La Thuile is a border town in the north-east of Italy and is part of the Aosta Valley, which includes lots of lift-assisted riding spots such as Pila, Breuil-Cervinia, Courmayeur, and Monterosa. The village itself has been around since the 10th century when the Romans first built a road to cross the mountains to link Rome to its northern capital of Lyon. Up until the Second World War the area had many mines, but as the industry started to slow down, the locals needed to find another means of income. The first ski lift was opened in 1948, and the area has since been a very popular winter sports destination and a summer high-altitude training resort for tennis stars and out-of-season soccer teams.
The area above La Thuile that you can access via the lift network is vast, as the resort is part of the Espace San Bernardo international ski area, which covers over 3,000 hectares all the way over to the neighboring French town of La Rosière. There has always been a huge array of walking paths and fire roads crisscrossing this area for those who like a physical challenge, but post Covid-19 there has been a big investment in opening up the trails to more people by improving access, signage, and even installing e-bike charging points along the routes.
