Perdita Stevens wrote:
We're contemplating Pila for next year - anyone been there?

Yes, daughter did a BASI gap-year instructor course there a few years
back and we visited while she was there.

I would not recommend it:

- long slow cable car to get from Aosta town to the Pila slopes, or a
drive up there. None of the hotels seem to be near the cable car, so
there's a good walk across town first. There may be some hotels up at
the top, but if there are there'll be little night life (not that you
probably care with a 5 year old). Don't recall any hotel names, so the
ones you mention may be up there.

- terrain is very limited and gentle, most of the runs would not be
rated red in France

- I doubt if it would be very snow-sure at New Year

- Don't know about weekends being busy - there are a lot of other
higher/bigger resorts in the same valley. ALso Italians tend to start
late and have long lunches so as long as you are out on first lift and
take early/short lunches you can avoid a lot of Qs.
However, Interski are very big there, so there's a chance that it will
be crammed with Brit. school parties during school hols. OTOH this might
mean some decent english-speaking instruction for your 5 yo..

- We prefer Gressoney and La Thuile, but as we live out here and kids
are now adults we tend to DIY hols and don't need ski school for nippers
so I don't know which tour operators go there.
There's also Cervinia (only skied there from Zermatt, necer stayed
there) or Courmayeur, but that's not ski in/out.

Good luck ! Roger