Description
La Rosiere is a purpose built resort sitting at 1850m. The resorts consists of mostly chalets and apartments built in traditional Alpine style dotted discreetly throughout the woods.
La Rosiere is comprised of over 160km of pistes. The resort offers an extensive array of greens and blues tailored for beginners and is linked to the neighbouring Italian resort of La Thuille which opens up a range of fantastic intermediate skiing with a wide variety of blues and reds, together these two resorts make up the Espace San Bernado.
La Rosiere prides itself on being one of the most child-friendly resort and has been awarded the ‘Famille Plus Montagne’ by the French national tourist board. The resort is increasingly popular with families due to its child friendly accommodation and fantastic beginner skiing.
There are two distinct villages to La Rosiere; the resort centre and an newer offshoot Les Eucherts. Both of these have a range of amenities and ski lifts. Getting between the two villages is approximately 15 minutes’ on foot or alternatively there is a free shuttle.
Like many Alpine resorts, La Rosiere is pushing itself and constantly updating. New for the 18/19 season is the Mont Valasian area. This will expand the resort to the new height of 2800m. The new area will have two new chairlifts and open up an additional five pistes.
Getting There
Unless you have booked a package holiday where the travel is all sorted for you, you may want to think about how you are going to get to and from resort. Despite being tucked away in the Alps and with only one road in or out there are plenty of options for getting to La Rosiere.
Fly
The most common way to get to resort is to fly. There are four local airports to La Rosiere:
Geneva - 210km – 2hrs10
Chambery – 126km – 1hr40
Grenoble –210km–3hrs
Lyon – 230km – 2hrs45
Grenoble and Chambery are closed over the summer months and tend to get busier over weekends in the winter. Geneva is open all year round and has the most options with plenty of flights from a range of destinations. Lyon also has a large selection of flights (mainly from around Europe rather than the UK)
Transfers from the airport
There are several companies who offer shared and private transfers to get you from the airport to the resort. It is worth checking transfer arrangements before booking your flights especially if you want a shared transfer as these are less regular and you don’t want to be waiting around for hours at the airport.
Which transfer company you use will depend on your group size, flight times and budget. Our recommended transfer companies include:
Ski Lifts have been awarded the world’s best ski transfer operator in the world ski awards. They provide private and shared transfers from Geneva, Grenoble, Lyon and Chambery.
Cool Bus provides private transfers from Geneva, Grenoble, Chambery and Lyon.
Bens Bus provides low cost shared transfers from Geneva, Grenoble and Lyon.
Alti Bus provides shared transfers from Geneva, Chambery and Lyon.
Train
The nearest train station is Bourg St Maurice which is approximately 35 minutes away by road from La Rosiere. The Eurostar runs direct trains from St Pancras International in London and Ashford in Kent directly to Bourg on Saturdays between December and April, and direct night trains on Fridays from January to April. Taking the train can be good option if you have lots of luggage to take as the generous allowance means you can take your skis or snowboard, as well as two suitcases at no extra charge.
Drive
Many people opt to drive out to La Rosiere. If you are coming from the UK, you can either travel via the channel tunnel or take the ferry. The euro tunnel departs approximately every 15 minutes from Folkestone and takes 35 minutes. Prices start from £90 each way. You can book your crossing online at -
The ferry runs from either Hull to Zeebrugge or Dover to Calais with P&O ferries -
http://www.poferries.com/en/portal. The Hull ferry operates daily and is overnight arriving in Zeebrugge at 08:45am. The Dover to Calais service operates up to 23 times each day and takes 90 minutes.
On arrival in France (or Belgium if you are taking the ferry to Zeebrugge!) remember to drive on the right hand side of the road. It is important to note that there are several tolls on route down to the Alps, the prices depend on which section of road you use but the total cost will be approximately €75 in total.
European travel/vehicle requirements are very strict and on-spot fines can be issued if you don’t have: headlight converters, GB sticker, warning triangle, spare bulbs, high viz vests for each passenger in the car and breathalysers.
In certain weather conditions, the roads may become snowy and icy and although local municipalities are very good and keeping the roads clear, it can be dangerous so it is important to take extra care and attention when driving. It is a legal requirement in France to carry snow chains in your vehicle or police will refuse you access to certain roads. When driving in these conditions, slow down when you encounter any snow, use high gears to avoid wheel spin, and keep moving when driving up an incline on snow.
Parking is located close the slopes and operates under a pay and display system. The length of time and price differs between the different car parks. There is not a dedicated car park meant for long term usage.
When to Go
La Rosiere sits at 1850m and has a peak height of 2800m. The resort has an excellent snow record and is open from December to April.
La Rosiere is one of the best resorts for families so is busy all year, in particular during school holidays when travel and accommodation is more expensive. However, due to its high altitude and good snow record, La Rosiere makes a good choice for families limited to school holidays and on a budget as they can take a late Easter break instead of a February one and still be welcomed with good conditions.
Where to Stay
La Rosiere is made up of two villages the Resort Centre and Les Eucherts. The two villages are located very close to one another. There is a local shuttle bus which links the two, however most people choose to enjoy a leisurely stroll along the footpath and enjoy the breath-taking view of the Tarentaise Valley. Both villages rest at 1850m and have high speed lifts straight out of their centres to make skiing access easy.
Resort CentreLa Rosiere resort centre was purpose built in 1961. Unlike many purpose built villages La Rosiere has succeeded in maintaining traditional attractive chalets. The ski school meeting point, lifts, shops and chalets are arranged in a compact manner so there is very little walking to be done.
Les Eucherts The second village is Les Eucherts. Newer than the town centre, this area takes on the name of the original farming village on the land. It is a practical choice for accommodation with all the key facilities and amenities located within in an easy distance. The village also has its own high-speed chair lift to whisk skiers up the mountain. The local children clubs have also made it as easy as possible for parents with ESF having their own novice area and Evolution 2 offer a pick up and drop off service for guests staying here.
Getting around
La Rosiere is quite a compact resort with just two villages located about a 15 minute walk apart.
By Bus
There is a regular ski bus running through Les Eucherts, L’Averne, Le Gollet, the resort centre and Maison du ski every 15 minutes. This free shuttle bus continues to run between Place des Eucherts and La Rosiere centre until 11pm every evening from Sunday to Friday.
Ski Lifts
La Rosiere has a very efficient lift system with chair lifts extending out of the centre of each village. In order to get over to La Thuile it is an easy journey via the slopes of the Petit Saint Bernard pass. These runs are mostly blue so it is suitable for confident beginners. Be aware that there is no easy way back other than skiing. If you do miss the last lifts it is a very expensive taxi journey that will take several hours.
By Taxi
There are a number of taxi companies who operate in La Rosiere. When using a taxi it is advisable to book in advance as not all companies operate every night.
On Foot
This is the easiest and most common way of getting around the resort is on foot as everything is relatively close. There is a footpath along the main road between the two villages. There is also a cleared footpath through the forest between the villages which is lit at night making it easier to commute between the two for dinner or drinks.