21 October 2024

Modernised facilities, new services and the World Cup

Espace San Bernardo will celebrate 40 years on 4 January next, a prestigious milestone for the international ski area that unites the Italian slopes and lifts of La Thuile and the French La Rosière. While waiting for the celebrations, the ‘domaine skiable’ is preparing for the new winter season, which will be inaugurated on Saturday 30 November and will bring many new features.

First and foremost, La Thuile, managed by Funivie Piccolo San Bernardo, will once again host the women's Alpine Skiing World Cup. The great dream is once again a reality and for the third time in history the circuit will land on slope 3-Franco Berthod, one of the most beautiful and affascinating slopes for athletes, the steepest in Italy, capable of providing adrenalin-fuelled skiing for fans with trained technique and legs.

Steep and long walls, moguls and jumps, combined with some - albeit few - sliding sections where you can try to take a breather. And if the everyday skiers will be able to stop at the edge of the piste and admire the beauty of the wild side of Mont Blanc, the world queens of speed on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 March will be looking for the best line to try and triumph in front of an always numerous and warm public. Which in the past has been able to surprise the protagonists themselves.

In La Thuile, where a stage of the Whoop UCI Mountain Bike World Series (3-6 July) will also be held next summer, there is great excitement and an established staff that has been working for months on the big comeback. Soon, tickets will go on sale for the downhill and super-G in mid-March, the last stage before the World Cup Finals in Sun Valley.

In the meantime, there is a winter to be enjoyed to the full, with skiing between Italy and France, snowshoeing or ski mountaineering outings, not forgetting the cross-country ring and the ever-present freeride trips. La Thuile is a paradise for outdoor activities, a resort that never stops and continues to invest significant resources to modernise facilities and services, while maintaining truly competitive ski pass prices. The ratio between the cost of the ski pass and the kilometres of slopes available allows La Thuile to be among the cheapest resorts in Italy. In addition to subsidised rates, introduced at regional level for the under 16 and under 24s, La Thuile offre special skipasses for beginners, starting from 9 euros for the day pass for the treadmill, up to 32 euros for the ticket that allows you to ride from morning to night on the gondola and the two chairlifts serving the easier slopes.

As soon as snow conditions permit, the Chardonnet chairlift will be inaugurated, which can transport up to 3,000 people per hour. It is located on French territory and is a strategic lift for the district because it connects La Thuile and La Rosière, bringing back even less experienced skiers who will prefer not to venture onto the magnificent red slope, which is not very suitable for beginners.

The Fourclaz chairlift, in the Belvedere area, has several improvements, including in terms of safety. A system has been installed to cushion the seats and make the ascent more comfortable for skiers and snowboarders, and a video surveillance system will be put in place to monitor wind effects even more precisely.

Strategic interventions have also been made on the snowmaking system of slope 5 ‘Muret’, where the old generation poles have been replaced with more efficient ones, which use less water for the same amount of snow produced. In addition, the snowmaking tubes have been doubled on slopes 2 ‘Diretta’ and 3 ‘Franco Berthod’, which will be involved in the spectacular World Cup stage, a prestigious international showcase that will allow La Thuile to be known around the world.

Lastly, in order to have more definite weather forecasts, control units have been installed throughout the district, which will feed the information system on the lathuile.it website, which has been completely renewed and is ready to be replaced in November. Open lifts, snow situation, slopes, weather and new webcams (Panomax at Petit St Bernard and Livecam at Les Suches) all in one click, to keep you up to date.

A winter season that promises to be full of novelties, with the 40th anniversary of Espace San Bernardo to celebrate, modernised lifts, more services and a highly anticipated World Cup stage to welcome spring.