Skiing & Snowboarding in La Rosière

The Skiing & Snowboarding

La Rosière is a small picturesque resort located a stone’s throw from the Italian border, which makes it one of the only resorts where you can go heli-boarding. However, unless you’re a heli-boarding freeride powder hound, you’re probably going to feel a bit short changed. If you’re a beginner, or travelling with a family and small kids there’s no better place, but for others the resort has some serious restrictions meaning that most will get a better boarding holiday elsewhere.

On the plus side it’s a pretty village and it gets a lot of sun. It has a lot of nice greens and blues for beginners. Also, it does have a lift link to La Thuile in Italy which is much, much bigger and has enough terrain to satisfy serious boarders. However the link is by a very long drag lift (20 minutes) which often closes due to high winds.

In recent years, the resort has put a lot of effort into making itself more appealing and it now features a 300 m long snowpark with entertaining modules graded for beginner, intermediate and advanced rideres, as well as a boardercross area.

The wide open gentle terrain and frequent wind, makes La Rosière a great place to try your hand at snow kiting, and there’s a snowkite school operating at the Petit St Bernard col.

If you do get over to La Thuile and, or the Aosta Valley the boarding is almost limitless and La Rosière can serve as a good base. It’s not that there is no space for more advanced riding – there are some nice wide reds and blacks – there is just not enough on-piste riding to keep you interested for a full week (if you can’t get into La Thuile for any reason). And, the snow record in La Rosière is renowned, so there are opportunities for freeriding, but there’s not much in the way of lift accessed stuff. The best freeriding is accessed by heli or by heading out on a splitboarding expedition.

Where to Stay

The resort is very small and most of the accommodation is mid-priced. If you are there to enjoy a relaxing holiday you should definitely check out Chalet Matsuzaka Hotel and Spa which is a luxurious four star option. Alternatively Le Tyrol is a lovely, friendly mid-range hotel with spectacular views and easy access to the slopes.

Where to Eat

Food options in the village are similarly limited but what you do get is consistently good quality. Try the Kitzbuhel for super-filling, family-friendly burgers, or Genepi for the most upmarket option in the town.

Après Shred

Again, après reflects the size and family focus of the village but there are still several nice options. Try Le Petit Danois for a well-deserved cold one at the end of the day, or if you’re in the dancing mood check out Moo bar or the Pub for dancing till the wee hours.

La Rosière has great facilities for kids including second to none ski and snowboard schools, kids clubs and regular family friendly events. So, it’s worth serious consideration if you’re travelling with beginners or kids, but unless you want to go heli-boarding, if you’re an intermediate or advanced rider, you’d be better off making neighbouring La Thuile your base.