childrens clubs which provide half and full day care with skiing lessons if required.
Featured chalets
See all rentalsOur view on La Thuile ski resort
An authentic Italian ski resort often overlooked by the tour operators, La Thuile offers extensive skiing across two resorts, traditional apres-ski and is a good option for families, groups and friends.
