Sauze D'Oulx

Not sure they applied the Italian standard to red 81. Some great skiing though and certainly made it look easy given the nice piste conditions.

Iceman wrote:To cut all that short. Does it mean the black is a red? All slopes vary according to conditions, so that's consistent.

James in the video is more than a standard intermediate. There's plenty of tools in his box, if you know what I mean.... :oops:

If I am following this thread correctly, we are discussing a black that will now be an important link run between major areas of the Milky Way. In normal circumstances, it might be reasonable to conclude that a black should really be a red or vice versa. I am assuming that the video above was recorded in normal conditions, i.e with normal levels of traffic.

However, in this instance, it seems to me that people are trying to work out if people who would not normally take on a black could take on this particular black in circumstances where there is likely to be a much higher rate of traffic on the run than is normal. I would be very wary of inadvertently encouraging people who normally avoid blacks to take on this one when it is likely to be very busy with lots of people potentially struggling!

If the runs are to remain closed all season, what are the chances of people being allowed to descend on the chair that would usually bring you up from the Sauze side?

Far Queue wrote:If the runs are to remain closed all season, what are the chances of people being allowed to descend on the chair that would usually bring you up from the Sauze side?

Apparently the chair is not safe to come down in due to the nature of the unloading area. It's going to be one very busy run at feb half term!

Wanderer wrote:

However, in this instance, it seems to me that people are trying to work out if people who would not normally take on a black could take on this particular black in circumstances where there is likely to be a much higher rate of traffic on the run than is normal. I would be very wary of inadvertently encouraging people who normally avoid blacks to take on this one when it is likely to be very busy with lots of people potentially struggling!

The original post was actually whether TO are putting on any kind of transport linking all of the areas - not whether a skier of a particular difficulty can/should ski a black

It all depends on conditions, I am sure we have all skied reds that on an awful day have been more challenging than a black thats nice and quiet?

In my personal case, I will ski the run first and then decide whether my wife is capable of skiing the black. There's a number of factors that come into it - the order depends on the individual person

1. Bottle/self belief, what ever you call it
2. Ability to ski at an intermediate level
3. Conditions - nice fluffy, solid ice, freezing cold temp, white out, windy, storms and everything in between
4. How busy is the slope? Full of speed freaks, beginners side slipping etc

But, in my opinion - whether I think it is safe for Mrs Icy do do the run. That's what it's all about - forget the official grading etc, it's whether it is safe.

Anyway, about these buses :roll:

Just to confirm that the website today confirms that the link to Sauze D'Oulx is only via black runs (25 and Canale Colo') - Difficult - only for expert skiers - with gradient over 40%

ATTENZIONE. Collegamento con l'area di SAUZE D'OULX esclusivamente attraverso le PISTE NERE (Pista 25 e Canale Colò) - DIFFICILI - ADATTE A SCIATORI PARTICOLARMENTE ESPERTI - con pendenza superiore al 40%

Having said that, I don't know what the tour operators are doing wrt buses....

I have had an email from iglu today re my holiday. See below

For safety reasons, the majority of linking runs from Sestriere back to Sauze d'Oulx are closed for the foreseeable future. The two remaining open runs are from M.Fraiteve, where you have the option of either Black 25 or Black Colo back towards Sauze d'Oulx.



In view of the situation, the lift company has widened Black 25 significantly so as to make the descent easier and to allow space for skiers wishing to traverse the piste in order to slow down. You can see the runs in question here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyTK5_YzSUw. This video was taken just before the recent heavy snowfall in resort, so conditions throughout Milky Way have improved significantly (and you can see they were already in good condition.)



Our Product Manager is very familiar with the area, and says "Having skied the runs myself, they're certainly not the hardest blacks. Black 25 for example would likely be a red elsewhere. Now it's been widened I expect most skiers would be fine, but please do only ski within your capabilities".



If you would like to ski the wider Milky Way area and don't feel comfortable with the black runs back, the Inghams team in resort can order an 8 seater taxi for €70, to bring you back from Sestriere. We also offer a ski away day once a week to Montgenèvre for €25 per person, and our resort team also run a bus back from Sestriere one evening per week around 7pm for €5 per person in conjunction with an après event at a local bar.



Finally, there is a public bus from Sestriere to Oulx, where you can change onto the Oulx to Sauze d'Oulx bus, but the timetables can mean long waits in Oulx and it's around €8.50 per person.

Sounds reasonable.