La Thuile: Skiing Across Borders

Shannon O'Leary
Feb 1, 2017
4 min read

Pronounced "La Twheel" this ski resort was the place to be for a typical mental picture of what skiing in the Alps would look like.

None of my photos do this trip justice and IES really came through on a great experience because I never would have found this place on my own. A three hour bus ride from the heart of the city, La Thuile sits right on the border of Italy and France, the mountain across the border officially called La Rosiere. The summit sits at 2579m (approximately 11743ft) and, as you can imagine, it was quite the view.

When we arrived no time was wasted. Bags were put away, ski passes were bought (three full days, plus insurance, plus a 5 euro deposit on the ski pass came to an incredible 129 euro) and equipment was rented. I was on my first slope just after 11am.

The first day was by far the best. Clear, blue sky and weather so mild my jacket was unzipped for most of the time. There are 80 trails and 37 lifts, even with three days I felt like I did not even scratch the surface of the mountain though I did do my fair share of exploring.

Even though it was an invisible line, there was also a lot of amusement being able to just waltz into France and then go back to Italy.

The ski conditions were so unlike the skiing I've done in the eastern part of the States. Even the bit of skiing I've done out west was nothing compared to this. The trails are huge width wise, which I think is part of the reason I was able to do so many black trails (blue=easy, red=intermediate, black=expert...approximately). It mirrored the vastness of the terrain which is very difficult to describe. It wasn't just getting to the top of a lift and choosing a trail or two to ski down. You got to the peak and there was a snowy landscape laid out for you. It felt like you were on a different planet and it added to the experience.

I don't think I hit a patch of ice once, the snow was packed in tight but well groomed and skiiable even at the end of the day (also why I think I was able to tackle those black trails). Be warned if you're on the first lift in the morning: not all trails open at once and you may find yourself waiting for the ski patrol to open a trail (me...).

The trip was well received by the students though we did have two broken arms, a sprained ankle, a head injury, and an allergic reaction to nuts during the first dinner but we all left in good spirits.

The trip in summary started with the three hour bus ride and almost a full day of skiing. We bunked in small apartments of four and ate a delicious buffet dinner at our accommodations: the Planible Hotel and Residences.

Monday (yes, our school took us out of school to go skiing) was another full day of skiing leading up to a highly anticipated dinner up in the mountains accessible only by snow cat (the machine, not the animal). Lo Riondet was a magical snowy cabin wonderland. The school staff informed us they wanted a very special dinner and that the four course meal to follow was the most expensive dinner the school had ever put together.

It was worth every penny.

The food kept coming and was all traditional food from the region we were staying in. A lot of meat and game, wine, vegetables, you name it they had their special brand of it.

The last course was two rounds of alcohol the first was a wooden bowl lined with sugar that the waitress lit on fire and proceeded to explain that this was a "friendship drink". The premise is you pass it around the table and everyone drinks from the bowl until it is empty, and the bowl can never touch the table until finished. That was quite the adventure as even with eight people at the table we were wondering when the bowl would be empty (we did it though). Our dessert drink was a shot of lemon liquor (but not limoncello).

The last piece of our evening was the opportunity to walk down the mountain using torches for light. You better believe I walked through the Alps at night with a literal stick of fire in my hands.

The third day was the worst weather wise but I did the most exploring. Once the rain hit I called it quits with plenty of time to return my gear and grab a gelato before climbing back in the bus to head back to Milan.

The ski trip, put simply, was incredible. Students, experienced to beginners who took their first lesson there, went on this trip and it was awesome to get to know more people in the program and enjoy our time out in the middle of nowhere together.