La Thuile Skiing & Snowboarding
The La Thuile ski resort in Italy is a fun, low key, snow magnet near the head of the Aosta valley. With loads of beginner and lower intermediate piste terrain, a wonderful off-piste, reliable snowfall, plus fun challenges for the more advanced and adventurous, makes skiing La Thuile a wonderful experience & ranks it as a Powderhounds’ Italian favourite.
La Thuile is a ski resort of skiing and snowboarding terrain contrasts. A huge area of flattish beginner and lower intermediate terrain above Les Suches is juxtaposed against the fast, steep (and frightening!) world cup ski course immediately below (the excellent combination of #2 Diretta & #3 F.Berthod trails). Long, awkward traverses, particularly for snowboarders, end in fun intermediate cruisers & interesting (read - sometimes challenging) off-piste terrain.
La Thuile Skiing Highlights
The ski & snowboard highlights at La Thuile are many & varied, but here a few to tick off when at the resort.
- On your first day, do the two full ‘Chaz Dura Laps’ to get an orientation about the possibilities in La Thuile. Take the lifts to the top of 2,579m Chaz Dura and ski toward the top the Fourclaz chair. Turn left and head across to pistes #18 & #6 on the sunny side of the mountain all the way back to the valley base near the village. Then repeat, but stay on piste #7 and stay right at Fourclaz, following the 7 all the way to the same point but on the 'darkside' on the resort.
- Early in the morning when the grooming is perfect, ski the advanced pistes F.Berthod and Diretta as fast as you can without stopping.
- On a powder day, ski the delightful terrain on La Thuile's 'darkside' near the Fourclaz, Belvedere and Piccolo San Bernardo chairs.
- Ski across the border into La Rosiere on a fine, sunny day, stopping at the frontier for the obligatory border crossing photo on skis. Take in the sight (like the historic fort at the top of Fort chair), enjoy the views across the Haute Tarentaise valley, eat French for lunch, cruise the pistes & ride the newest chairlifts up to the highest lifted point in the combined ski area (2,800m), on Mont Valaisan.
- Hike up to the top of Mont Valaisan and ski the backside into Italy & La Thuile, or loop back into La Rosiere via the new Chardonnet chair. Get a guide if unsure.
- Explore the tree-skiing possibilities amongst the larches & pines in the lower parts of La Thuile and into the lowest two chairs below the village at La Rosiere.
- If conditions (& ability) allow, get away from the lifts and ski-tour from the Colle Piccolo San Bernardo (at the bottom of the Piccolo San Bernardo Express chairlift), up & around the slopes of Mont Miravidi.
- End the day with an après ski session along piste #7 with stops at the Roxi and Re delle Alpi enjoying the views over the valley and then a long cruise back into the village for more.
- Whilst in the Aosta valley, try and ski Pila, Crevacol & Courmayeur, plus head up the Skyway Monte Bianco for a a BIG mountain experience.
Ski Lifts
The lift system at La Thuile is not super-modern, but it is perfectly adequate for the task of efficiently getting one around the hill. No crowds and no queues = no need for ultra-modern, high-speed lifts. The pick of the lifts (and terrain) are on the north-facing side of La Thuile and include the Fourclaz, Belvedere and Piccolo San Bernardo chairlifts (where you will find skiers from La Rosiere poaching the powder!).
An important change from season 24/25 is the replacement of the old Chardonnet triple chair with a modern, high-speed 6-seater enabling better connections between La Thuile & La Rosiere. Shame that on the way back to Italy you get dragged back up on a couple of surface tows. Snowboarders just love it!
Lift Passes Interlinked with La Rosiere Ski Resort
The La Thuile ski resort is linked by lifts, pistes & lift passes with La Rosière in France to form the Espace San Bernardo ski domain. Whilst on the La Rosiere side there is 'local' lift pass specifically for La Rosiere, on the La Thuile side there is only the Espace San Bernardo pass that is valid in both resorts. The Espace San Bernardo lift pass is slightly cheaper when purchased in La Thuile too. Whilst a lot more snow allegedly falls on the French side of the mountain, the Powderhounds think that everything is better on the Italian side, but you be the judge! Regardless, the linked ski area creates a total of 160km of piste trails and over 3,000 hectares of freeride terrain. The lift pass price represents excellent value for money.
La Thuile Ski Trail Map
The La Thuile ski trail map needs to be broken down into at least 3 different parts in order to be useful. The main trail map adequately shows the main south & east aspect terrain, however a separate overview of the northside lifts & terrain is on the trail map.
For an overview of the entire ski area, see the Espace San Bernardo trail map below.
On-Piste Terrain
Novice & beginner
Two areas are perfect for Beginner skiers and snowboarders at La Thuile ski resort. At the resort's base a flat area with surface lifts that is just right for first timers and children and is sheltered from the worst of the weather. Up the gondola to Les Suches, long beginner terrain serviced by chairlifts will provide additional progression challenges in an alpine environment with plenty of mountain huts close by to keep one fed and watered!
Intermediate Trails
The longest run in La Thuile is the 11km long San Bernardo (#7). It is essentially the snow-covered road down from the Petit Saint Bernard pass. Marked intermediate, but really a beginner trail, it realistically is more of a relaxing journey of discovery where, in true Italian fashion, one can link up several restaurants and bars on the way down to La Thuile. With several long flat sections, snowboarders need to avoid it at all costs! Jump onto the bottom of #2 and #3 for a super-fast finish.
The north side chairs all have easy intermediate trails. Some longer runs for intermediates at La Thuile are on the sunny south facing slopes into Arnouvaz and the base of the Argillien chairs. The top section is flattish and can be long and slow (snowboarders beware), but the lower section has some very pretty tree lined runs and splendid views of the Rutor Glacier.
The valley run #6, on the opposite side of hill from the long number #7 piste, is the best valley return run option for intermediates. Or you can just download on the gondola!
Advanced
Aside from the absolutely cranking Diretta/F Berthod on-piste combination - 4km of tear-inducing speed and fear; advanced skiers and snowboarders only other challenge at La Thuile is in the off-piste or backcountry.
Off-Piste, Freeride & Backcountry Terrain
The real fun at La Thuile is the off-piste. Nothing too intimidating, but just enough to get your adrenaline truly pumping. The Powderhounds absolutely loved it; 40cm of super dry powder kind of helped as well!
La Thuile is a great location to learn to ski powder due to the huge amount of low-angle off-piste terrain available, particularly on the sunny side above Les Suches and Arnouvaz.
For the more seasoned campaigner, the best freshies first thing are under the rarely used Chez Dura double on the front side. As the lifts open, anything on the northside off the Belvedere, Fourclaz and Piccolo San Bernardo chairlifts will bring buckets of joy. The Powderhounds found a heap of unsullied deep powder near the lines of runs 7a and 7b. Wasn't much sign of the alleged piste trails, which was perfect. Some great steep chutes off the Belvedere drop into Fourclaz as well.
From the high pass of the Col du Petit Saint Bernard, access to a range of alpine backcountry peaks up to 1,000m vertical above is straight forward. Return runs from most of the peaks (Belleface, Berio Blanc, Ouille et al) can be via the San Bernardo trail (road!) all the way back into town at La Thuile. Stop at one of the several bars on the way down (the Roxi is cool!).
The new lifts on Mont Valaisan in La Rosiere have increased access to a vast high alpine zone that drops into La Thuile on the backside. Spending time in this zone is time well-spent! Big laps are required to get back to the top of Mont Valaisan, but such is life.
Of course if in any doubt about skiing the off-piste at La Thuile, get a local ski instructor or guide to show you around.
Heliskiing La Thuile
Heliskiing is possible from La Thuile on the surrounding peaks like Mt Miravidi and the Rutor Glacier. The Rutor Glacier is quite mellow, but the terrain on Miravidi is more interesting. Save your money and the environment and go skinning instead!