Afternoon all,

Having had a great 2 weeks in Chamonix/Morzine last year, I’m planning a 10 ish day holiday to the Aosta valley this summer. Will be driving down so we’ll have a car when we’re there.

Does anyone have any recommendations/suggestions on where to stay when we are there? Any preference of Pila over Aosta? Or is there somewhere else that is best for access to trails/lifts/non riding activities? Aiming for self-catering (Air BnB etc)…

Thanks!

I stayed in Aosta years ago. It’s a town in its own right, shops, restaurants etc. Easy to get the bubble lift up to Pila every morning.

From memory Pila was a typical purpose built ski resort in summer – I.e not much going on.

The descent from Pila to Aosta is out of this world (low alpine singletrack). You won’t tire of it being the last run each day

I didn’t stay there, we commuted over from France but yep to all of that.

If you’ve not already planned a visit to La Thuile, do- Pila has one of the best descents I’ve ever done but La Thuile is the best place I’ve ever ridden, love it, it’s like Mega-Innerleithen. We didn’t ride everything at Pila but I abandoned the upper bike park stuff pretty quick and spent most of the day just smashing endless runs of the bottom descent/s (there’s so many options it’s not really fair to call it a single descent), it is absolutely brilliant.

You’ve got Les Arcs and La Rosiere in realistic driving distance too, to add a bit of variety. (if you’re google mapsing stuff, it doesn’t recognise the option of driving over the col du petit st bernard, I guess because it’s a summer road, so it’ll suggest a huge long loop and make it seem unfeasible)

I stayed in Pila while on a Euro road trip a few years ago. There are a few ski hotels at the top and one campsite about half way down the hill. We slept under the stars and washed bikes/kit/ourselves using a small tap in a car park! Not ideal 🙂
If I went again I think I’d stay in Aosta and just get the lift to Pila every day. It takes about 15/20 minutes to get to the top. There is a huge supermarket in Aosta near to the lift station so I’m sure you could park there.
The riding is unreal tho so well worth a visit.

Never actually made it to Pila/Aosta due to injuries and weather, but I’ve always been led to believe that you’ll have done it within 2-3 days so only recommeded as a short stay. La Thuile (which I have done and it was pretty awesome) was much the same.

Roadtrip? Pila/Aosta > La Thuile > Terrentaise Valley perhaps?

Always stayed in Aosta when we have been with the camper, If I was going for 10 days I would add in a day in La Thuile and a day over in Verbier. I would also squeeze in a couple of days in Finale.

Our trip this year will be down to Millau for the French round of the EWS. Will get a few days riding in whilst Abigale is competing.
Across to Finale for a couple of days with Finale Freeride. A bit of time with The Inside Line on the way back up if they are available. Pila for a day and then over the pass for two weeks with Bike Verbier

Always stayed in Aosta on a campsite just out of town, great place

We stayed here, basic but clean and a pool.

http://www.campingtouring.com/en/

Never actually made it to Pila/Aosta due to injuries and weather, but I’ve always been led to believe that you’ll have done it within 2-3 days so only recommeded as a short stay

+1 10 days in Pila is too much, IMO.
Make it a road trip and take in some other resorts

Same as most others; we’ve done a day in Pila and that was enough. We based in Les Arcs for 5 annual 2 week holidays and did trips to Pila, La Thuile, La Rosierre, La Plagne, Tignes and Val D’isere. Plenty of riding in La Plagne and Les Arcs, could do several days in La Thuile. The rest worthy of a day trip only imo.