La Thuile - Espace San Bernardo: Ski area guide

A ski area across the border

La Thuile enjoys an enviable position a few kilometres from the Little St Bernard Pass, which has linked the Aosta Valley with French Savoie for centuries.

Being so close to the border is not just a historical curiosity. It is the reason the ski area stretches across two countries. The Espace San Bernardo joins La Thuile on the Italian side with La Rosière on the French side, creating 152 km of runs you can ski on a single international ski pass.

Up on the high slopes, the border is marked only by a sign and a slight change in the piste markers. The landscape and the snow stay the same, but the views open onto two different horizons.

Espace San Bernardo: Italy and France in one day

La Thuile and La Rosière are linked across the highest part of the ski area, with ridge crossings above 2,600 metres.

The border crossing is formally in force, so carry a valid ID document in case of a customs check. In practice, border guards are so rarely seen that the border is almost invisible.

The run from La Rosière back down to La Thuile, facing north-east, is one of the most scenic in the western Alps. From up here you see the Mont Blanc massif, the Matterhorn and Gran Paradiso, and the ridges above Val d’Isère in France, all at once. On a clear day no resort in the Aosta Valley offers a richer panorama.

Reliable snow, competitive prices

La Thuile has a well-established reputation for good snow. The mainly north-facing Italian slopes and the high altitude keep the snow dry and firm for most of the season, from December to mid-April in good snow years.

That, together with ski pass prices noticeably lower than at the Aosta Valley’s most famous resorts such as Courmayeur and Cervinia, has built a loyal following over the years: families, strong skiers and off-piste fans who care more about the quality of the skiing than about a famous name.

The women’s World Cup

Every year, usually in late January or early February, La Thuile hosts women’s World Cup speed races: super-G and downhill. Racers value the course for its technical variety. The top section is a high-altitude descent on hard-packed ice with sustained gradients; the final section opens onto a wider slope that rewards the line choice of the speed specialists.

For spectators, La Thuile is a chance to watch top-level racing in a setting that is still fairly easy to get to, without the crush of the big events at Kitzbühel or Val Gardena.

Getting there

From Turin, take the A5 motorway towards Aosta as far as the Morgex exit, then the SS26 and SR25 climb about 20 km up to La Thuile. The whole journey from Turin takes about an hour and forty minutes. From Milan, add about ninety minutes on the A4 to Turin.

The Mont Blanc Tunnel, reached via Courmayeur about forty minutes from La Thuile, gives direct access from Chamonix and the whole of eastern France. Buses run from Aosta throughout the ski season.