Despite being
a quite featureless (unless you consider its jewelry stores and dozens of
boutiques scattered here and there ... ) and, frankly , quite ugly village,
there is no doubt that Sestriere finds its place within the Gotha of winter
tourism. In fact, there are very few places that have a past and present sport heritage
like the one of this town in the Turin Alps. Several editions of the World Cup
, World Championships and, most importantly, the Turin 2006 XX Olympic Winter
Games were held on these tracks.
Created from
scratch in the 1930s, it was one of the first resorts to be conceived for and revolve
exclusively around skiing. Its two famous tower-hotels have rapidly become the symbol
of the town.
Sestriere
is now at the centre of one of the largest ski areas in the Alps, the Via
Lattea, which connects — through ski routes — five resorts in Italy and one in
France for a total (declared ) of 400km of slopes. In addition to this,
Sestriere is easily accessible ( the Turin
- Bardonecchia highway and Oulx railway station are only a few kilometers away
from it) and very well-equipped. The other side of the coin is that one should be
prepared to spend quite a lot of money to stay in one of the many local hotels
or to eat at one of the various classy restaurants available.
Needless to
say, there are so many beautiful tracks here and you'll be spoilt for choice,
especially if you plan a long stay and you have the chance to explore the
entire Via Lattea surroundings. This review, however, focuses in particular on
the area of Sestriere.
 |
| Olympic Aristocracy |
Created in
the 80s, unifying the resorts of Sauze d'Oulx, Sestriere, San Sicario / Cesana
, Claviere and the French Montgenevre, the Via Lattea was one of the first
major Italian ski area. Its extension remains impressive even today. From the
top of Mount Fraiteve, ideally at the center of the Via Lattea, at 2700 meters,
your view over the skiable area extends to the horizon in all directions.
Unfortunately,
there are a few drawbacks that prevent you from enjoying to the fullest the
vastness of the area (going to Claviere from San Sicario, for example, requires
about 20/25 minutes of ups-and-downs by skilifts ...). However, if you are up
for it, in one day you can visit all the locations of the ski area (I recommend
watching the clock and not being late ... the consequences could be dire! )
My advice
is to choose a specific area and explore its tracks, without the stress of the facilities’ closing time.
With regard
to Sestriere, in particular, three areas can be defined: the Sises (the one
facing the village, where we find the bizarre coexistence of extremely challenging
runs such as Kandahar Slalom and those for beginners), Borgata Sestriere (mostly
easy tracks), and Mount Banchetta (with long beautiful runs that end in Borgata).
 |
| In pink my favourite runs |
Here are my favorite slopes:
 |
| Fantastica Kandahar Nasi |
-
63
 |
| Final part of the 63 |
-
Kandahar Slalom.
 |
| Kandahar Slalom... |
Skipass
In one
word: cheap. I do not think you can find this quality/price ratio elsewhere in
the Alps.
The daily pass
valid throughout the Via Lattea, except for Montgenevre, costs only €36 (€47
with that area included). A six-day pass costs €190(only for the Italian area;
the cost of a daily extension to include Montgenevre is €23... not a deal). A six-day
pass for the whole area (including Montgenevre ) costs €240.
Skitrotter Tips
- Via Lattea is one of the few districts that promotes online purchases, with a €2 discount on the full price. If you think it’s not that much, consider that the real benefit is to avoid the long lines at the cash (especially in high season and public holidays).
- Coming from the A32 Turin –Bardonecchia highway, you can save time and gas and avoid nerve attacks (finding a parking place here is easier), stopping in Cesana Torinese and reaching the area of Sestriere (from San Sicario), via gondola lift.
- Sestriere hosted the first World Cup night race: a powerful lightning system brightens up the Kandahar Slalom track. But the greatest news is that if you have a valid daily ski pass, your skiing under the stars is for free! Find out on the ski area’s website the evenings when the facility is in operation.
- For a lunch break on the slopes, try Chisonetto (Banchetta area): good, fast (for me a feature that worths gold) and topped off with a fantastic view.
- Many spots for après-ski. The one that seems to be the coolest this winter is GFC (to avoid during lunchtime ... biblical waiting for a meal!), it's located on the slopes in front of the village.
- Not necessarily the dinner should be expensive: great pizzas and a decent final bill at Lo Scoiattolo, in the village.
- If the force still is with you, do not miss an evening at Tabata, historical club (not only for Sestriere, but for the whole Turin area).
Info
Sestriere (Torino), Italy
By car, A32 highway, Oulx exit, then 25 minutes on state road to destination
By train, FS station Oulx-Cesana-Sestriere and 25 minutes by bus
By plane, Torino Sandro Pertini Airport (109 km)
www.vialattea.it
By car, A32 highway, Oulx exit, then 25 minutes on state road to destination
By train, FS station Oulx-Cesana-Sestriere and 25 minutes by bus
By plane, Torino Sandro Pertini Airport (109 km)
www.vialattea.it
Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa
Neighborhood
Sauze d'Oulx (26 Km)
Bardonecchia (35 km)
Serre Chevalier (32 km)
Bardonecchia (35 km)
Serre Chevalier (32 km)
More Info
follow me on twitter @skitrotter
on Facebook, on email skitrotter@gmail.com
on Facebook, on email skitrotter@gmail.com
