Oh the memories of pre-pandemic snowboarding...

A few things very quickly from a trip back in Feb of 2020: Sestriere is enormous, it's scenic, it's got lots of 2006 Winter Olympic history, and it's the cheapest mountain of its size you will find anywhere in Europe. You can spend 5 days here for the same cost of what two days would cost you nearly anywhere else (except Zermatt...you're looking at one day for the same cost, there).

There are a lot of cool things about Sestriere but a lot of weird things, as well. The town itself is the most bizarre looking ski town I've come across in Europe, at this point. Nothing makes sense and, I think it's been said in a previous review, it's pretty unsightly.

The mountain itself offers nearly everything for everyone. There are constantly entire armies of children being shepherded around the mountain due to a lot of kid-friendly areas, there's pretty extreme tree runs on the Eastern side of the resort and on the Western side there are some enormously wide pistes allowing a lot of freedom even when it's busy as well as with great off-piste action in between curves, etc. On the far western side of the resort, you can take some pretty serious altitude from the Fraiteve Gondola and ski or shred all the way down to the Olympic bobsled track that is still in use.

To see this entire area is easily a 3 or 4 day trip. Just don't plan on a lively nightlife scene as, again, the town itself is super awkward.
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Our latest visit to Sestriere was in early January 2020. Whilst it had not snowed for a few weeks, upper mountain bases were over 2m. This was better than most places in the world at the same time, in what had been for many countries (incl. Japan, US & Canada), an extremely lean start to winter.

It is no surprise that we love a ski area that combines great skiing, huge terrain & reliable snow with a rock bottom lift pass price. Even though we love skiing everywhere in the world, deep down, we are tight-arses (fair enough, right?). That is why we love Sestriere & the Via Lattea. The €38 lift pass for the 305km of trails in the Italian sector is insanely cheap.

In Sestriere, we based ourselves at the Hotel Uappala. The high elevation of the resort always provides a snow-laden experience, but the village design is absolutely polarising. The Hotel Uappala is a case in point. From the outside, it looks intriguing, with its twin towers synonymous with the Sestriere look (a look more at home in a quirky Japanese ski resort than an Italian resort within a few hours of Milan!). But on the inside, it is though the hotel has been designed by a lunatic. I could write a few thousand words on its design flaws. Never mind that – in short, the room was well priced, super clean, functional & quiet (ish). Strangely there was no Wi-Fi in any of the rooms (a nightmare on a work trip, but a first-world, whingey whiney problem!). The hotel made up for it with a breakfast spread that would keep Homer Simpson sated until dinner the next day! Oh, and it is just a few hundred metres stroll to the all-important gondola base.

Now why is the gondola base so important? Well its simple. One can either ski Sestriere via the various chairlifts from the village base, or head to arguably more interesting prospects in the opposite direction via the gondola direct to the 2700m summit of Fraiteve. Fraiteve is the meeting point of Sestriere, Sauze d’Oulx & Sansicario - including some of their best bits. From Fraiteve, the alpine bowl under the Sauze d’Oulx Colo chairlift is amongst the best in the region – on & off-piste. Toward Sansicario, the world-class Olimpica piste trails run uninterrupted for 1000m vertical, making it the perfect leg warmer first thing in the morning. Into Sestriere, the sunny or shaded alpine off-piste & trees or beginner/intermediate trails, connect to the lower village on extended skiable verticals of around 850m.

Sestriere is the most snow-laden of the Italian Via Lattea resorts. Elevation is king & with a village over 2000m elevation, it rules the roost! Wonderful piste terrain on the Motta side. The full 900m skiable vertical pistes running from high alpine to beautiful larch tree lined slopes are true thigh liquefiers. There are off-piste options in the upper alpine bowls or the trees depending on conditions. The Sissa side has a much shorter vertical, with the top surface tow rarely running (from what we have observed – they seem to save it just for World Cup events & training so skinning up is the best option!). In between are wonderful beginner slopes & fun parks all close to the main shops, bars & restaurants.

If interested in skiing the Via Lattea as a whole, it is a worthy question to ask where one should overnight. Somewhere central like Cesana in Torinese allows superb access to the entire Vialattea, allowing more time to be spent skiing each location & less time clock watching to avoid getting stuck in the wrong valley or country! But if more interested in the Italian sector of the ski region, Sestriere & it’s important gondola link makes it a worthy location. It is possible to ski to the Claviere & French border within an hour, making the most of a foray into the excellent Montgenevre, but putting a powder day at risk if that is what you are chasing!

On the après side of things, there are some very stylish bars facing the slopes at the resort base & a few places to hit after-hours, but we found it generally quiet midweek in January. Apparently, it rocks on weekends, but we have never experienced it.

If looking for a wonderful European ski experience with low crowds & on a budget, it is hard to look past Sestriere & the broader Via Lattea. Milk never tasted so good! Or are they referencing the stars – who knows or cares - it tastes delectable regardless! We do not generally recommend it as a premium snowboarding location though – long, linking trails can be killers for snowboarders in all but the best snow conditions.

You can see our thoughts on the pros and cons on the Sestriere overview page and also see our European ski resort ratings regarding how we score it compared to other skiing areas.

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One of the best ski resorts in the alps! Really good snow, even in the valley.
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Sestriere has one of the more recognisable resort villages in the world, just not in a good way. But if you can look past the awful architecture, its location in a high mountain pass at 2,035m is perfect for a ski resort.

The reliable snowfall in the Via Lattea and the direct gondola link with Oulx and Sansicario make for a skiers' paradise. Lots of piste skiers here leave the off-piste fairly pristine for days on end. allowing powder hounds to have free reign. 

The upside of the village is that it has everything you need for a great stay, and the rooms in those ugly towers do all have great views!
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Spent a season in the satellite village of Sauze D'Oulx back in the 90's. There was a fantastic group of expat Brits there who made me and my partner feel right at home from the very first night (they made us drink shots and we got hopelessly smashed!)

Work was easy to come by in the many bars and restaurants and the Village of Sauze D'oulx was everything you would imagine a sleepy quaint Italian Village to be like - cobblestone streets, great cafes and warm friendly people.

Snow conditions weren't great the season we were there but we managed to find good skiing at the other end of La via Latea in Montgenevre, over the border in France and in Sestriere itself. This is a great corner of Italy and France with many great skiing and non skiing options close by.

Highly recommended for a real taste of Italian skiing and hospitality. You'll find better skiing in other parts of Europe but as a ski/travel experience you won't be disappointed.
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The joy of Sestriere is its extendability. The rating below incorporates the fact that you can pop over the ridge and enjoy the long runs down San Sicario, the forest villages of Sauze d'Oulx, the mountains and valleys of Clavier, and even do an epic there-and-back day to the extensive Montgenevre for an omelette or Raclette for lunch. Epic views back to Sestriere on the return journey.

Another option would be to stay in Montgenevre and do the whole thing in reverse.

Also had a couple of excellent powder days, white out fog and decent tree riding within Sestriere itself.
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90% first run, Sestriere is a classic ski resort. It has a lot of people skiing on piste, but there are many lines off piste. By the lift you can enjoy the powder alone or with your freerider friends.

Heliskiing is available.
See our video here