milky way - just how difficult is it to ski the whole area?

Hi there
I am thinking of staying at the hotel du col in sestriere and was just wondering how easy the reds are? i would class our group as a step up from beginner in that we are more the cruisy type and dont like very steep slopes. will this limit the access we could make across the milky way? are the links to other areas hard?

Traditionally the reds in Italy are usually a little easier than say French or Austrian reds so all in all I found most of the reds in The Milky Way Ok. Italian piste bashing is renowned for excellent grooming so most slopes will be billard table flat(...on a slope!).However as with everything there are always exceptions...early morning if they are icy, late afternoon if they are bumpy or busy. The good thing about Sestiere is that the red pistes tend to be quite wide so I am sure that if you are cautious you will be fine. Try heading for Sauze D'Oulx as the slopes there are very pleasant.
But most of all, don't panic , ski within your own limits and enjoy! :)

We stayed in Claviere a few years ago and didn't see half of the MW, from a very foggy memory, I think Sestriere is in the middle, we never made it there though.

But as BE said, don't panic and just enjoy what you can, always a good reason to go back and do the rest if you don't manage it all in a week :)

Been a while since I was in Sauze so this may be outdated BUT

the slopes were not the problem for us - some of the l;ifts were horribly old and slow

I think much of this was sorted for the Turin Olympics but worth checking the piste map carefully for the dreaded "single chair"

But its a great area and you'll enjoy it loads

Avante!

karen72 wrote:Hi there
I am thinking of staying at the hotel du col in sestriere and was just wondering how easy the reds are? i would class our group as a step up from beginner in that we are more the cruisy type and dont like very steep slopes. will this limit the access we could make across the milky way? are the links to other areas hard?

There's nice cruise pistes all over, in particular at both extreme ends in sauze and montgenevre.
Sestriere is probably in general the toughest of the skiing areas with some fairly steep reds but they're all wide and east to traverse so you'll be fine.

Sestriere, sauze and sansicario are linked quite well and offer good intermediate skiing. I really liked the latter where i was based for a ski marathon a few years ago. Long wide pistes, ideal for either having a blast or taking it steady. However your thread questions how difficult to ski the whole area. The link between sansicario ond claviere isnt great. It is indeed linked but can take quite a while. Once in Claviere, it links really well with Montgenevre. For late beginner / early intermediate it is a bit of a trek but there should be enough to keep you busy with Sestriere/Sauze/Sansicario.

andyoneil wrote:
the slopes were not the problem for us - some of the l;ifts were horribly old and slow

I think much of this was sorted for the Turin Olympics but worth checking the piste map carefully for the dreaded "single chair"

I think it may have gone - went last April and it wasn't where I recall it being from a few years ago.

andymol2 wrote:

andyoneil wrote:
the slopes were not the problem for us - some of the l;ifts were horribly old and slow

I think much of this was sorted for the Turin Olympics but worth checking the piste map carefully for the dreaded "single chair"

I think it may have gone - went last April and it wasn't where I recall it being from a few years ago.

Hallelujah 8)