 Poster: A snowHead
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Ray Zorro, is dissing an approriate word for a man of your "experience" ? 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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, No you are correct, just didn't realise you were such a happenin' dude. I'm stoked for you. 
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Ray, Frosty et all Thanks for an absolutely brilliant thread. Not for its swiping or 'counter culture' but for the depth of information and objectivity around a particular resort with references etc.
A thought though ... anyone of us could go to Hoppos excellent Resort reference in this section and start a similar thing at any time - as 'Feedback Threads' are linked at the end of each report, thereby enabling the feedback to be a permanent and linked record for any new or interested user. Thoughts? ( PS Please do Val d'isere next as that seems to now be our alternative Xmas destination)
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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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eEvans,
Agreed, we should make more use of Hoppos reference section
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Great thread! Well done Ray Zorro for starting it
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A few thought s on La Ros . I must admit first of all to be one of the people who are slightly sceptical about a few of the claims and think it is sometimes overtouted, I do though think that it is a resort with many merits that would suit quite a few skiers.
I have recommended La Thuile to friends as well as on SH’s and certainly the friends who have been have returned.
I have visited La Thuile once before I joined SH’s and so had no preconceived opinions. I skied the full area with several friends.
Its merits:
I think the snow reliability is genuinely excellent I have spoken with guides from elsewhere in the Tarentaise who tell me that it gets a lot of snow due to its position.
Quietish slopes, it is less busy than other resorts in the area it is always good to ski without crowds.
Good off piste A combination of relatively heavy snow falls and a less crowded area often makes for good off piste. We found quite a bit of interesting skiing on our visit as has another chap who I know who was looking for stuff a bit more serious than we were.
Things for which I think the claims are unjustified.
Good for beginners late season:
I think one of my first posts on Sh’s was scepticism about this point . It is south facing whereas any intermediate skier will have no difficulty crossing to La Thuile a beginner will usually be stuck on one side of the mountain. I did not visit particularly late in the year but Every resort that I have been to in late season the south facing pistes tend to get very icy in the morning and slushy in the afternoon unless the snow is very fresh or the weather unseasonal. I think there must be better places to learn than this however good the ski school.
Good in bad weather because of the trees at La Thuile
Well if the lift reports on the internet prior to my visit were accurate the crossing to La Thuile often closes in bad weather rendering the trees useless to those based in La Ros.
Good Piste skiing for all levels.
Apart from a couple of moderate blacks to La Thuile that were well bashed on my visit the piste skier looking for a challenge would be disappointed. Enjoyable cruising in attractive surroundings yes, challenging not really, no moguls to speak of.
Personally I think it is a fine area and would happily return, I prefer resorts to be quieter than the Tarentaise mega resorts. Most skiers will find plenty to interest themselves I certainly don’t need a larger area for my holidays but I agree that it can be overhyped.
La Thuile versus La Ros?
Well most skiers will be able to get between the two satisfactorily and I haven’t stayed at La Ros but La Thuile is very quiet indeed for Apres if that is important . From the skiing point of view I think there is something to be said for La Ros early season when you will benefit from the warmth of the sun and La Thuile later in the season when the North and Easterly l slopes will be in better condition.
Some of the posts imply that if Mr Tracks were on this thread it would get abusive. To be fair to Mr Tracks I have never recalled him ever getting abusive to any body having a difference of opinion as to its merits.
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We went to La Rosiere (2 adults, 2 kids, 8 and 10) on the advice of Snowheads. It is the only resort where I have skied that I would never go back to.
We were there right at the start of the season and almost everything was open, but the runs were very tame. They are almost all on the same slope, very little variation in gradient, mostly wide and uninteresting. After the first 2 days we braved the wind to go to La Thuile and went there for 5 of the last 6 days. The only day we didn't go we were skiing with others who were afraid of crossing through the wind tunnel, so we stayed in France.
I suppose a summary of other's enjoyment of the resort was our final day. We left the resort at about 8pm, so skiied all day in Italy, a glorious sunny day at La Thuile, empty pistes, the blacks down to the valley were in good condition, we skied all day and came back at the end, into the cloud at La Rosiere. Back at the apartments we found a big crowd of unhappy people waiting for the bus, they hadn't bothered to ski as they they ha skied all La Rosiere had to offer and just weren't interested in another day.
Perhaps the weather we had was unusual, cloudy in France, a very high wind across the border and sunny in Italy, but perhaps not, because one of the resort's plus points is meant to be better than expected snow coverage due to a local microclimate.
I don't even rate it highly as a beginner resort, despite the good reputation of ESF locally. We shared the chalet with a family of 4, only Dad, who had skied twice before, got up the mountain, Mum and the kids remained at the bottom. Dad loved the views from the top and the feeling of space, but the others only saw the bottom of one slope all week.
Is it child friendly? Well, I think that everywhere we have been is child friendly, but many are friendlier than La Rosiere. The kids found very little to do after skiing, there's no pool, no slopes to bumboard, not much architecture to look at, no trips out at night. The lifts weren't very much fun for tinies, Sam at 8 learned how to do a 360 on the lift, as there were 3 tows where he wasn't tall enough to reach the ground all the way up, including a stretch of over 50m on the way to Italy.
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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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One of my first posts here on Snowheads was, what I thought was a fairly balanced, report of my recent week in La Ros- I started the post by saying that I'd had a good week- fantastically quiet pistes, a few fantastic runs (Ecudets and Fontain froids as already mentioned, some nice stuff around the Col, and the Arnouvaz area of La Thuile) but also listed a few reservations I'd had. Granted, I'd been in a bad snow week with very limited off piste, but even so, the amount of genuinely challenging, interesting and exciting on-piste skiing is, in my opinion fairly limited.
Anyway, I was Lambasted!!!! It's only since lurking around here for a while that I've begun to recognise the elevated status it holds on here!
I always look at a piste map before I go somewhere new and hope to get that spine tingling feeling when you notice something that looks amazing- Normally that translates pretty well to the real deal. But, the San Bernado red on the far side of La Thuile has to be the biggest piste-map to piste let down I've ever come across! (It does have a nice food stop half way down though
So, horses for courses. La Rosiere is a fantastic resort if you like that kind of thing- as with any other resort.
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| Quote: |
But, the San Bernado red on the far side of La Thuile has to be the biggest piste-map to piste let down I've ever come across!
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Bexen, I have never done that run, was put off as the enad section I saw was very flat (it is a road in summer) but have been tempted by the nosebag.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Just found this & have to speak up for its medical centre! Went there once for the day & b**gered my knee (just over the border in Italy in fact).
Blood wagon man & doc & nurse in med centre were very kind!
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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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| Jane L wrote: |
| We went to La Rosiere (2 adults, 2 kids, 8 and 10) on the advice of Snowheads. It is the only resort where I have skied that I would never go back to. |
I've never been exposed to La Rosiere except on sH's and that quote alone makes me want to never go.
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| arv wrote: |
| Jane L wrote: |
| We went to La Rosiere (2 adults, 2 kids, 8 and 10) on the advice of Snowheads. It is the only resort where I have skied that I would never go back to. |
I've never been exposed to La Rosiere except on sH's and that quote alone makes me want to never go. |
I spotted that too! Ace quote!
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You know it makes sense.
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I've had 2 good value holidays in La Rosiere. The skiing is OK. I much preferred La Thuile. Fontaine Froid is OK, but nothing that you wouldn't find all over the place in Austria.
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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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I love love loved the Fontaine Froid. The rest of La Ros was samey and boring though. La Thuile is better.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I went to La Rosiere in the summer ...................................... but only to get to Italy for lunch.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Is this the snowHead version of a run on the bank?
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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 went to La Rosiere on a Crystal chalet holiday in (I think) 2001, end of January. We had a good holiday, the kids loved it, ski school was great, but I seemed to ski the same pistes all the time, the link to Italy was closed much of the week, and I was almost blown off the Roc Noir (?) drag lift by the crosswind in a blizzard.
We would possibly have gone back,if the price had been right, but later in the same season discovered Serre Chevalier, and have only been back to the Tarentaise area once since (Champagny for La Plagne). If we had returned, I think we would have been disappointed.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Blimey!
It's all quite partisan and vitriolic for and against La Rosiere, isn't it?!
I had not seen this site before. I've booked with my wife and daughter (6) to go mid Feb, and doing a bit of post-booking research.
I'll tell you why we booked it.
Friends with young children recommended it.
We don't want to lock our daughter away in childcare ALL day, so need to get back after lunch for some family skiing
We didn't want to feel we'd paid for all the benefits of a massive ski area, only to see 50% of it, due to the family nature of the holiday.
We want to feel like we've experienced the full resort (incl. La Thuile) and give our daughter a cracking intro to skiing (beyond a couple of days at Glenshee!)
We've been to the big resorts (child free) and love it there
We've been up the road to the tiddly barren Scottish 'resorts' and love it there (given that it is a 2 hour drive from the house, how could it not be good?!)
We're not looking for massive everything, and the holiday prices, lift prices, and hire prices all reflect this.
I'll let you all know what it is REALLY like in a couple of weeks
The other benefit of living in Scotland i that half term does not coincide with the English half term.
If we fly out of an English Airport, we get excellent prices!
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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dudders, welcome to snowHeads. I hope you have a great holiday.
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| dudders wrote: |
Blimey!
It's all quite partisan and vitriolic for and against La Rosiere, isn't it?!
I had not seen this site before. I've booked with my wife and daughter (6) to go mid Feb, and doing a bit of post-booking research.
I'll tell you why we booked it.
The other benefit of living in Scotland i that half term does not coincide with the English half term.
If we fly out of an English Airport, we get excellent prices! |
i was in courmayeur early jan and went to la thuile / rossier for the day.
really enjoyed la thuile but didn't bother going over to rossiere side as the wind at the time felt like when you first walk out of the funicular in aviemore.
some great places to have something to eat on the mountain, also had the look of a mini la plagne to me.
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Mugen - if you didn't go over to la rosiere how do you know what it looked like? 
Dudders - we chose la rosiere for similar reasons. We used the ESF lessons plus lunch club and it gives you plenty of time to get to la thuile and back. There are lots of gentle runs on the la rosiere side to do with the children in the afternoon. The wind takes a bit of getting used to in La Rosiere. Worth taking balaclavas!
We really enjoyed our holiday in la rosiere and I'm sure you will have a great time.
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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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dudders, Welcome to snowHeads!
Look at the dates most of this is from 2006/7
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Boredsurfing wrote: |
dudders, Welcome to snowHeads!
Look at the dates most of this is from 2006/7 |
Yes, it's even better now....
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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'll let you know - still looking forward to it.
SOme friends, experienced skiers - were there last year, with kids of 4,7 & 10. It was their first trip 'en famille' and they really loved it. Didn't feel too tame, and a welcome break from some of the bigger, more 'apres ski' based resorts. We'll see.
As you say, horses for courses.
a snow dance needed, though!
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You know it makes sense.
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dudders, welcome to  hope you have a great time.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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thanks Timbo
How are the nursery areas for the nippers?
The wife and i can get to La Thuile and back during classes, but 6 year old daughter will be stuck in ski school at village level, and we're probably limited to La Ros blues in the afternoons.
I see a hint of snow expected at the weekend.......
too long range a forecast to pin much hope on, but a dusting, however minor, will be most welcome!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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dudders,
As long as it does not get any warmer, from what we saw there were plenty of sproglettes using the free drag lift near the Eucherts express lift.
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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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splendid - thanks
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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Ray Zorro, I agree. When we went to La Ros, we were also in ski school so it didn't really matter too much, but when kids were in lessons and we weren't we preferred somewhere with a bit more choice within easy reach of ski school pickup. Favourite at that time was Belle Plagne, as we could head off to Plagne Bellecote and had a number of options.
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ray,
on some days she has lunch with the ski school.
We get 5 hours, before meeting her at 2. plenty of time to get across for a good couple of hours in Italy.
We'll see.
i've never been to the same resort twice, and will probably go somewhere else next year, and somewhere else again the year after that.
Like to see the world, rather than return to the same place all the time. Not expecting to become La Ros residents or anything!
we're going on a friend's recommendation, based on their experiences with their kids.
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ray,
on some days she has lunch with the ski school.
We get 5 hours, before meeting her at 2. plenty of time to get across for a good couple of hours in Italy.
We'll see.
i've never been to the same resort twice, and will probably go somewhere else next year, and somewhere else again the year after that.
Like to see the world, rather than return to the same place all the time. Not expecting to become La Ros residents or anything!
we're going on a friend's recommendation, based on their experiences with their kids.
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Ray zorro - as I said above it is possible to ski on the la thuile side and get back in time for ski school. Ski school is 2 1/2 hours and if you book the plus lunch club option it is 3 1/2 hours skiing which is plenty of time to ski in la thuile. My children enjoyed the club at les eucharts and made friends with some other children there. Then we still had plenty of time to ski with them.
This year and last we were in resorts without the lunch club option and found it hard to reach linked areas.
From what I recall we spent one morning doing the san bernando area and two on the la thuile side. We didn't get right down to la thuile village but didn't mind. If we'd really rushed we probably would have made it right down there but we preferred to stop for a hot chocolate and panini and use the lovely Italian hole in the ground loo 
I would not fancy skiing over to la thuile with my children due to the long drags and chance of one of them falling off.
Hells bells - la plagne lift pass is a lot more than espace san bernando so I think la rosiere is better value when the children are younger and not skiing the whole area.
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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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This area can more or less be skied in a day if you go for it but it is a refreshing alternative to the neo-Disney resorts that surround it with their total nightmare of ski ironmongery and apres ski thuggery that seem to dominate. I quite liked it but it is not a resort for experienced skiers/experts, etc.
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well, we're back, and had an excellent week. A bit burnt, sore thighs etc..
Yes, it hasn't snowed for ages, there's ice, a few bare patches about, but this is a similar story in many resorts.
There was a flurry of snow on Tuesday. Not a dump, but enough to freshen things up a bit.
There was loads in La Thuile, which made the run across into Italy amazing - right down into the town at 1,440m
As a family holiday it was excellent. Esprit looked after us well, and our 6 year old had an excellent time.
Chalet by the nursery slope, so no lugging gear about town.
Time to get across to Italy for some excellent skiing before returning to spend the afternoon on the lower slopes with the nipper.
She was doing reds by the end of the week, after her first week's skiing.
food good, chalet hosts good, town friendly for families.
some of the chair lifts a bit slow and ancient - could do with a couple of covered ones like La Thuile
La Rosiere would be a bit restrictive as a resort if the Italy link was closed, although fresh powder would open it up significantly, with all runs linked across the bowl with some fun powder - not to be last week, though.
We felt we got a good week's skiing (with Italy open) and didn't feel 'cut off' from a larger ski area by the need to be back to resort at 2.00pm to rescue the spawn.
Not sure if i'd be prepared to pay full whack for Esprit, but as a late deal, it was excellent value for money.
Will use Ski Republic or a.n.other to book gear next time though. Gear through Esprit was good, but not the cheapest.
Yes, i'd definitely go there again, but i've not been to the same place twice yet....!
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FAQ
I thought it meant "disrespect" - have I said something I shouldn't 
