Your guide to Sauze d’Oulx Ski Resort in Italy

(1350m - 2823m)

★★	Beginner
★★★★★	Intermediate
★★★	Advanced
★★★	Off-Piste
★★★	Snowboarding
★★★	Snow Reliability
★★★★★	Extent
★★★★	Apres-Ski
★★★	Mountain Restaurants
★★★	Scenery
★★★	Village Charm
★★	Non-Skiers

Ski Lifts	72 area
Resort Altitude	1509m
Pistes	400kms area
Ski Range	1350m – 2823m
Green Runs	–
Blue Runs	52 area
Red Runs	111 area
Black Runs	40 area

Local Lift Pass	–
Area Lift Pass	Off peak €125, peak €180
Transfer Time	Turin 1hr 30mins
Transfer Day	Saturday
Tourist Board	Website
Weather	View detailed snow forecast for Sauze d’Oulx (Via Lattea) at: snow-forecast.com Snow Report
Webcam	Webcam
Piste Map	Piste Map

The Slopes

The slopes are both wooded and open, so there are places to ski lower down the mountain should the weather turn nasty. At the eastern end of the village a chairlift takes you up to draglift served piste at Genevis and Moncrons. The runs here tend to be quiet, are of decent length, and arguably offer the most challenging intermediate terrain.

From the centre of the village the Cloates gondola takes you up to the base of the P Rocca area, which can also be skied to via various runs from the bottom of the Genervis / Moncrons area. At P Rocca another chairlift takes you to the top. There is some great cruising terrain around here, which early intermediates will love. From P Rocca there are also cruising runs all the way back down to the village through wooded areas.

From P Rocca the Triplex chairlift takes you to a predominantly red run area with chair and drag lifts, serving some challenging slopes. There are also links to the highest point on the mountain at M Fraiteve. Here you have the option of skiing a red run (or taking the gondola) down to the resort of Sestriere, or skiing down some great runs to Sauze d’Oulx’s other neighbouring resort of Sansicario. From Sansicario the Milky Way’s two French resorts of Claviere and Montgenevre are accessed, this can take some time however.

There is not a great deal of genuinely expert terrain at Sauze d’Oulx and beginners are unfortunately not particularly well catered for with regard to both nursery slopes and slopes to progress on to. One common criticism however is that many red runs here would very likely be classified as blue runs in many other resorts so don’t let the sheer amount of red runs on the piste map put you off, if you are a cautious skier.

Apres-Ski

Apres ski in Sauze d’Oulx is fairly English - it used to be seen as the Ibiza of the Alps in the 1980s but has become more civilised over time. It does still have a very lively feel and is up there competing with Chamonix and of course St Anton. Things kick off early and finish late with everything from sophisticated wine bars and cocktails to Irish pubs serving Guinness and of course a few nightclubs too.

A ‘must’ to visit is Paddy McGinty’s - an Irish themed pub which is always lively, it also has live music and offers wifi too. The Max Bar is a British pub with satellite TV and live football, Bar Mira has live sport too and The Scotch Bar in Hotel Stella Alpina is also worth a visit.

Try Caffe della Seggiovia, Enoteca Il Lampione and the Gran Trun, all wine bars with the latter offering live music too, Moncrons does a range of tempting cocktails. Live music is again available at both Osteria dei Vagabondi (mixture of Italian and English music) and the Cotton Club (Acid Jazz). If you are looking for a boogie then try Banditos, Schuss or even the New Life nightclub.

Eating Out

There are many dining out options in Sauze d’Oulx ranging from pizzas, pastas, Chinese, Mexican, right up to more gourmet delights too, suiting every taste and budget.

Sugo’s is worth trying for its delicious fresh pasta and pizza and La Griglia cooks its pizzas in a traditional wood burning stove, they also do a full menu of other dishes too. Albergo Assietta does bar snacks, Paddy McGinty’s offer Mexican and steaks along with English breakfasts too and Gran Trun does Chinese.

For something more refined then why not try The Ristorante del Borgo, it is more expensive but does offer a range of gourmet meals. The Ristorante del Falco has a full a la carte menu along with a 3 course skiers menu and you can’t forget Cantun del Barbabuc which does an immense 10 course meal complete with wine. There is also L’Ortiche serving refined Italian dishes alongside tasty pizzas if you are looking for something lighter.

Other Activities

The old town of Sauze d’Oulx is quite attractive and the central area is a car free zone as traffic can be a problem.

The range of activities on offer has been extended so there is now a wider selection to choose from such as ice skating, skidoos and of course you can try the Olympic bobsleigh run if you are brave enough.

You can also go over to Montgenèvre for a ski away day and also to Turin or Milan to watch Juventus, Inter or AC Milan football matches. If pampering is more on your radar then the Grand Hotel La Torre has a range of spa facilities from hydrotherapy treatments to facials.

Ski School

Sauze d’Oulx has 3 ski schools but the 2 that deal more with the English market are Sauze d’Oulx Ski School and Sauze Sportinia Ski School. Both offer tuition to all ages and levels and also offer race training, snow boarding and telemark too.

Group lessons at the Sauze d’Oulx Ski School start from €150 for 6 days tuition with 3 hours per day, private lessons start from €36 per hour, they also do carving and formula evolution tuition too for specific results. Check the meeting point on booking.

Group lessons at the Sauze Sportinia Ski School start from €160 for 6 days tuition with 3 hours per day, private lessons start from €37 per hour, they also do freestyle and freeride tuition too. Check the meeting point on booking.