Ski area in Italy
The Milky Way ski area is located on the board of Italy and France and you can ski from one country to the next and back again. It covers the ski resorts of Sauze d'Oulx, Sestriere, Pegalato, Sansicario, and Claivere (all in Italy) and Montgenevre (in France). Ski holidays in the Milky Way are great for all levels of skiers and snowboarders, all the way from beginners through to experts. There is a good spread of blue, red and black runs (52 blue runs, 111 red runs, 40 black runs) and with roughly 400km of piste covered on the lift pass there is enough skiing to keep everyone happy for days on end. The resorts in this area are renowned for offer amazing value for money and the lift pass is one of the best value for money lift passes in Europe. Sauze d'Oulx offer particularly great value for money ski holidays.
The majority of the skiing in the Milky Way is over 1700m and there is good snow security in the area from late Dec through until late March. However, Sestriere which is located on a plateau up at 2035m offers great snow security all the way through until mid to late April. A lot of the skiing is above the tree line but there are some great tree lined routes on the way down to the small village of Borgata which is just below Sestriere at 1800m. There are also some amazing tree lined runs on the routes down to Sauze d'Oulx and Sansicario. Over towards the Italian/French boarder you will find Claviere (on the Italian side) and Montgenevre (on the French side). The pistes in Montgenevre are nice and wide with some lovely blue runs which beginners will love as will intermediates just looking for a nice days skiing.
With so many resorts to choose from and so much choice of hotels in each resort it can be hard to no where to start when looking for a skiing holiday in the Milky Way. If you are looking for amazing value for money then start by looking at Sauze d'Oulx. Here are iSki we have some brilliant cheap ski holiday in Sauze. But if you are looking to go later in the season then Sestiere might be a better option. Just give us a call on 02037780123 and we can help you go through all the available options.
All of the resorts in the Milky Way offer a good variety of pistes for beginner skiers. Montgenevre is some really easy access blue pistes which are perfect for beginners. There are also some easy access nursery slopes in Sestriere. From Sauze d'Oulx you have to get a lift up to the easy nursery slopes but once you are up there they are ideal for learning.
The skiing in the Milky Way is perfect for intermediates. It really is an intermediate skiers paradise. 80% of the 400km of piste in the area are blue and red runs and there is plenty of variety in the terrain from peaceful tree lined runs to stunning peaks at over 2800m.
The Milky Way is a brilliant ski area for advanced skiers. With 400km of piste on offer there is plenty of on piste action to keep you busy with an abundance of off piste skiing as well (see our off piste skiing in the Milky Way section). There are over 200 pistes in the Milky Way and 40 of them are classified as black runs and advanced skiers on holiday in the Milky Way will love the Olympic run in Sansicario and the men's World Cup downhill in Sestriere.
The Milky Way offers plenty to keep snowboarders happy. There are 5 snowparks spread throughout the area and boarders will love the wide cruisey runs with plenty of natural hits to be found. There is also a wide variety of off piste available but just plan your route to make sure that you don't get court stuck at the bottom of a piste where the only route out is a drag lift. They are nearly all avoidable but but just make sure that you don't take the wrong turn.
There is loads of off piste skiing in the Milky Way, from big open bowls by Sestriere to amazing tree lined routes that seem to be endless over in Sauze and Sansicario. You can ride through the trees pretty much all the way from the highest point in Sauze d'Oulx at about 2700m all the way down to the little hamlet of Jouvenceaux, which is located just below the main village of Sauze. You can even keep on going if you wish and ski all the way down to Amazas on the main road which leads towards the town of Oulx. Just be prepared to get a taxi back. Over on the other side of the area try heading too black piste 100 leading to Claviere and red piste (32) leading towards Mongenevre. There a decent selection of off piste action to be found on either side of both pistes.
Give us your dates, budget and who is coming. We'll do the leg work and come back with a shortlist of ski holidays that actually fit.
Speak to one of our ski team now. Or send a message and we'll get back to you.
If you are looking for après ski in the Milky Way then look no further than Sauze d'Oulx. While Sauze is a quaint little pretty Italian ski village, there is an abundance of bars and clubs on offer. Back in the late 80's Sauze d'Oulx had a real reputation for being one of 'the' destinations for après ski in the Alps. It's reputation may now have been surpassed by resorts such as St Anton and Verbier but Sauze is still definitely a resort to head to if you are looking for a party. It also offers much better value for money than you will find in most other resorts. Happy hour beers start from €2 for a half litter of local beer. Unheard off in other major European ski resorts.
If you are a non skiers then Sestriere offers a Sports centre with indoor pool and sauna whilst you can also ice skate and do skidoo excursions. There is snowshoeing in Sauze along with weekly markets and excursions can to watch football in Turin can be organised. There are also weekly markets on offer in Montgenevre and day trips can be organise to Briancon, a lovely little historical town at the base of the valley.
