 Poster: A snowHead
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Yeah, we've phoned and emailed lots of times, with muted response 
I'll tell the n00bs to contact this bluski lot as well just in case. Ta.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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richlott, I have fond memories of La Thuile as I learnt to ski there. OK there's probably a bit of a rose tint in the memories but I remember it being a fantastic resort for beginners and I was hooked on skiing after that. I don't remember the village being really ugly but then I didn't have anything else to compare it to. Also, I didn't manage to go over to La Rosiere but I think at the time there was only a black run that linked the two. I do remember there being lots of sunny, wide pistes - perfect for learning on. Sorry, not much help but I hope your partner has as good a first experience on snow as I did. 
paulio, I remember that group lessons started on a Monday when I went and I've seen elsewhere online that this is still the case.
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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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That thing about Monday lessons is completely ridiculous. Virtually all holidays are Sat->Sat meaning that the majority of beginners will have their first slope-time on a Sunday. The fact that you can pretty much only book accomodation Sat->Sat supports this. But the ski school do indeed seem to be suggesting that this is the case - meaning that my lot are now probably forced into expensive private lessons or - God forbid - a £150pp 'ski in a day' (yeah, right...) at MK...
Good resort for beginners? Doesn't sound like it, eh...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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May be it is me but I find the Italians can be difficult to communicate in English. That doesn't mean they are not interested. It could be there is an army of Italian/French speaking ski instructors waiting in La Thuile but only a few can teach in English and none of them is involved in the management side to handle the enquiries.
I always have a bit of bother when booking accommodation with the Italians. Swiss, German and Austrian no problem. The French response varies according to regions. Don't book ski school myself but that is the pattern of things in the Alps.
If ski school is a major consideration I would go for La Rosiere the French side as the feed back from there is favouravle. La Rosiere is also suitable for the beginners and early intermediates I would have thought. David@traxvax, a snowhead and a chalet owner there, is a great source of information. I know that doesn't help snowheads who have already booked with La Thuile. May be if the snowheads here don't kick David's in the teeth he may bend backward to get the Italian side data for you guys.
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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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saikee, I have dealt with ESF and Evo2 in La Rosiere and they were both outstanding in their service.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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paulio, if you can speak French then most people in La Thuile will understand you, certainly the locals will.
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I'm not getting into some LT vs. LR debate here, but we've already got the whole shebang booked in La Thuile so a change of resort is not an option unfortunately.
LT it is.
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Paulio, I learnt to ski in La Thuile, and the ski school is generally good, with most instructers speaking acceptable English. The lessons do indeed run Mon-Saturday if you are booking a full week with them. Monday morning is when they assess you on the nursery slope under the gondola, and they place you in an appropriate group. I'd say about 90% of people in ski school there are British, and the ski school plans for this accordingly - you really won't have any problems.
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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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But I *do* have a problem.
I'm arriving with 5 utter beginners who need tuition right from the word go on Sunday morning, and the ski school is being entirely unresponsive to our emails, and we can't wait until we arrive in the resort because it's Feb half-term and it's too much of a risk that there will be no availability unless we book in advance. Do you see?
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paulio, When you do get to speak to them ask if you can hire an instructor for half a day on the Sunday. A ski school in a local resort was closed on Saturdays but one of their instructors was willing to work for a private lesson.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Frosty the Snowman,
Yes I know you have dug up the information for paulio. I should have made a reference to it.
I think paulio's problem is that he wants to book it now to reserves the service rather than turn up on the day to take the chance, especially with a large group of beginners. I hope he has better luck with your data.
I don't know if it is viable but I suppose paulio can book a ski instructor from La Rosiere if he is determined and the instructor can come across in the morning and return back on completion each day to the French side. I suspect there may be some kind of demarcation problem with the skiing schools though. However one should be able to get a ski instructor accompanying oneself to cross into another side and so their ski instructors should be mixable, I would have thought. Would David@traxvax be the best one to consult on this issue?
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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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Paulio - I assume you're going independently, and not with a tour operator? Also, are a couple of lessons at your local dry slope/snowdome an option to get 'em started? That way, they'd at least be able to use the nursery slope, and maybe a couple of the easy blues on the Sunday. For what its worth, I'd always advise any complete beginner to do this before arriving at the resort - after all, they wouldn't want to use their first couple of days lessons learning the complete basics at the foot of the mountain 
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Hi paulio,
I'm in a similar position as yourself- arriving Sat, partner a complete beginner. If you find a solution to this prob can you let me know, either via this thread or perhaps a PM?
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You know it makes sense.
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Try a fax?
I think sunday is also a changeover day too. The suggestion to book a private instructor for the sunday 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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Poster: A snowHead
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geri,
Yours is a valid point. The 4 hours trip is just one way. One would ski back to fetch the car, then 4 hours to pick up the injuried skier from the other side and then another 4 hours retuning back. That is what it takes.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi geri and saikee Thanks for that advice and i hope that your knee is now much better. I had not thought about getting stuck in La Rosiere, be that either as a result of an injury, a change in the weather or overindulgence in the local vino! Lets hope that i don't have to find out. Mind you, how much would a taxi cost to do the trip?
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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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richlott, Mmm, dont know how much a taxi would be - but given the distance, I guess it would be quite a lot - you'd probably do better to book into a cheap hotel overnight & wait for the weather to clear.
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ajpaul - Yes independently, and yes, that's basically what we're doing - they'll have to do a crash course at MK prior. I'm still stunned at the La Thuile ski school's policy on this, given that virtually everybody in the whole world holidays sat to sat. At the time of writing we *still* can't get in contact with them even to book the lessons from the Monday. They're utterly useless.
richlott - the solution is basically to get some lessons in at an indoor dome here in blighty before you travel, so that it's not a complete disaster. Mind you if it's just you and your sig. other going you could do worse than teach her yourself! I did that for mine last year and it was an absolute blast - mind you she was a very quick learner! I'm not doing it for a group of 5 though![/b]
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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 don't think people who is uncomfotable with a red slope should cross the link between La Rosiere and La Thuile. The piste leaving La Rosiere is red but others have already mentioned that it is not an easy one, although it is relatively short. The last slope retuning back from the Italian side does require one charges down a steep slope to pick up a decent speed to ski a very long and flat piste. There will be a bit of walking too.
Having said that the link is not suitable for the beginners but with care an early intermediate can cross the border link easily and the experience is one to be enjoyed.
I think the injury problem sustained by a skier is universal in every resort whereas in La Rosiere/La Thuile it may present an additional difficulty because of the flat terrain at the border link and the unknown demarcation of the two countries' responsibility of taking care of the injured skiers. If it comes to that I don't see why a skier can't pay a French rescue team to "snowmobile" he/she back to the Italian side. It is just a problem of "who pay?" but that should be a lot cheaper than taking a taxi for a 4 hours ride.
In skiing in the Alps it is wise to carry a credit card and a copy of the insurance all the time.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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saikee, I've never heard of there being an issue with injuries, but I'm sure the pisteurs would ensure an injured skier would be treated at the nearest location. The only experience I hace of this is skiing in the PDS, staying in France but skiing in Switzerland with a guy who had to helicoptered off the slopes, no argument there, Swiss pisteurs, Swiss helicopter, Swiss hospital irrespective of where he was staying. We did once nearly get stuck on the Col de Petit St bernard when the wind suddenly blew up and the link back to france was closed, a quick word to the liftee and a pisteur arrived on a snowmobile to give us rides back to la liason, the blue piste back to La Rosiere, no fuss and a bit of a bonus, quite exiting roaring up a black run in a howling gale.
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Hi saikee,
Thats a very sage bit of advice, many people assume that their insurance will pay directly for the cost of any treatment that may be required when, infact, you pay and then try and claim the costs back.
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FAQ
