 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all
I've just booked a trip to La Thuile 25-29th March. I can't find many reviews of the resort online so was wondering if anyone here has any useful info?
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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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Where are you staying in La Thuile? Self catering or not?
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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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Thanks. I'd not thought of looking there!!
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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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Le miramontI. Looks quite nice
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Not stayed there myself but it does look nice. Nice restaurant sort of opposite and up to your right a bit (seen with your back to the Miramonti looking away from the hotel) right next to the petrol station.
Good coffee stop in the valley opposite the Bosco Express (under the Planibel Appartments, just about the first thing you reach after you cross the road from the Bosco Express)
Lots of good huts up the mountain. Particularly liked "Off Shore" if you can find your way across to it (loved the room stuffed full of Beatles memorabilia) and also the one just below Chalet Express lift (La Foyer??) on the La Thuile side, and Relais St Bernard on the La Rosiere side. We generally preferred the huts / food / mountain restaurants on the French side, but as with so many things, that's a matter of personal preference and to me it wasn't a case of any being bad, just good, and better.
Choice of several routes to ski back down to La Thuile but we found the red that starts near the top of Bosco Express and then joins black 2, or alternatively black 5 to be better than red 6 (which seemed to be full of nervous skiers) for coming back to resort. Black 3 was worth doing but as this is to be the women's world cup run in 2016 (I think) at times it got full of people, presumably who wanted to say they had done it.
Lovely cruisy blues (a) across to La Rosiere and (b) from Le Roc Noir down to La Rosiere.
Enjoy your trip. We enjoyed ours
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Thanks for the info. I doubt I'll get to board down many black runs as the lad I'm travelling with is very inexperienced. Might be worth a solo descent.
Any decent bars for Apre or later on in the evening?
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Can't comment on bars sadly as this year we stayed at the Planibel complex and tended to stay there. Others have commented (I think on the Aosta Valley thread) that there is a good choice in the town of La Thuile, and that is how I remember it from the last time I was there about 10 years ago.
If your companion doesn't like red 6 then just download in the gondola, but do try and get him across to La Rosiere if you can. Don't know if he is a skier or boarder but you have probably been warned that the journey back to Italy from France consists of two very very long poma drag tows (I think you can do the first one and then cut across to the left to go around what I call "the back" of the La Thuile area and up the Fourclaz chair.
There is another run down, red 7, but this was closed whilst we were there.
don't forget to take your lift pass back to the lift office before they close on your last skiing day, to get your €5 deposit back
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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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We stayed in the miramonti early March a few years ago. I think it might have changed hands since we stayed there, however it was very good then. Also had an on demand private bus to the oiste which we used daily (10 mins walk otherwise). It's a quiet resort, but we (me + hubby) loved it, we are quite happy propping up a local bar for a few hours. More bars towards the miramonti than there are at the base of the piste.The restaurant mentioned up the road next to the petrol station is the pepita cafe, our favourite. Also try the chocolate shop, I'd recommend the piggish Choc fondue!! On the St Bernardo pass try the restaurant on the right hand side as you ski towards it, best stand up spoon hot chocolates ever, yes I like chocolate. Blacks to town are brilliant, piate 3 has one of the steepest bits you'll ever come across!! Others good too. Enjoy, we loved it....
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Just got back yesterday from a trip to la thuile. Husband and I will put up a proper review shortly. We stayed in the Planibel Apartments.
Long and short for now is that we loved the skiing, no queues all week, good grooming, tricky for boarders unless you're able/prepared to carry a lot of speed in some spots. Main negative was that there was pretty much zero apres compared to most other resorts we've stayed in (possibly better if you're staying in the miramonti as there were a few more places in the "old town" rather than next to the slopes/planibel area). Were not into the whole 3am nights out when skiing (or at home tbh!) but we do like a beer at the end of the day and poss be able to move around a little bit before returning to our accomodation. We found ourselves having a beer around 2/3 ish or if we stopped for lunch, but then coming down the mountain on red 6 or one of the black runs and there's only really 1 place by the gondola station where we got a beer a couple of times but nothing exciting/no music etc. Kings bar in the planibel complex was pretty awful and even being the only place we could access internet (limited at that too!) was pretty dire in all honesty. Pre saint didier (QC therme) spa was wonderful one evening we went.
Based on the skiing we would definitely return here though.
I started a thread here too: http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=116134
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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 agee that La Thuille is not the place to good for pumping Apres but it's great for everything else. +1 for Pre Saint Didier Spa (15 minute bus). I'm not really a Spa person but this was great for the evening, looking up at Mount Blanc as the sun set. It's affordable too, with a discount with ski pass.
There are also some nice little bars in the old part of town (near Miramonti) and great restaurants. For me this was much better than hanging around near the bottom of the slopes in Plannibel.
As everyone states the skiing is great which is the most important thing: La thuille, La Rosire, Courmayeur (35 mins on bus) and Pila (an hour I think) all on the same good value pass. Have fun
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Stayed in the Miramonti last year. Great hotel. Left our skis at the depot underneath main gondola station so generally walked the 10 minutes to the lifts rather than use the excellent ski bus service. No way is it Val D'Isere or one of the big Austrian resorts for après ski but nor does it pretend to be. As mentioned some nice bars down by the Miramonti plus lovely terrace bar in the hotel itself just above the river, if the weather is nice.
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You know it makes sense.
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As a boarder, you will want to be super careful to keep your speed up. There are several flat areas, and even some uphill stretches, on parts of the higher slopes. I found myself having to unstrap and walk quite a few times. A retractable pole may be of help...
Also, I didn't try it myself, but I heard that the journey back from La Rosiere is not ideal on a board, since you need to use a long drag lift.
But regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed La Thuile, the quietness and overall quality of the slopes more than made up for any slight negative aspects. The red runs down to resort were good fun, and the untouched off-piste powder near the top was 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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| fps_John wrote: |
| Also, I didn't try it myself, but I heard that the journey back from La Rosiere is not ideal on a board, since you need to use a long drag lift. |
Not ideal is very much an under-statement. There are actually two consecutive drags, around 5 or 10 minutes duration each. And if you do come off halfway along, for most parts of the lift there is no exit to the piste, you have to ski back down the path of the lift.
If you have boarders that really don't like button lifts, then this definitely isnt for them. The boarders in my group made it up fine, but vowed that doing it once was enough for the holiday!
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Poster: A snowHead
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I'm a skier and I HATE surface lifts with a passion SO I only take the 1st Drag lift and then ski off left and head for the Fourclaz high-speed, detachable, covered 4 man chair to get over into the main Les Suches bowl. The lift itself is easy. We have even managed it with a disabled sklier who skied between the legs of an able bodied helper. My 2 weeks experience boarding son managed it no problem. I cried like a baby at the knee pain but hey, it was only once a day.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks for the tips. I generally board quite quickly (Where appropriate) so not too fussed about the flats. My friend, however, has only done a week boarding so will try to pick and choose the runs where possible.
Surface lifts can be a drag but will give them a go anyhow.
I'll try to do a TR when we're back.
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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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Frank Lundy Last time we were there we skied from the La Rosiere side. We parked at the connecting isolated chair (sorry, don't know the name) that is above Bourg St Maurice but below La Rosiere. The run back down to it is long, great fun and was deserted the twice we did it.
And there's an absolutely idyllic tiny, rustic bar/restaurant at the bottom of the run.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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mountainaddict, that will be access from Seez via the Ecudets chair. Nice and quiet if a bit of an old chair
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