La Thuile Skiing & Snowboarding
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.
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 Petit San Bernardo chairlifts (where you will find skiers from La Rosiere poaching the powder!).
Lift Pass 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. A lot more snow allegedly falls on the French side of the mountain, but 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 3000 hectares of terrain. The lift price represents excellent value for money.
La Thuile 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 here.
For an overview of the entire ski area, see the Espace San Bernardo trail map.
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!
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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 number 6, on the opposite side of hill from the long number 7 slope, 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 low angle off piste available, particularly 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!).
Heliskiing La Thuile
Heliskiing is possible from La Thuile on the surrounding peaks like Mt Miravidi and the Rutor glacier. More information is coming soon ..... or maybe not! Go skinning instead.
