La Rosière - sunny, snowy, and family friendly
La Rosière has come a long way. Hannibal is thought to have marched his 40 elephants through this area on his passage through the Alps. The village sits ‘en route’ to the Petit St Bernard pass. The road was built by the Romans, became a pilgrimage route in the 11th century, a trade route thereafter and was rebuilt in Napoleonic times. Pilgrims in distress were rescued by Saint Bernard dogs. Fierce fighting took place in WW II at the border post. The resort was developed in the early 1950s as a ski destination on the site of the old hamlet.
La Rosière also known as ‘La Ros’ is in the commune of Montvalezan, in the Tarentaise valley and is perched high up above Bourg-St-Maurice, at the same altitude as Val d’Isère. South facing and sunny, the ski area of l’Espace San Bernardo caters for all abilities including plenty of lift accessible off-piste. Linked to La Thuile in Italy, day trips by ski over the border are an attractive feature. La Ros has a pleasant alpine feel compared to some other purpose built ski resorts, and gets heaps of snow. For lodgings it has plenty of ski chalets and apartments to rent. Après-ski is quiet, although the igloo bar at the base of the Plan du Repos chairlift is fun, and there is a selection of restaurants in the village and in Les Eucherts.
Apartments for sale in La Rosière
Property prices are good value in La Rosière given its credentials as a high altitude and snow-sure ski resort. There is usually a reasonable selection of apartments for sale in La Rosière, some in new or refurbished developments. Current 'resale' prices range from €4 to 8k per square metre, with more compact apartments are the lower end of this range in general; larger properties that are well located and high specification new developments can be considerably higher. Chalets for sale in La Rosière offered by local real estate agents are less frequent but worth seeking out. Without a doubt, the enlarged ski area, opened in December 2018 adds to the appeal of La Ros as a ski holiday destination, or for a rental property investment.
A guide to La Rosière
Located in the Savoie region, not far from big names such as Val d’Isère, Tignes and Les Arcs, La Rosière is built at an altitude of 1850m on the road which rises up from Bourg-St-Maurice towards the Col du Petit St-Bernard pass. Both parts of the resort village have a very friendly feel to them because of their small size, sympathetic chalet-style buildings and lack of traffic. Attractive purpose built resort with a unique feature, the French and the Italian sides of the ski domain offering two interesting and distinct skiing atmospheres. The resort has relatively few tourist beds for its size, so it rarely feels crowded. Most accommodation is in apartments and well-appointed chalets. The more recently developed Les Eucherts is where most of the chalets in La Rosière are located and has been very sympathetically designed. Chalet Matsuzaka is a luxury option with good reviews.
Chambery airport is 2 hours by road Geneva airport 2.5 hours. More convenient if travelling by train or Eurostar is the short bus ride up from Bourg St Maurice.
La Rosière ski area
At the same altitude as Val d’Isère, La Rosière has very good snow record and of 160 km of pisted runs, it shares its Espace San Bernardo ski area with La Thuile in Italy. Both the French and Italian sides of the slopes suit beginners and intermediates best. For beginners the slopes are right next to the village with wide expanse of easy slopes for learning on. Advanced skiers have a choice of more than 15 black runs. The ski area’s link to Italy adds to its attraction because of the contrasting cultures of the two countries and the cheaper and dare we say better restaurants on the Italian side. The skiing on the La Thuile side is certainly worth the expedition with a wealth of great intermediate pistes.
La Rosière added two speedy new chairlifts and a network of new red pistes in December 2018 adding some terrific advanced-level slopes to the ski area, more altitude and easier access to the large and rewarding off-piste area. In January 2019 La Rosière hosted the opening round of the Freeride World Tour, a testament to its off-piste credentials. There are also three dedicated ascents beside the pistes in La Rosière for ski tourers to use – a very innovative idea. The resort’s main snowpark is 300 metres long over a 50 metre vertical.
Après ski in La Rosière
Among the half a dozen lively bar-restaurants, Le Petit Danois has a Scandinavian theme, Moo Bar in Les Eucherts is the place to go for late night dancing. The Igloo Village at the bottom of the Plan du Repos chairlift is fun and Le Mckinley at the base of the slopes also has music, as well as a cocktail lounge.
Eating out in La Rosière
The ski domain has over a dozen mountain restaurants and some wonderful places to eat on the slopes above la Thuile, for authentic Italian cucina, the village of La Thuile is recommended.
The restaurants in the resort offer good relaxed family dining. For the full Savoyard experience try L’Ancolie and La Chaumiere. Head to Genepi’s for outstanding steaks.
Summer in La Rosière
There are plenty of activities to keep you busy in and around La Rosière. Situated between Mont-Blanc and the Tarentaise valley, stunning views of the mountains are in every direction. The Petit Saint-Bernard pass opens to traffic from June, the Aosta Valley offers delicious restaurants and market and a wealth of cultural adventures, pop across the border for the day on a culinary voyage.
The 9-hole mountain golf course open to all standards of player and is one of the highest in Europe.
La Rosière offers a wide range of Mountain Bike trails for all bikers, for beginners to experienced downhill fans. The downhill and enduro enthusiast will not be disappointed, certain trails offer up to 1200 meters drop and 18km of cross-country trails over 70km of bike paths. For the small ones, a kid’s bike park will keep them entertained. Two mountain biking schools provide tuition for beginners.
Every summer, thousands of road cyclists cross the Petit-Saint-Bernard pass at an altitude of 2,100m, it is a popular route into Italy and the Aosta Valley. The road up to La Rosière from Séez is also a fantastic 15km uphill challenge and was a stage of the Tour de France in 2018.
La Rosière has many events organised over the summer: Fête des Clarines, Vent d’Est Festival and Saint-Bernard rally. Plan de l’Arc, a unique leisure area for all ages, which is equipped with a skatepark, playground, climbing rock, sports court, barbecues and more.
Other Destinations in the French Alps
Alpe d'Huez Chamonix Courchevel La Tania Courchevel Le Praz Courchevel Moriond Courchevel Village La Toussuire Les Deux Alpes Les Gets Les Menuires Megève Méribel Méribel Les Allues Méribel Village Méribel-Mottaret Morzine Paradiski Pays du Mont Blanc Pralognan-la-Vanoise Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise St. Martin de Belleville Tignes Val d'Isère Val Thorens