A typical day in La Rosière: Skiing into Italy for lunch, schussing down wide stretching pistes, pausing for a Vin chaud and ending the day in an outdoor jacuzzi.
Where to stay in La Rosière
The Whitehead/Poffley clan has skied in the La Rosière area three times over the years, and all three times we stayed in Les Eucherts. We love this ski resort because it’s high up (altitude 1860m) so you’re sure of snow, it’s not too far from nearby airports, and on a nice day you have the luxury of skiing into Italy.
Why Les Eucherts specifically? It’s quieter than La Rosière but still has everything you need – ski hire, supermarket, and crucially, a chairlift. It’s only a 10 minute walk into La Rosière through beautiful snowy woods, and you have the same beautiful view over the mountains.
We’ve found the best place to stay for a group like ours is Les Balcons, which houses groups of 10 or even 12. This year we had a traditionally decorated chalet over 3 floors, with 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms (never skimp on bathrooms) plus a shared jacuzzi!
Whitehead booking tip: always make sure there’s a communal seating area that can comfortably seat everyone in your group.
Where to ski in La Rosière
One of the best parts of a ski trip is exploring the local area, so of course if you choose to ski in La Rosière you must find your own favourites. To give you a taste, here are some of ours!
Le Roc Noir
As the main peak over Les Eucherts and La Rosière, Le Roc Noir is a great place to start your day, with amazing views and the option of red or blue pistes for you to enjoy.
Le Vaz
If you like a long uninterrupted ski from the highest peak to the lowest valley, follow the marmottes piste down from Le Roc Noir all the way to Le Vaz. This beautiful route has you gliding around corners, through snow laden woods and ending by a peaceful trickling stream.
Col de la Traversette
The Fort Express is the only way to get to Italy from La Rosière and Les Eucherts, so expect big queues on sunny days. It’s totally worth it though, with a vantage point from the peak that looks out towards Mont Blanc itself. If you can stand to queue twice, make sure you race down the Fort Bordercross before continuing on to Italy.
Mont Belvedere
The best way to get to La Thuile has to be the Fourclaz down from Mont Belvedere. Stop to admire the view, take some photos, then push off from the top and schuss all the way down.
Chaz Dura
The main peak above La Thuile in Italy, there are so many routes down Chaz Dura that you can be entertained all day. Another massive plus would be all the Italian restaurants where you can stop for lunch.
Col du Petit St Bernard
The route back from La Thuile to La Rosière features some truly spectacular views, none more so than from the top of Mont Belvedere back towards Col de la Traversette. This whole section of the piste map is called Col du Petit St Bernard, and it’s one of our favourite areas to ski.
Where to eat in La Rosière
La Traversette
Nestled between two pistes at the bottom of the Fort Express chairlift, la Traversette is a self-service restaurant with an extensive menu.
We stopped here for a Vin chaud on a blustery morning, and liked it so much we came back for lunch on two separate days.
The self-service layout works really well for a big group, and there’s something for every appetite.
Whitehead recommendations: spaghetti bolognese, omelette complet (cheese ham and mushroom), soupe à l’oignon (French onion soup that comes with croutons and cheese)
Lo Riondet
Technically in Italy, Lo Riondet was our favourite restaurant of the whole holiday. Even the ski route to get there is thoroughly enjoyable, with long sweeping slopes down through snowy valleys.
Whether you visit on a snowy or sunny day, Lo Riondet is perfect. During the snowstorm day that was our Monday, we found a cosy bar area with fur draped benches, heated with a huge fireplace in the corner of the room.
We all swooned over our freshly made Italian pasta, served on hot slate and buried in Parmesan cheese, and Dad spent the rest of the week fantasising about buying the whole restaurant to run himself. The highest praise.
When we returned on sunny Wednesday, the place was packed out, with diners filling the terrace tables, the sheltered balcony and both floors inside. Despite the demand, we found the food just as delicious, and the service just as attentive. We immediately booked a terrace table for Friday.
Whitehead recommendations: pasta cortado pommodoro (delicious in its simplicity), pasta al ragu (rich game mince with linguini), espresso (the best in the area), chocolata calda con crema, vino caldo (made with white wine and unmissable)
Le Plan du Repos
A self-service restaurant right in the middle of a busy area, le Plan du Repos is always packed with people. As we tried to find a table large enough to seat all 9 of us, we stumbled across a secret lounge area on the mezzanine, complete with blankets and fluffy pillows.
Whitehead recommendation: hot apple juice
Le Relais du Petit Saint-Bernard
This restaurant on the side of the pistes in La Rosière is perfect for large groups. We dragged ourselves through the doors of le Relais du Petit Saint-Bernard on one of the worst snow days of our trip, and were truly grateful for the big table and the fast drink delivery.
Whitehead recommendation:Salade Niçoise and a plate of chips
Arpin’s Bar
Right in the centre of La Rosière, Arpin’s Bar is a local favourite anytime of day, and a Whitehead favourite during happy hour!
Whitehead recommendation: gin & tonic
Verdict
La Rosière is a fantastic ski resort for all levels of skier, with a huge variety of pistes, beautiful views and plenty of great places to stop and relax.
If you’re an avid skiier, check out my post 5 things you didn’t know you needed on a ski trip!
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I’m Sophie, a writer and blogger living in St Albans, traveling, eating, and telling you all about it.
I love La Rosiere, not been there since we nearly blew up the chalet on a ski trip 8 years ago (that’s a very long post that needs writing!). Happy days.