Snow snow everywhere; this was my first impression of La Rosiere when I arrived at the start of my first season as a chalet host. The next thought was - oh my god, I have to shovel this out of the way, or no-one will reach the chalet.
I'm nearly halfway through my first season working a chalet host, and the cooking and cleaning is easily compensated for by the opportunity to get out on the slopes. The views are stunning, and a south facing resort means that when the sun comes out, you can ride all day in glorious sunshine, and work on that all important google tan at the same time.
La Ros itself is pretty, small and quite quiet as resorts go, but there is fun in the evening to be had; pub quizes at Hotel La Rosiere, bands in the Petit Danois and of course dancing on the stage in the Moo Bar, the local night club and a compulsory part of resort life.
Riding everyday means you get to know the pistes well, and what works in which conditions. There are some great tree-lined reds for low light days, wide blues for practising technique, a baby snowpark for learning tricks before launching yourself off the kickers in the big park, and a large snowcross area. Essentially, something for everyone.
Another selling point of La Ros is the fact that you can pop over to Italy for the day. The resort is connected to La Thuile, and I have barely scratched the surface of that side of the border. The conditions each side of the mountain can vary quite a lot. When the weather is bad on one side, its often great on the other side - if you can get over. Access is via a long drag lift however, and as a snowboarder I can say that after the first ten minutes, you find yourself wishing you were on skis. The second drag can, thankfully, be avoided.
In summary, La Rosiere is small, but perfectly formed. And the conditions currently on the mountain? Well, first impressions last, and the snow has too.
Aoife Glass
