Sestriere
Sestriere Ski Resort Italy
Sestriere Italy was one of the world’s first purpose-built ski resorts, way back in the 1930s, and is also one of the highest Italian ski resorts at 2,035 metres elevation. Sestriere ski resort is located 90 minutes west of Turin (Turino) and is the main resort on the deliciously large “The Milky Way” (Via Lattea) ski pass which links Sestriere's neighbours Sauze d'Oulx, Sansicario, Cesana, Pragelato, Claviere and Montgenèvre across the border in France.
Whilst Sestriere sits on a sunny plateau with north-west-facing slopes, it enjoys guaranteed snow cover thanks to both altitude and one of the world's most extensive snow making operations.
Sestriere Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Sestriere hosted the World Alpine Ski Championships in 1997 and the alpine events in the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics. Despite this honour Sestriere is realistically an area best suited to intermediates as there are no ‘green’ runs for beginners and advanced runs are limited. For more challenging off-piste terrain, heli-skiing may be worth considering.
Sestriere’s local ski area offers 160 pistes (320km) and is served by drag lifts and chairs in two main sectors: Sises directly in front of the Sestriere village; and Motta above the little Borgata Village right next door to Sestriere. Motta is higher than Sises, has more skiing options, and is best known for the 2.5km Kandahar Slalom Giovanni Alberto Agnelli run (700m vertical), enjoyed by professionals in regular Alpine Skiing World Cups and the Winter Olympic slalom races. Sises’ equivalent world class run is the Col de Sises black which provides good off-piste action especially after fresh snowfalls. As the Sises area is mainly serviced by drag lifts, snowboarders may not find this area as user friendly as skiers.
Beginner runs and the pretty basic snowpark are above the ski school meeting point near the town centre, which is nice and handy if you are starting out. There are also easy blue runs in the Borgata ski area nearby.
Nearby Ski Areas
You can access three other ski areas directly from Sestriere via either of the two gondolas or the cable car. Across the valley, a gondola goes up from a car park west of the Sestriere village to Fraiteve peak in the Sansicario ski region. The other gondola heads to Col Basset peak in the Sauze D’oulx ski region, whilst the Pattemouche-Anfiteatro cable car from the Borgata end of Sestriere can take you to the wellness resort town of Pragelato, which also offers 50km of easy skiing terrain.
The large and popular Sauze d’Oulx, Sansicario and little Pragelato are all part of The Milky Way” (Via Lattea) area, which also incorporates Cesana and the classic and charming Claviere and Montgenèvre over the border in France.
The Milky Way gives Sestriere skiers access to 440km (275 miles) of ski runs serviced by 66 lifts. Skiing from town to town is possible within The Milky Way, but inadequate snow cover or poor weather may slow progress around the area considerably.
The “Milky Way” (Via Lattea) Ski Lift Pass provides access to all five of the Italian ski resorts as well as Montgenevre in France for a €17 upgrade (don’t forget your passport!). Alternatively you can just buy one pass for Sestriere.
Where is Sestriere Ski Resort?
Sestriere is located in western Italy half way along the border separating Italy and France, in the Piedmonte region about 100km west of Turin, 3 hours drive west of Milan and 3 hours drive south of Geneva in Switzerland.
Oulx is the closest town to Sestriere, approximately 32km away, providing the best access point for public transport and cars.
The nearest airport is Turin (Torino)–Caselle (TRN) which is just under 2 hours away from Sestriere using the public bus from the airport to the main train station, from where you catch a train to Oulx. The train journey takes about 100 minutes. From Oulx a regular bus service goes right into the heart of Sestriere in around 30 minutes. This approach works really well if your plane lands in the morning, but you may need to catch a taxi if your train arrives at Oulx after the final bus in the late afternoon.
From Paris, the train trip to Oulx takes about 5 hours before connecting with the regular bus service to Sestriere.
Oulx also provides the best car access to Sestriere from the main A32 highway which goes between Turin and Bardonecchia on the French–Italian border. Whilst Oulx is the main access point, you can also go via the SR23 road from Turin via Pinerolo.
A free ski bus service operates around the Sestriere resort at least every half an hour, and more often during peak times.
Sestriere Hotels and Accommodation
Sestriere is made up of four villages along the SR23: Sestriere Colle; Sestriere Borgata; Champlas du Col; and Champlas Janvier. Unfortunately due to the purpose built nature of the area, none have the charm and romance of a classic European ski resort. Sestriere Colle is best positioned if you want to enjoy the Sises ski area, and Sestriere Borgata is best for access to the Motta ski area.
The accommodation standard of many of the Sestriere hotels is commonly embellished, so it may be wise to consider apartment accommodation that was built for the 2006 Olympics. These are generally reasonably modern, have good facilities and better than average sized rooms at a good price. Other lodging options include various bed and breakfasts and private rental houses.
The stand out accommodation – literally – is the circular hotel tower designed by Giovanni Agnelli in 1930 when Sestriere began its history as one of Italy's major ski resorts.
Sestriere Accommodation ListingsClick on the following links for a range of Sestriere accommodations:
Sestriere Activities
Sestriere has 10km of cross-country ski tracks and ice-skating in the centre of Sestriere Colle village.
The aprés ski really only kicks in over the weekends when the locals from Turin and Milan come to play.
Why Ski or Snowboard at Sestriere?
Sestriere started as a resort especially for Italian skiers more than 80 years ago, and has hosted the Winter Olympics a few times, making it a world class region for skiing enthusiasts.
Sestriere would benefit greatly from doing more to modernise its offer. In particular more efficient lift systems for the challenging areas would enhance the ski resort.
To get the best out of this high alpine Italian ski experience go to Sestriere during the week (not weekends), take your kids, get the Milky Way ski pass to access all areas, and do a crash course in the Italian language.