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Skiing reigns supreme among a succession of high peaks at the foot of a gigantic glacier. A fully-equipped, modern winter resort, immersed in an beautiful valley, in one of the largest skiing areas of the Alps.
At Pré-Saint-Didier (1004 m.), after a visit to the ravine, with its gushing spring of thermal water, used since Roman times, you take the winding road up to La Thuile (1441 m.). The village was already well-known in the past, being the last resting place before crossing the Little St Bernard, one of the Alps' busiest passes. Up there, at 2158 metres, around the year 1100, St Bernard had a hospice built for travellers, which was used until the onset of World War II. From 1860 to 1909 abbot Pierre Chanoux ran the hospice and founded Chanousia, one of Europe's most prestigious botanical gardens, with over 5,000 species of plants from the Alps, Tibet, the Caucasus, the Himalayas and the Andes. Today the garden has been re-established and attracts numerous visitors during the summer. La Thuile, together with La Rosière, a resort in France's Upper Savoy, forms a large skiing area: 85 kilometres of runs, some suitable for medium skiers and others for the more expert. Here there is an ultra-modern cableway, which with its two cables, can transport 3,000 people an hour. The vastness of the area creates a succession of different views, and among ridges and winding slopes skiers can delight in discovering new and unexpected vistas. Snowfall in the area is regular and abundant and the high altitudes ensure excellent snow conditions until the late spring. There are plenty of tracks for cross-country skiers, pleasantly winding between dense Scandinavian-type woods and sunny plateaux. The Rutor glacier is the ideal terrain for lovers of ski climbing and heliski. From transit post and mining village, La Thuile has skifully developed into a well-planned and comprehensive tourist resort, with a wealth of leisure activities and top-level facilities: skating rink, swimming pool, games room, disco, winter camping sites and panoramic restaurants along the pistes.
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