La Rosiere 1850 introduction
A charming traditional French village, La Rosiere welcomes you at 1850 m of altitude right on the border between France and Italy. The area is situated on the Petit St. Bernard pass, which links it to the Italian resort La Thuile to form the splendid ski Espace San Bernardo. It is believed that centuries ago Hannibal and his troupes crossed the Petit St. Bernard pass on their route to Rome from Spain. Known in ancient times, La Rosiere flourishes today as a wonderful skiing resort with serene and traditional atmosphere and astonishing mountain landscapes. Its considerable altitude reveals magic views to Mont Blanc, Matterhorn and Monte Rosa and on the gentle scenery of the Tarantaise Valley.
Fascinating for tourists and unforgettable for skiers, La Rosiere offers access to 63 runs suitable for all abilities. The 11 black pistes together with the off-piste terrain at La Rosiere and the many opportunities of the neighbor Italian La Thuile are challenging delight for skiing experts. Intermediates and beginners will equally enjoy – both, the varied terrain of gentle slopes and medium downhill runs, and the specialized guidance of excellent skiing instructors. The only one in France, La Rosiere assures a wonderful gateway to across-border helicopter skiing to Italy. You could be taken up to the Ruitor Glacier to start then a 2,100-metre vertical descent on the snow powdered slope. In fact, French heli-skiers are forbidden to practice their favorite sport in their country so they fully profit of the unique opportunity. The lift system of 33 lifts connects all the runs and top sites in the area and is excellently equipped. Snowboarders should be warned to be careful for there is considerable number of draglifts in La Rosiere.
The south-facing slopes and the altitude of above 1800 m assure snow and sunshine in sufficient quality till May, so skiing at Easter with solid snow-cover is rather frequent here.
For its calm and relaxing atmosphere, La Rosiere remains a perfect family destination. Moreover, a very special care has been taken of the little ones with the various entertaining and sport facilities for children, including an excellent kids’ ski school.
Apres ski scene is not the richest here, but of great quality. Several cafes and bars are quite sufficient to shelter skiers and tourists for a cheering and cosy drink-chat. A selection of good restaurants assures the experience of unique atmosphere and excellent food, including traditional recipes of the region. There is a disco and a cinema, as well as several bars, though nightlife remains rather calm, within the overall harmony and peaceful charm of the village. Though, an exciting experience for night-adventure lovers is the organized instructors’ torch-lit descent. For the most curious of you various topic walks are offered – such as fauna, meteorology or flora.
La Rosiere is 20 km away from the Bourg-St. Maurice station at the foot of the mountain and there is a snow train regularly operating directly from Waterloo/Ashford to Bourg-St Maurice. The airport of Chambery is the closest to the resort – within an hour and a half drive. The bigger airports of Geneva and Lyon are at about 3 hours away, but offer more flight opportunities. Still, La Rosiere, up in the sunshine of the French-Italian Alps is quite easy to reach. And above all, it’s really worth it!