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Resort Guide

Suitability	Resort height: 1765m
Families:		[Yes]
Glacier:		[No]
Beginners:		[4]
Intermediates:		[4]
Advanced:		[3]
Snowboarding:		[3]

Located in a large bowl high above the Aosta Valley in North Western Italy, Pila is a long established ski-centre linked to the historic city of Aosta below by a long gondola, which was renewed in 2008, and cuts out an 18km (11 mile) ascent.

There are spectacular views from here stretching from the Matterhorn to Monte Rosa and including Monte Bianco – better known in the English-speaking world as Mont Blanc, western Europe's highest peak.

Pila was purpose-built from the late 1940s onwards but, unlike later developments, the greater part of it is rather attractive, built in a traditional chalet style with relatively small scale buildings. There are exceptions with some large apartment complexes.

However the modern master-planning of the resort does mean that doorstep skiing and the convenience of other facilities are all designed in. The resort has invested a great deal in recent years in new lifts, replacing almost all of its draglifts (which a decade ago provided 80% of the uplift), with fast modern chairlifts and installing more than 200 snow cannons.

Despite its height, which gives it relatively snow sure conditions throughout the season, the village is still well below the treeline and is surrounded by thick forest. Most of the ski runs are carved through this, although the highest slopes more than 900 metres above are on open snow fields.

Beginners

Beginners will appreciate the smooth, perfectly groomed pistes and special beginner slopes. You may make your first turns on Baby Pila, Baby Gorraz or Grimod and you'll also appreciate there are only a few drag lifts to master.

A minor hiccup is that the very easy terrain is rather limited to only eight kilometres (five miles) of blue piste divided into five runs. By far the majority of the terrain is graded the more challenging intermediate standard.

Intermediates

Primarily an intermediates' resort, eighty percent of the terrain is graded red and there are more than 20 pistes to choose from with usually two or three choices from the top of every lift. Runs are up to six kilometres (four miles) long and are typically wide, tree-lined and uncrowded.

The six-day area lift pass includes up to two days of skiing in other Aosta Valley resorts, although transport to them is not always straight forward.

Options include Courmayeur, Gressoney, La Thuile - linked over the French border to La Rosiere, and Cervinia, linked over the Swiss border to Zermatt.

Advanced

There are only three blacks at Pila although these do cover 10 kilometres (seven miles) of steep skiing between them, including the two kilometre (one and a quarter mile) long Resselin piste, regarded as the resort's toughest.

Others challenges include the Leissé, Couis 2 pistes and the moguls on Tsa Creuisa.

However a bigger attraction than the piste is likely to be the abundant freeride terrain with long descents possible over off-piste terrain through the middle of the woods, where they can zig zag between the trees and leap over natural obstacles.

It's always best to take a guide. Hiking the ridge at the top of the ski lifts from the top of the Couis chair accesses at least half a dozen famous off-piste descents, including the six kilometre (four mile) La Pera Grimod route or the ten kilometre (seven mile) Cole Tzasetze descent.

Snowboarding

Pila has great freeriding terrain and has created a terrain park Snowboard Planet, which has lines for all ability levels from beginners to expert.

The park features a fun box and spine, big jump as well as a slide and quarter pipe. A half pipe is added when snow conditions are adequate. With virtually all of the resort's lifts being chairs, most of them modern quads and six-seaters, getting up the slopes is easy.

Other Activities and Facilities

There is not a great deal of things to do in Pila besides ski, eat and enjoy the après ski scene. There's a natural ice rink and limited winter hiking routes. The Gruppo Attacchi Valle d'Aosta offers horse riding lessons.

A few of the hotels including the Lion Noir have swimming pools and there are several saunas dotted around the resort.

You can also take the gondola down to Aosta for a wider range of facilities including a much bigger choice of shops. The ancient city also has many cultural and historic attractions and has been described as "the most Roman city outside of Rome".

Après Ski and Dining Out

Despite being purpose-built, après ski in Pila is very lively at the weekend when the locals arrive en masse and thus it is also very Italian. Quieter mid-week, it remains relaxed and informal.

Popular venues include Bar Mion and La Nuova, there is also an Irish pub.

Restaurants, like the bars, are mostly based in hotels. There's a choice of about 20, serving of course a lot of pasta and pizza, although there is also regional cuisine and mountain favourites such as fondue and raclette. The Grimond is good for pizza and the Yeti serves local specialities.

Families

The nursery Chi Non Scia Salta accepts children aged three years and older and offers a choice of non-ski childcare only or a combination of indoor fun and ski lessons.

Italian law states that children under 14 must wear ski helmets, which are available for rental in resort (free of charge up to age 12 as part of a rental package with skis and boots). Children five and over can join ski school.

Piste Map for Pila

Accommodation in Pila

• Etoile De Neige - 3 star,
• Etoile De Neige - 3 star, half board
• Pila 2000 - 3 star, half board
• Pila 2000 - 3 star, half board
• Printemps - 3 star, half board
• Printemps - 3 star, half board

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