 Poster: A snowHead
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First time poster. Thinking about a February half term trip to Espace San Bernardo. Our group is leaning more towards La Rosiere because of wider range of self catering options. We are two families (4 adults and 4 children of 9 to 13) and enjoy sharing an apartment and mucking in with the cooking etc...
But I am slightly nervous about being in France in half term where I expect it to be busier because of French school holidays.
Can anyone give a bit of guidance about how busy slopes get on both the French and Italian sides of the mountain and whether we would be better to base ourselves in La Thuile where it will be presumably less busy?
Thanks
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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 haven't been to either, so can't help -- But Welcome to SnowHeads 
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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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DIY trip or Tour Operator? How will you travel? We tend to fly from Northern UK and hire a car from our destination airport. Doing this, I have found it easier to get to La Rosiere, but La Thuile is perfectly do-able.
Personal opinion is that I like both. Le Thuile seems to be colder and better late snow but both should be good in February. I haven't self catered in La Rosiere so can't comment on that. We have stayed in the Planibel Apartments in La Thuile and they were perfectly acceptable and might suit if you want two adjacent apartments.
The Planibel complex is very close indeed to the main access lift. Planibel is a little separated from the main part of the village by a river. There are bridges but it just feels easier to stay and use the shops / ski hire / eating places / etc around Planibel. Nothing wrong with that but you get the feel of being in a complex rather than being in the village. Maybe I am being unfair.
Nothing wrong with Planibel (we have made return visits) but it is worth making the effort to cross the bridge and experience the village as well.
It's a couple of years (probably more than I remember) since we were at La Rosiere and they were just really starting to get going with the Les Eucherts(?) side which looked like it was going to have a lot of self catering accommodation.
I can't comment on how busy they are at half term, but we have enjoyed both resorts, have made return visits to both resorts and hope to make future visits to both.
I don't know the skiing abilities of your group. Out on the hill both resorts will suit a wide range of skier. The run back down to Planibel on the La Thuile side is (from memory) either a black which was reasonably quiet, or a longish red (red 7???) which got busy at the end of the day. If I remember rightly, you could download in the gondola though.
I would say overall, Planibel apartments would suit two families, with any nervous skier downloading in the gondola at the end of the day
Oh, and WELCOME. Someone who knows more will come along with more accurate and more up to date comments.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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LaThuille is cheaper , the food is better and skiing is better . if it’s a bad weather week the skiing on the Italian side is sheltered with plenty of tree skiing whilst the majority of skiing in La Rosiere is above the tree line and prone to wind . I have an apartment nearby to La Rosiere on the French side so know the skiing well . I don’t however have any opinion on accommodation .
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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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The la Thuile tree skiing, apart from a dull road and a nice red, is not for the nervous.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Frosty the Snowman, fair comment
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La Thuile. Less crowded. Better, much better food. Cheaper. You can usually find airbnb's.
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We've skied both, but I can't be sure in my memory about the dates - I think La Rosiere was probably half term and wasn't that bad. In both we experienced days when the weather meant the wind was funneled through the pass connecting them so the higher runs in either weren't pleasant.
Given you have kids in your party who might include relative beginners, I would be inclined to lean towards La Rosiere - it has some good easy runs back to the resort wheras as @Frosty the Snowman says the lower runs in La Thuile are fairly challenging (though you can download on the gondola).
But La Thuile is a nicer village (with decent restaurants as you would expect from Italy) though you would almost certainly end up self-catering in the Planibel apartments as @JohnHSmith says, they are perfectly good but a walk up from the village though right next to the ski-lifts .
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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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Thanks for taking the time to reply - much appreciated.
We went for La Rosiere in the end - we just couldn't find self catered accommodation for 8 together in La Thuile. Definitely looking forward to visiting La Thuile for food though.
Hope that we and all other Snowheads get a full season next year.
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Hi, i'm late to the party as you've already made a decision ... I don't think you'll regret it.
have skiied in La Ros about 10 times in the last 20yrs as the kids have grown up and even in holiday weeks (the last half term trip for us was about 5 yrs ago) its never been that busy, perhaps a bit busier now as Les Eucherts has developed significantly but we've always found the lift Qs are nothing like the big resorts. Haven't stayed in La Thuile, but also never really liked the runs back down to the village - unless i fancied a challenge! the runs around the Picollo St bernardo are nice though.
Being able to cruise 'home' at the end of the day in the sun (weather permiting) is a nice aspect of La Ros.
Agree with the comments on some great food on the italian side - if you can bear the long flat piste to get there La Riondet is V nice - but you may have to book ahead.
To offer comment beyond your original post - if using the ski school, i'd be weary of ESF in peak weeks. Every year, on most days we have seen long snakes of kids behind one instructor (i think 18 was the record, 12-15 typical) - not an isolated occurance. In the peak weeks they just seemed to stack the classes, more of a 'creche on snow/cash cow' than ski lessons. Having used Evo2 for years they seemed to stick to no more than 8 rule & used younger more dynamic instructors.
anyway - hope that you have a great trip.
& hoping to see all us snow heads on the piste next season.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks @JonA, that's useful on ski schools. Our kids will need a school so will definitely lean more Evo2 than ESF.
Also really good to know that La Rosiere queues will hopefully not be too bad.
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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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Having gone round the houses, I too am now thinking about La Thuile or La Ros. My only worry is just how rammed it will be. I seem to remember reading that La Ros tends to be less busy that some French resorts during half term. Anyone know if that stacks up? My wife definitely won't want to ski back to La Thuile, but having the ability to ski back on the La Ros side would be nice.
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You know it makes sense.
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Interesting. I particularly like this bit "La Rosière’s slopes are likely to be quiet. This is partly because the resort has relatively few tourist beds for its size "
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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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@Westers17,
The slopes have been redesigned since we visited on a number of occasions, making them safer (The return from from Italy and the Fort crossed far too many pistes). We thought La Ros was a fantastic place for kids and hence a large group of us went back for several years. Apart from the occasional BRUTAL wind, it is a lovely, family resort.
Kids, now adults, have skied all over but they still say their best holidays were in La Ros. I know the resort has expanded, but so has the skiing. Book esarly for ski school (both good)
I wrote a few trip reports, but here are 2 I can find. Some of the info is outdated, but much still runs true.
I think you will find some useful info there. Hope you have the fun we did
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewpost.php?p=277606
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewpost.php?p=115560
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Frosty the Snowman, Thanks FTS - lovely to read those reviews from a few years back. Looking forward to skiing Fontaine Froide down to Les Ecudets.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Anyone know how easy the runs down to Les Eucherts are? We're looking at accomodation down there as you seem to get more bang for your buck, and whilst me and the kids will happily ski down anything, my wife prefers easy blue runs that are so close to greens they're almost turquoise. So just wondering if there's a way to pick your way back down to Les Eucherts on easy, gently runs?
Alternatively, is there any transport between 1850 and Les E? Like a regular free bus or anything?
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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 have been to the ski area several times and always stayed on the La Rosiere side. I would expect the french side to be busier at half term but would still stay in La Rosiere as it is easier to get to (if taking the train or self drive), has a good ESF ski school and other good ski school options and has good quality self catering accommodation at the foot of the slopes - many residences have pools. There is an ice rink and bowling in Les Eucherts. My children are beyond ski school so we would base ourselves in La Rosiere but spend a lot of the day skiing in La thuile. With children in ski school you would be slightly more limited on the Italian side if based in la rosiere as you would spend a bit of time getting over there and back. However if you are going in a large group you could take it in turns to meet the kids from ski school so that not all the adults are tied in to coming back at 12:30.
@Timmycb5, I would say it is as easy to ski back to Les Eucherts as the main village and there is a choice of easy blue runs.
I really like La Rosiere. My only reservation over it for the future is how busy the local slopes will be with the addition of the new Club Med.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@snowymum, thanks. I’ve just looked it up and the new club med has 438 bedrooms. If the average occupancy is, say, 3 per room, that’s only a further 1,314 so hopefully won’t make a huge impact.
Edit: it will make La Ros occupancy go from 12,000 to 13,500 (ish). Still a quarter of Val d’isere/Tignes!
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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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@Timmycb5, I agree with @snowymum, easy-run access to Les Eucherts is no problem. I think there probably was a bus but if you can walk between the two (without ski boots) pretty easily, and if on skis you just take one lift up from either and ski down to the other.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Was in La Rosier last half term, occasionally queues for a few minutes but they were fast moving. Grandson was in ski lessons with EDF and it was good with a early evening fun event on a snake that he thought was great.
Easy to ski into les Eucharts. Plenty of ski area. If you need a locker in le ros book before you go, our accom was a hard hike up the hill and all lockers were rented by lunchtime on Saturday
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FAQ
