A Ski Tourist’s Guide to La Rosiere
Situated in the popular Tarantaise valley, just half an hour’s drive away from Bourg Sainte Maurice, La Rosiere is a high altitude ski resort (1850m above sea level) that is perfect for beginner and intermediate skiers as well as families.
The ski area extends into Italy, and on some runs you can literally ski across the border, and features some amazing panoramic views of Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn, and the Tarantaise valley. The runs themselves are immaculately groomed, and are laid upon a special substrate that ensure that the snow holds incredibly well. There is usually snow all year round in La Rosiere, but just in case the worst should happen, there are over 200 snow canons in place to keep the slopes in action.
There is an extensive chair lift network, and the lifts themselves are astonishingly fast, so you can get to the higher runs quickly and easily. There are plenty of fast, easy powder descents in the higher reaches of the resort for beginners and intermediates to whizz down. Advanced skiers will find more challenging runs, and Heli-skiing opportunities on the Italian side of the resort.
La Rosiere is the perfect place to learn how to ski, with top notch snow surfaces, a number of world-renowned ski schools and plenty of easy slopes to cut your teeth on. The resort itself, which features in the main wooden chalet-style architecture, is very easy on the eye and has a pleasant and welcoming atmosphere. The chalets themselves are very near to the ski lifts, so you don’t need to wander far from your accommodation in order to get onto the slopes. There are plenty of other activities available besides skiing, such as husky sled rides, torch lit descents, snow mobiling, a gym, and a cinema, making it the ideal place for a family holiday.
There are also quite a few interesting landmarks in the area, most notably the imposing Redoute Ruinée, a which was a border fort built by France in the early 1890s as a response to the loss of Alsace and Lorraine to the Germans in 1870. Despite being strongly reinforced in the run up to the Second World War, it suffered heavy damage at the hands of Italian invaders and is now closed to the public for safety reasons. However, the building itself is so impressive that it is still worth a look if you are in the area. You can book ski holidays at La Rosiere through the Alpine Elements website, and many of their packages also include ski lessons and gear rental for the whole family.