 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all. We're a couple of intermediate skiers, and have been to La Thuile a couple of times in the past, and have really loved it there. We're thinking about Pila for next March - does anybody have experience of both? How do they compare in terms of extent, crowds, eating out (not too bothered about wild apres ski) etc? All comments gratefully recieved!
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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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ajpaul, Welcome to Snowheads. I have not been to Pila, but would bet there is acres of the Espace San Bernado that you have not visited
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For me it would have to be La Thuile, I have ski'd both places many times, Pila is different in that most of the skiing is through the trees, its very easy on the eye! If it was me I would go for La thuile & take a day out to Pila pref mid week as it gets somewhat busy at week ends. Have you tried the restuarant to the left of the gondala (base station) at La thuile (to the left if you are stood at the gondola station looking up the mountain) think its called taverna coppapan if not its def worth a visit also the pizzaria Dahu is down the stairs & is in my humble opinion the best pizza i have every tasted (its a bargain 2!!!) there is no menu as such & its very easy to eat 3 or 4 of the pizza's as the base is so thin & light (yum yum yum!!!)
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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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Pila is probably the sunniest place in the Alps. I spent a season there, and in my memory Pila was always sunny! La Thuile can be very cold, but as a result is more snow sure.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I visited both Pila and La Thuile on my Courmayeur trip (March 2006).
For what my one day in each resort is worth, I adored Pila - it was the best day's skiing in my life, the pistes were perfect, even at the end of the day, there were barely any queues, the sun shone, the skies were blue. I'm grinning as I remember that day. On the very last run down, the blokes could barely keep up with me (and they are all far better skiers than me) and I whooped at the end and actually said "that was better than sex"  .
La Thuile (shivers). We called it Siberia. The snow was falling horizontal, about 3 lifts were open. Three went down the black run and me and my mate decided to go on a green run. The lift up was unbearable. The run back down, well we were waiting for it to become a slope, when we realised we were at the bottom of the run again  . I would say it was the most horribleous day of skiing in my life. We were back on the bus home by noon.
For both these days the weather in Courmayeur was the same, very low cloud and snowing on and off.
I know it's totally random as to what the weather will be like on any day, but I felt that because of the bad weather, there was nothing to ski at La Thuile.
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There is more than enough in Pila for a full week. I've spent a season there and never got bored.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
Is there enough at Pila for a full week though?
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For me no. But as I said, it is half the size of La Thuile so you should be able to judge for yourself.
As for Pila being the sunniest place in the Alps...... isn't it north-facing? There was a howling blizzard the first time I went there........ 
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Not been to Pila, but stayed in La Rosiere for a week. Really enjoyed the skiing in La Thuile and would love to stay on that side of the ridge for a week. Really lovely ski area and extremely quiet.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I have never been to La Thuile but I do have to say Pila was great for me as an Intermediate. The Reds were fine apart from the top of run 3 which is very hairy, note you can miss the cliff out see piste map. Great restaurants best we went to was Yeti bar (book in the morning) don't let the Interski kids put you off they are not there at night.
We went with Pilaski and Carole was brilliant.
Plenty to do for a week
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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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Jake43, I like the smell of frying SPAM in the morning.
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I love Pila, skied there 7 times over the years. I've done 3 away days to La Thuile, and never really enjoyed it. It's a real ball-ache getting onto the stand-up gondola at the bottom. Not a chilled start to a day's skiing.
Red2 under the Chamole chairlift in Pila is probably my favourite run anywhere - a great wide quiet GS type of piste that you can get a bit of speed up on. The kids in the race clubs really tank it down there 
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You know it makes sense.
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I'm a Pila 'seasonair' too, but have visited La Thuile a fair bit too.
For me Pila would be the choice as La Thuile can be very cold. I bet it's good on a powder day mind. But if you've already done La Thuile go to Pila for a change 
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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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| chrisdavis wrote: |
| I've done 3 away days to La Thuile, and never really enjoyed it. It's a real ball-ache getting onto the stand-up gondola at the bottom. Not a chilled start to a day's skiing |
There used to be a quickish chair that ran parallel, to the same destination, with slender or absent queues.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Key difference is that most people have to get up to/down from Pila on the gondola from Aosta which is a lot longer than the one in La Thuile. You can't ski back down and so if you time it wrong there can be queues to get/up down. Usually in La Thuile there is a chairlift running as well as the gondola, you can ski down (but only red/blacks down) and most people stay in Planibel which is bang next to the lifts - so generally much more convenient. Aosta is a lovely place, but very much a town and not what most people would see as a ski resort.
Interski take school groups to both resorts at holiday times - many more in Pila than La Thuile. Only 'problem' with La Thuile is that cold wind. Was bad even at Easter a couple of years ago, but I've been there at Xmas and it wasn't a problem.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Ah but we stayed up in Pila and it was great. The hotel was on the piste - no more than 50m to walk from the garage to the piste and we could get to the top of the ramp to the garage/ski store on the way down so 0m to walk.
We did go down to Aosta for a Meal one night by car.
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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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As good as Pila is for skiing if you are actually staying in the town and want anything to do besides the one irish style pub you are stuck. I did a season in Pila without a car and whilst i loved the skiing i have never been so bored in all my life. One pub is where it all happens (or deosn't) the people who work on the slopes live in the valley so the evening are pretty quiet as most of the clientele are familys. if you are basing yourselves in Aosta that would be the best place then buy a VDA lift pass and you can access all the resorts in the Aosta valley. As well as Pila & la thuile you can also visit Courmayuer, Cervinia and Champoluc. This will give you one if the best ski weeks you could imagine as not one resort is really the same. You can also stay in Aosta which is pretty medieval italian city with great pedestrianised centre.
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With the area ski pass, how do you get between the resorts? I assume by bus, but how often are they, How early do they go, and how much?
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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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Rob D, It's not too bad to get from Aosta to Courmayeur, or perhaps up to Crevicol, but I'm not sure how realistic is is to use the bus to get around the Valley for skiing otherwise. In the car most resorts are going to be 40+ mins away, usually up the side valleys. That said if you do have a car there is a lot skiing to be had and some lovely small (and large) resorts. I'd recommend it.
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Ruddy Nora - I forgot I'd even considered Pila! Anyway, we went to La Thuile, and jolly good it was too. 
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