Sestriere, Via Lattea Ski Resort

Before France even thought of building high in the mountains, and well before Austria or Germany thought they had the ski world cornered, Sestriere in Italy had been bringing in holiday skiers for over three decades. Sestriere put the purpose in "purpose-built", as they were the first to have a ski area, town, village and amenities catering to skiing tourism. The Sestriere Italian ski resort was finished in the early part of 1934 solely for skiing-there was no town that had to be updated or remodeled, for no town even existed.

The Sestriere ski resort was purpose-built so long ago because it is a very snow-sure place. The altitude reaches well above 2000 meters, so snow is not only likely but also guaranteed. A family actually started the resort and was forward-thinkers in their own right. In fact, they had snow cannons and snow machines in the early 70s and 80s before other resorts even considered spending that kind of money to guarantee visitors snow. Almost forty years ago, Sestriere was making snow when not enough fell to guarantee visitors a good time. If you're a skier looking for a ski-sure place this holiday season, look no further than Sestriere. The Via Lattea is actually a pass that links several other ski areas. The name itself means Milky Way and once you see the white glistening snow, you'll understand why the name makes perfect sense. The Milky Way-or Via Lattea-Pass interlinks Sauze d"Oulx to Montgenevre (located just over in France) by way of Sansicario, Claviere and Cesana. The four ski areas (towns) that make up Sestriere are Sestriere Colle, Sestriere Borgata, Champlas du Col and Champlas Janvier. If you hit the slopes late enough in the season, you could have access to over 430 kilometers of skiing under one ski pass right out your back door. This guarantees powder-rich slopes and the Milky Way is always white and dusted with several meters of snow. Sestriere is in the Susa Valley within the world-renowned Piedmont of the Italian Alps, where you can literally see France in the horizon. All levels of skiers will have no trouble finding snowy slopes. Right near the resort itself, the hills just undulate oh so carefully, inviting beginners to try a ride or two. The nursery slopes beckon and don't scare away beginners and children skiers alike. Even if it only snows higher up, the nursery slopes are well covered with snow too with all the snow cannons. While little Johnny is practicing on the nursery slopes, you can take a ride down the Kandahar Slalom Giovanni Alberto Agnelli run as long as you're an expert. If you're into the natural challenges of the mountains, you won't want to miss a run down Sestriere's slopes. In all, there are over 400 kilometers of runs and over 65 lifts with nearly 1000 snow guns. There are 58 km and 31 blue runs here, keeping the place uncrowned and moving. Additionally, the red runs cover 193 kilometers and number in the upper 90s. If you're an expert, you'll have around 70 km of ski runs with 32 official black slopes. The tallest peak you'll have access to in Sestriere Italian ski resort is 2840 meters, with access to 1840 and 2035 meters. If you like human power rather than gravity, take a trail on the cross-country courses; there's over 8km of these awaiting your skis. In case you're wondering where to stay, here is an idea of what you can find and the altitude that each town is built at. To the east under Mt. Genevris, you'll find Sauze d'Oulx at 1509 meters-Oulx proper is just down the mountain from here. Sestriere ski resort lies at 2035 meters, under Mt. Rognosa and Mt. Sises. Grangesises lies at 1839 meters in the shadow of Roc del Boucher. Clavier, more to the west of the range, lies at 1760 meters and under Mt. Gilmont and Mt. Dormillouse. Just farther west and about 100 meters higher lies the town of Montgenevre, just south of Mt. Chenaillet. These towns and ski resorts all have doorstep access to the slopes, so if you find a good price in accommodation in one over another, take it and know that you can easily get back and forth from one resort to another in no time. The apres ski venue isn't too shabby if you'd like a night out alone or with your family. If you're a young partygoer, you'll have no trouble finding a party or two to keep you up into the wee hours of morning. When you're here, try looking for The Cavern, The Irish Igloo, The People Pub, and the Tabata disco. You can get more to eat than pizza here too. Try the El Giget, Du Grande Pere, Pinky or Zio Popy for good service and some good eats. These places have been given good reviews by local and foreign crowds so you won't be let down even if you pay a lot for some of the meals.

Article Tags: Nursery Slopes, You'll Have