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Ski Accommodation La Thuile
Book La Thuile ski accommodation direct with owners chalet apartment.
La Thuile is surprisingly little known on the British market. It deserves better. It has a fair-sized ski area of its own as well as being linked with La Rosiere in France (they have a shared lift pass). The skiing best suits beginners and intermediates in search of little challenge, but it is not devoid of interest for good skiers, particularly if the snow conditions are good, when there is the choice of venturing off-piste above the Petit St Bernard pass between France and Italy (closed in winter) or skiing the short but serious blacks through the trees above the village. It has an excellent lift system and un-crowded runs. The resort itself is an unusual mixture of old and new, with both a modern, purpose-built complex at the foot of the slopes and an old, partly restored mining village over the river. At the foot of the lifts is a modern purpose-built complex, with accommodation, splendid leisure centre, bars, restaurants and shops. It looks and feels much like a typical French purpose-built resort such as La Plagne or Tignes, but with a distinctly Italian atmosphere. Cross the river and things are completely different.
La Thuile started life as a mining town but became depopulated, and large parts of it fell into disrepair until the skiing area was developed and boom times returned. Much of the old village has been restored and new buildings tastefully added around it. But parts remain in ruins, with a slight 'ghost town' feel to them. There's a reasonable selection of restaurants and bars.
Fair-sized, very quiet ski area linked to La Rosiere in France
Excellent beginner and easy intermediate skiing
Unusual mix of modern purpose-built accommodation at foot of slopes and more village atmosphere of the old town, a ten-minute walk away
For a little-known resort, La Thuile offers a surprisingly large amount of skiing. And it is normally very un-crowded, with quiet pistes and no lift queues. Beginners and early intermediates will get the most out of it, although most of the lower runs in the woods are seriously steep. Although many of La Thuile's runs are marked red, they often deserve no more than a blue rating. The ski area has a reputation for being very cold, especially early in the season - many of the runs are north-facing. The lifts out of the village take you to Les Suches (2200m), with black runs going back down directly to the village through the trees, and reds taking a more roundabout route. From here chairs and drags take you to the top of the mountain and a number of different gentle bowls accessed from Chaz Dura (2580m). You can also drop down over the back from here to the Petit St Bernard road. The link with La Rosiere in France is via Belvedere (2640m) and the Col de Traversette (2400m) and is quite a tiresome journey. In contrast with La Thuile's mainly north- and east-facing runs, La Rosiere's skiing is largely south-facing and, although the runs in France tend to be steeper, the snow in Italy tends to be better. Most of La Thuile's skiing is north- or east-facing and above 2000m. So the snow generally keeps in good condition. There's also a reasonable amount of snowmaking both above the tree-line and on a couple of the runs home.
