La Rosière Ski Resort Guide
La Rosière, France
Rated: 3/5 (from 7 ratings)
| Recommended For | Freeriders, Expert Skiers, Beginners, Snowboarders, Snowfall and Apres-Ski! |
|---|---|
| Highest Lift | 2,600m |
| Resort Height | 1,850m |
| Nearest Airports | Geneva and Chambery |
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La Rosière
Purpose built in 1961 on a south-facing plateau to an attractive design sympathetic to Savoyard traditional architecture, this French family resort has been lift linked to Aosta Valley resort La Thuile since 1984-5 over the mountain border in Italy. The resort is especially recommended for children and also offers heliskiing in Italy.
Summary
The French ski resort of La Rosière is in the French Alps at an altitude of 1,850m.
La Rosière is part of the Espace San Bernardo ski area with access to 160km of downhill skiing, with 77 marked pistes, served by a total of 37 ski lifts. In addition to the skiing in La Rosière itself (35 pisted ski runs), the appropriate ski Lift Pass will allow you to ski or snowboard in the other Espace San Bernardo ski resort of La Thuile.
The ski resort itself is at 1,850m, so skiing or boarding back to the resort is usually possible. With ski lifts as high as 2,600m, skiing and snowboarding is assured throughout the season.
Snow and Weather
When will it snow in La Rosière?
The next notable snow forecast is 4cm, expected on 11 April, with around 38cm forecast over the next 7 days.
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Snow this week
| Sat | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow to 1,495m | Snow to base | Snow to base |
Ski Area Stats
La Rosière Ski Area
| Black Pistes Expert Trails | 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Red Pistes Intermediate Runs | 14 | |
| Blue Pistes Easy Trails | 13 | |
| Green Pistes Beginner Runs | 8 | |
| Cross Country Total Length | 7km | |
| Ski Lifts Number of Lifts | 19 | |
Espace San Bernardo Ski Area
| Black Pistes Expert Trails | 18 | |
|---|---|---|
| Red Pistes Intermediate Runs | 38 | |
| Blue Pistes Easy Trails | 27 | |
| Green Pistes Beginner Runs | 8 | |
| Downhill Total Length | 160km | |
| Ski Lifts Number of Lifts | 37 | |
Altitudes
La Rosière Ski Area Heights
| Highest Lift | 2,600m |
|---|---|
| Resort Altitude (La Rosière) | 1,850m |
| Lowest Piste | 1,100m |
| Max Vertical | 1,500m |
Ratings & Suitability
| Freeriders | |
|---|---|
| Expert Skiers | |
| Intermediate Skiers | |
| Beginners | |
| Snowboarding | |
| Snow | |
| Apres-Ski |
La Rosière Overview
La Rosière sits on a sunny, south facing terrace in the famous Haute Tarentaise ski region of the French Alps, home also to neighbours Tignes, Val d'Isere, St Foy and les Arcs. It is also located close to the Vanoise National Park and Mt. Blanc.
Built at a snowsure altitude of 1850m, the purpose-built resort has had controlled development using traditional methods and materials so is one of the more attractive. Wood, stone and slates are the main ingredients for building in the area with the finished architecture pleasing to the eye. In the resort itself you will find renovated and newly built chalets alike in a traditional style to add to the warmth of La Rosière
A unique attraction is that the ski area continues across the Italian border and down to the resort of La Thuile in the Aosta Valley. Known as the Espace San Bernardo, the combined terrain has been constantly improved with two new six seater chairlifts added recently to further enhance the link which now extends to over 150 kms (93 miles) of piste. The Italian link also means the resort can offer heli-skiing, banned in France.
Notable Ski Runs
The longest possible descent in La Rosière is 11km long and the most difficult run is the 'Franco Berthod'.
Skiing
La Rosière is the only resort in Savoie which offers an international skiing area thanks to the link by ski lifts with La Thuile, in the Val d'Aosta Valley in Italy.
Ski area planners have endeavoured to create a balance between easy and more technical runs, with always wide, long downhill slopes through the forest as well as a snowpark, plenty of off-piste possibilities and the rare French resort option of heli-skiing (in Italy).
The resort has excellent skiing for all ability levels with north facing slopes, which along with its proximity to Mont Blanc, normally ensuring good snow conditions.
Beginners have three free ski lifts and a dedicated area on green runs besides the Clarines and Lievre Blanc lifts.
Intermediates will enjoy the terrain the most with seemingly endless blue and red pistes on both sides of the border that radiate out to the peaks of Le Belvedere and Chaz Dura. The Nuova and San Bernardo runs combined give a wonderful 11km run down to La Thuile for a lunchtime pizza.
Look out for the Napoleonic Fort at the top of the Mountain (on the border) which is an interesting feature. The Petit St Bernard Pass comes over the mountain here and in winter the road is actually a ski run. Bizzarely you ski past a road sign with speed limits on it (though apparently no road in sight, so it appears as if it's a ski speed limit sign!).
Experts have sixteen blacks to choose from, some of the steepest down through the woods above La Thuile. The runs are graded according to their steepest, with the best (worst?) a rather intimidating 72% plunge. There's also good off piste and heli skiing available with a guide.
There are a variety of pistes to suit all levels of skier ability, from Beginner to Expert.
Snowboarding
Snowboarders have a fun park to enjoy in La Rosière. The snowpark is 300m long with a 50m vertical. It incorporates a hip, nine table tops (Three rated red, three blue and three green), fun box and three rails. There is also a warming centre complete with music, tables and chairs.
A new skiercross and boardercross course was added for the 06-07 season. The Snow Cross Zittieux was also added.
Elsewhere on the slopes the predominance of chair and gondola lifts makes getting around the big and varied area pretty well hassle free. The long blues and reds up above the treeline is great terrain and then down in the trees there are natural features to hit on.
Location and Map
Where is La Rosière?
This ski resort is in the French Alps in Savoie, Rhône-Alpes.
Map
Tap 
for Full-Screen, or see J2Ski's Resort map, showing Hotels and Ski Shops.
How to get there
By Air
The nearest airport to La Rosière is Geneva, 105 minutes drive away.
Chambery, Grenoble, Annecy and Turin Caselle airports are all within three hours drive.
Infrastructure
Ski Lift Capacity
The 19 ski lifts are able to uplift 54,580 skiers and snowboarders every hour.
Snow Making
Snow-making is available, on 35km of ski runs, with 400 snow cannons.
Season Dates
When is La Rosière open?
Opened : December 12, 2020.
Usual opening is mid December, and usual closing is Late April.
NOTE:- Ski area, lift and piste opening is subject to Current Snow Conditions.
COVID-19 / Coronavirus
We don't yet have specific details of the COVID-19 precautions being taken in La Rosière, but they are likely to include most of the following :-
- Face masks required on lifts, and in shops.
- Social distancing in public areas.
- Reduced lift capacity.
- Extensive disinfection / sanitization.
French Ski Resort COVID-19 Measures describes further measures that may also be applied.
Visit the La Rosière Tourist Office for the latest.
Talking about La Rosière
Mentions in recent J2Ski News Items and Snow Reports from our users...
Aprés Ski
There are several bars in resort including a piano-bar and a wine-bar as well as a discotheque. For karaoke try Arpin's Bar and for late night dancing, Le Pub.
Le Petit Danois' is a popular après ski spot with a terrace home to cold beers, live music, dj's and barbecue. The Fusion Bar is another place to be seen in the winter season.
The resort stages weekly organised events for community and family-friendly après ski fun. These include torchlit descents, firework displays, concerts, live bands and various theme nights. For the 2007-8 season an indoor ice rink and bowling alley were added.
