Ski in Sestrière

Ski Sestrière - Ski Resort and Snow Summary

Sestrière (The Milky Way), Italy (1840m to 2840m)

Built by the owners of the Fiat car company in 1934 and owned by them for 70 years, Sestriere is one of the earliest and still one of the highest purpose- built ski stations. Sitting on a sunny plateau, snow cover is guaranteed thanks to both altitude and one of the world's most extensive snow making operations. Before hosting downhill events in the 2006 Winter Olympics, the Alpine World Championships were staged here in 1997, and the Men's World Cup races take place here every December.

Sponsored Links	Sestrière Ski Facts Sestrière Ski Facts Expert Skiers Intermediate Skiers Beginners Snowboarding Snow Apres-ski    42 Black Runs (80km)    118 Red Runs (223km)    54 Blue Runs (97km)    7 Green Runs 400km Downhill Pistes 15km Cross Country Trails 92 Ski Lifts 1000m Max Vertical 2840m Highest Lift 2040m Resort Altitude 1840m Lowest Piste
Sestrière in brief Sestrière Ski Resort is:- Very good for Expert Skiers. Excellent for Intermediate Skiers. Very good for Beginners. Good for Snowboarding.	Full Page Map of Sestrière

The Italian ski resort of Sestrière is part of the Milky Way Ski Area with access to 598 individual pistes. In addition to the skiing in Sestrière itself (400km of pisted ski runs), the appropriate ski Lift Pass will allow you to ski or snowboard in the other Milky Way ski resorts of Clavière, Sansicario, Sauze d'Oulx and Montgenèvre.

The ski resort itself is above 1500m, so skiing or boarding back to the resort is usually possible. With pistes above 2500 metres, skiing and snowboarding is assured throughout the season.

Snowmaking :- Sestrière is able to augment natural snow, on 10km of ski runs, with 90 Snow Cannons.

Ski Lift Capacity :- The 92 Ski Lifts of Sestrière are able to uplift 70,900 skiers / snowboarders per hour.

There is an airport within two hours drive, so ski weekends, snowboard breaks and short ski holidays to Sestrière are perfectly feasible.

Skiing in Sestrière

The central point of a vast trail network which extends over to Sauze d'Oulx and has a more tenuous connection via Sansicario, Cesana and Claviere over to Montgenèvre, Sestrière's skiing has been well designed from the start. The vast snowy bowl, largely above the tree line, gave the planners a blank sheet to play with.

Beginners runs fan out above the ski school meeting point in the resort' centre and a special lift tickets given relevant limited lift access for beginners only is also available.

Intermediates will enjoy Sestrières skiing the most, using the two main local areas of Banchetta and Sises. There are runs of all kinds from short steep moguls to long wide motorway cruisers. It's easy to get over to the pleasant wooded trails above neighbouring Sauze d'Oulx. The trails over to Montgenèvre can be tackled by intermediate skiers via blues and reds. It is an exciting trip as you have the feeling of travelling from village to village. A full day should be allowed and some sectors, notably around the village of Cesana may not have adequate snow cover except at the height of the season.

Experts have fewer trails just for them but heli-skiing is popular in the area. Runs in the Amphitaeatro bowl and the blacks at the top of Sises and Motta are also highly regarded.

A run good skiers should not miss in Sestriere is Mount Sises (which also gives access to excellent off piste from the slopes of Valle Ripa and Vallone del Chisonetto). This is the World Cup and World Championships giant slalom run. You reach the top (2600m) with the four passenger chair-lift Cit Roc and then a ski-lift. The run is steep but wide in the highest part then flatter around the Mount Alpette and becoming once again quite vertical under the chair lift where the old ski lift once passed.

In Sestriere its possibile to ski at night on the floodlit run where many ski champions have battled it out in World Cup competitions

Snowboarding in Sestrière

Although Sestrière now has a snowpark, its lack of special facilities for snowboarders such as and a half pipe, surprises many. This is partly because of the resort's international significance and partly because it's high altitude and excellent snow conditions would appear to make it easier to create terrain features like half pipes here and for the resort to be able to fanfare early season openings. Snowboarders are welcome however, and have access to skiing on all slopes. With a large number of chair lifts it's a good resort for getting up the mountains. Several of the ski school's teachers are trained to teach 'boarding.

Sestrière Aprés Ski

The resort is known for its cosmopolitan but also lively nightlife - especially at weekends when the relatively sophisticated crowds from Turin and Milan arrive en masse. There are two piano bars and the Tabatha discothèque.

For a lively evening there's live music and karaoke some nights at Dreamers bar and the Brahms Pub has a reputation for its range of imported Irish beers.

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Also of interest for Sestrière, Italy

Airport Transfer Bergamo to Sestrière Get Quote

Sestrière Ski Chalets from £467 per week

Sestrière Ski Holidays from £337 per person