La Thuile — On the piste

There is no surprise that La Thuile has continued to grow in terms of visitor numbers, with more and more people every year recognising the modern facilities on offer. The first 25-person cable car opened here in 1988 and since then the investment in modern gondolas and chairs has continued, giving an uplift capacity of 50,000 people per hour. The San Bernadino ski area offers skiing from late November well in to April, with the highest slopes at 2600m.
 
Experts will be surprised by the number of black runs here compared to other resorts (29 in total) and the heli-skiing opportunities are superb. Many people cross the border from France, where heli-skiing is banned, to take part. Intermediates and novices needn’t fear as they are equally well catered for with over 100km of cruisy reds and blues and a detached nursery area at the foot of the hill. Children benefit from a miniclub hosted by the resort, and the best news is that it’s free.