 Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
Edit 30th December 2006.
This thread was begun as a reaction to the continuous promtion of La Rosiere on this site by a particular chalet owner over a period of a few months. It was not intended to be a "damning" of the resort, but an open discussion to highlight both the good and bad points as a direct counterbalance to the hype. |
You can virtually guarantee that anyone seeking advice on accommodation in the Alps will be directed towards La Rosiere. Be they looking for h/b in Austria or self-catering in the Portes de Soleil  .
I have't trawled through all the posts, but to my mind it has been suggested as having:
~ the best slopes for beginners, but is great for experts and off-piste too
~ it is quiet and undiscovered but has a buzzing apres ski and the best snow record in France.
~ it has international skiing (La Thiule), it boasts an excellent restaurant - Le Rascard (actually that is also La Thuile) and it has great motorway cruising slopes (oh -and that is also La Thuile) - so how come no one ever suggests staying in La Thuile?
I had to go - well when you hear so much about a place you just have to do it. If you are reading this and haven't yet been, I bet it is now on your list of places to go. It was a sunny April when I went, yet I still froze on possibly the slowest and most wind-exposed chairs in Europe (they never seem to get a mention in the advertising?). When I was there I was informed that the area is renowned for the severity of the wind (though I'm sure that this will be denied rather vigorously later on here  )? It was a relief to get back to La Thuile, out of the wind, into the sun and to the more modern enclosed and faster chairs.
There may be a decent number of slopes , but the bulk of the skiing we did on the La Rosiere side felt so similar, it was hard to tell which slope was which, as most of them seemed to run parallel to each other on similar gradient, open area - it wasn't the most interesting skiing that I've done by a long way.
And if you do want to ski that area, why not go to La Thuile instead, which is about 1.5 hours from both Geneva and Turin on good fast roads. Why does no-one ever suggest that? 
Overall I thought it was fine, I'm glad I went so that I can understand and read between the lines whenever it gets touted. I'd go again  , but then I'd go again to most places I've been so far. Of the resorts I've been to, returning wouldn't be highest on my list by any means.
But as I have only been there once, I am clearly not in the best position to judge . So what do others think? Does it deserve its snowHead reputation that seems to place it so way ahead of all other resorts?
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sun 31-12-06 17:35; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I suggest you try La Rosiere next time you go awy 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Ray Zorro, the wind does tend to blow away from La Rosiere up the valley  seriously
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
Does it deserve its snowHead reputation that seems to place it so way ahead of all other resorts
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It's "Snowhead reputation" derives basically from david@traxvax who has a place there. David is understandably a fan of the place and if I had a place in the Alps I'd be doing the same. But surely people are able to sift truth from opinion from spin, and are able to judge evidence based on the number of sources and any axes to grind etc?
I've only skied there for a few days and it's nice, but the reason it's not as well known amongst Brits as the 3V and Espace Killy is because it's not as good - simple as that! Like you say the French side pistes lack variety and there are some dodgy lifts near the top (I was last there 3 or 4 years ago though...). Like any ski resort in good conditions you will have a great time, but overall the area lacks any wow factor.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Hi Ray Zorro - it's good to get balancing posts like this - because people, myself included will contribute positively to posts about areas they love and have a stake in.
I had a similar experience with Alpe d'Huez. So I simply won't go again.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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PhillipStanton, hmm. I injured myself at ADH, yet still though it a great place, and thought it underrated for some really good skiing. Which doesn't invalidate your point of view at all, of course.
For me it just highlights the "different folks" thing.
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I've only skied La Rosiere/La Thuile for one day, and not spent any time in either if the villages, so my comments are just about general impressions of the skiing.
On the La Ros side there was a nice range of blues and gentle reds, which were long and wide. Good for building self-confidence and gentle piste cruising, but a bit limited for skiers looking for challenging terrain. We seemed to cover quite a lot of the main pistes in La Ros on one day, so I guess it's a fair bit smaller than the large ski stations in France where I mostly ski. There did seem to be a fair bit of scope for gentle off-piste, without having to ski too far from the lifts. There didn't seem to be much in the way of skiing below the tree-line, either on piste or off. The exceptions to this were the long red and black pistes down to the Escudets chair lift (the lowest point in the domain); I skied the red and it enjoyed it a lot.
From my perspective the skiing on the La Thuile was much more interesting. A greater proportion of steeper pistes and more skiing below the tree-line then the gentle pistes of La Ros. Overall there seemed to be much more variety of piste skiing on offer. Again, my general impression was that there wasn't a large amount of terrain available, and a busy day of skiing would get you around all principal pistes. There seemed to be less easily accessible off-piste than the La Ros side, although that's a really general impression and may not be accurate. To get from La Rosiere to La Thuile and back you have to ski across a broad, flat col between the two resorts. The skiing in this part of the doamin is, frankly, dull. If it wasn't actually getting you to a particular destination I can't see much enjoyment in skiing there. On our way back from La Thuile to La Rosiere, the wind across the col was incredibly strong. On a couple of long, flat pistes the only way to make progress was to get down in a tuck and ski in a straight line; standing up meant you can to a halt! Talking to people back in Les Arcs later in the day there had been no wind there at all, despite the fact that it is on the other side of the same valley. Perhaps it is a topographic effect across the col between La Ros and La Thuile?
One aspect of the skiing I didn't enjoy was the age of the lift network. Too many long drag lifts and too many old, slow chairlifts. The drag lifts on the col between the two resorts were particularly unwelcome. Very long, and quite flat so you didn't gain much height. One of the drag lifts here was particularly fierce, and the button was pulled straight out of my hand before I could get aboard. If/when those drags are replaced by chairs it will be much quicker to get across the col, which willl be a very good thing in my opinion.
The advanatage of a ski domain which straddles France and Italy is you get to choose between two cuisines. It was enjoyable to pop into Italy for lunch, and the Italian hot chocolates were quite spectacular - so thick and chocolatey you could stand your spoon up in them!
It's very easy to get to La Rosiere from Bourg St Maurice and my base in Les Arcs, so I'll certainly be returning for more day trips (holders of Les Arcs skipasses get a big discount on day tickets at La Ros). But I didn't think that there were any unique selling points that quite justify the good press that the resort gets here on snowHeads. The skiing was good, especially for those not looking for challenging terrain, but I felt it was limited in extent and variety compared to the nearby resorts that I mostly ski, and was served by quite an old, slow lift network.
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Yes IMHO it is all its cracked up to be.
Its not cracked up to be 3v or Espace Killy, but neither is it Borovets or Alpbach.
Pistes - Yes some of the slopes on the La Rosiere side are fairly featureless and "samey", but the 2 lowest runs are excellent, with the red or red/black mixture of Fontaine Froide and Ecudets being one of the finest in The Alps. I double dare any skier not to get the lift back up "do it again".
Speak to those that know the place (not just David) and they will tell you that the off piste is excellent and very accessible.
Wind - yes it can be windy, but again stick to the lower tree runs (possibly not open in April Ray). The Wind is just as bad in La Thuile
La Thuile or La Rosiere - I would go to either, but La Rosiere is south facing wheras La Thuile is North facing and down in the Valley. La Thuile is cheaper for food, La Rosiere has far better ski schools. English is more widely used in La Rosiere.
Lifts - Big improvements with the 2 high speed 6 pack chairs that were put in for the 04-05 season, but I cannot understand why the Main Roches Noire chair was not built with a cover.
Why do we keep going back? Well we have always had a fantastic holiday.
The ski area is really one area and at each end is a ski "town", one is Italian and one is French, and that character stretches to the border in the middle. I can see why some good skiers would prefer the huge domains, but that does not explain why folks that spend all season there, go back year after year.
Perhaps Kevin McLean best described why I like it
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| achilles wrote: |
| ...For me it just highlights the "different folks" thing. |
Exactly achilles
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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i enjoyed skiing both sides of the border but on balance think the slopes on the La Thuile side are better
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brian
brian
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I haven't actually skied there but visited as part of an apartment hunting tour. We did seriously consider it and I spoke to a couple of people who knew the area. In the end, the perceived drawbacks of the ski area, the wind as previously mentioned and the fact that it's due south facing and hence will be prone to the slush/ice thing, were one of the major factors putting us off. I'd summarise pros/cons as:
pros - nice quiet resort, good place to take the family, uplift improving since purchase by STVI, reasonably attractive village, fantastic views, proximity to other Tarentaise stations especially Paradiski via BSM.
cons - not many restaurants, some uplift needs improving, slightly bland local slopes, wind/sun, a bit dead in summer
Plus for prospective buyers, the Tarentaise property boom means it is very definitely not cheap.
I'd definitely consider it for a family holiday with young kids. Older parties or more experienced skiers would probably be better off elsewhere.
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You know it makes sense.
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Peter Leuzzi, Nothing warm and fuzzy about a La Rosiere lift
I agree though. If we can maintain decorum and civility then threads like this are excellent.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Frosty the Snowman, thanks for that comment. Thats how I see it.
To be honest  has been peeving me a bit lately because there are a handful of know-all's who drip sarcasm and in-jokes and at times I've thought "well where is the fun in all that. I dont want to send a question or a thought that might be dumb or obvious to 99% of people with fear of it turning into a wee wee take." I like the humour and the banter, but I think the decorum/civility thing has been by-passed a bit lately.
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Poster: A snowHead
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If I knew how to edit I would add after !"wee wee take" the words "and english lesson".
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Peter Leuzzi, if you click on the little scissors icon on the right hand side of any post you make you will be be able to edit what you've written.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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rob@rar.org.uk, ta
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I have to say that after all I have heard about La Rosiere on Snowheads (and it does have quite a following) I was rather intreiged. Looking through my spangly new copy of Where to Ski I thought I would check out what they had to say on it and see what all the fuss was about. I have to say i was quite shocked at the size of the ski area. I know that size isn't everything but La Rosiere itself is only listed as having 47km of piste which is on a par with some other great but certainly small more 'local' resorts like Alpe des Grand Serre which don't even make it into the book! Now obviously with its links into Italy it brings it up to a far more respectable 150km but that is still a long way short of nearly all of the 'big' French resorts and what if the links are shut due to the wind or bad weather. I think this is possibly where La Rosiere could fall down. Not because its 150kms aren't great skiing but because the hype that it is currently getting had led me to believe that is was a resort that could compete with the big resorts in France which by the sounds of it, it doesn't really have the extent or the variety of terrain to do so! I'm sure it is a fantastic resort and I am very much hoping to get over for a day at least this season to see what all the fuss is about but I think the ammount of biging it up that is going on at the moment could be leading people to expect far more from this ski area that perhaps it can deliver. It sounds more to me like the type of place that you need to discover for yourself and be wowed by all of the things that probably do set it aside from other big French resorts - not go there expecting it to be one of them 
If I do make it there this season I will be sure to let you know of my opinion on it having skied it!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I dont want to send a question or a thought that might be dumb or obvious to 99% of people with fear of it turning into a wee wee take."
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Peter Leuzzi, To me the edit button is obvious (coz I spend too much time on here) but I would hate to think anyone would take the michael because you had the gumption to ask about it. That would be most rude.
BTW how do I search for all posts by a poster. I type in the name in the authors box and get "no matches"
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brian
brian
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Frosty the Snowman, I just tried that with you and got 8755 matches. Not sure why your other 132 posts didn't show ??
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I've stayed in both La Thuile and La Ros. The comments about the wind are spot on. However, it's not just in the col - either side can be equally perishing. Having said that, both resorts are pleasant, in very different ways. La Ros seemed to have more life to it. Although La Thuile seems quieter, we found some lovely bars and of course it has La Rascard. Overall, we enjoyed both, for different reasons and would go back again, but maybe not for a couple of years.
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brian
brian
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| katski wrote: |
| what if the links are shut due to the wind or bad weather. |
To be fair, that's true anywhere. I spent 4 days in Val d'Isere a few years ago with no link to Tignes, nothing above the cable car in the Fornet sector, nothing above the top of Solaise cable car and only the valley lifts at La Daille, the Funival was open but it was like Cairngorm at the top of it.
Fantastic skiing though
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I spent 2 days in La Plagne with 1 small drag open in Plagne Centre. But hey thats the weather for you. Makes me howl when folks say " I wouldn't go back there, the weather was rubbish". Its swings and roundabouts.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I had great weather and conditions in La Plage but still say its to flat- I have an aversion to poling. Skiing is all about gravity
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I've never skied there but have driven through in Summer and can't say I was overwhelmed by the terrain possibililities on the French side. Its probably horses for courses I suspect its fine for families who wan tsome nice intermediate cruisers in a small and friendly resort but to suggest its the perfect place for everyone would clearly be inappropriate. Unfortunately it seems that some residents are not really that balanced in their opinion and see fit to slate nearby places like Espace Killy and St Foy in favour of their preferred area.
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brian
brian
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Excellent thread this, I think a must see link for anyone considering La Ros. Perhaps a series of resort threads in a Zorroesque "is it all it is cracked up to be" stylee ?
Mind you there are very few resorts as cracked up as La Ros on here.
Anyone want to do Serre Chevalier or Wengen, of which I know nothing ?
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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ok, so if you wanted this place for family but with loads of off piste for the big boys, is it worth the trip?
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brian
brian
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Frosty the Snowman, surely this thread has brought out the pros as much as the cons ?? Doesn't read like a picking on to me ?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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brian, No, you have upset me know. I am leaving never to return. You have all gone too far.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I tried to be as fair as I could, and included a caveat that I've only skied there for a day. I wouldn't say that I was picking on the resort, simply trying to give a balanced view because La Ros gets such a lot of airtime around these parts
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brian
brian
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Frosty the Snowman, can I be first with the Bring Back Frosty thread then ? 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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brian, Look, it worked.
rob@rar.org.uk, I went to Arcs 1800 once. My chips were too salty. I shall not return.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Probably one of the most informed and civil threads for a while but then again David@ has not joined in yet
As far as La Plagne is concerned I think its only Plagne Centre which is the really flat bit. Even if you get some speed up coming down from Aime (?) you have to slow down as you come in to Plagne Centre which means a degree of poling to get to the lifts out, a complete PITA.
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We went to La Ros last year based upon comments on our main reason was we were looking for a resort with varied skiing but most importantly as we were going at half term would not involve long waits at the lift queues. Having previously been to resorts where this was a major issue. La Ros certainly came up to expectations on this front as I cannot remember having to stand in a queue for more than 5 mins at even the busiest time of day.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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And someone implied there wasn't enough ski talk around here
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FAQ
If you get off at the top of the 1st drag there is some fabulous stuff to be had down to the left, all served by 2 high speed covered quads, which can also reduce the falt run home by half.
