Sauze d'Oulx - slopes

Ski highlights for all levels

Beginners: the best nursery slopes are above Sauze at the wide, open plateau of Sportinia. Take the bus up to Sportinia and leave your gear at the top. For improvers, a slope at village level is steeper but has a free, moving carpet.

Intermediates: this is perfect intermediate terrain with plenty of painlessly flattering pistes. We like the Moncrons area with great cruising above and below the tree line. From Sportinia there’s easy access to the great reds and snowy bowls around Sansicario and on to Sestriere.

Experts: we rate the narrow black from the Rio Nero bowl for getting away from it all. The sunny piste by the Moncrons Poma is a favourite, while the north-facing piste from M Fraiteve is short but challenging. On the Genevris side there’s also great fun to be had on piste. For steeper, deeper blacks head towards the Sestriere sector.

Off-piste

As powder doesn’t tend to get tracked too quickly around Sauze, there can be terrific off-piste opportunities. Below the high-speed quad Jouvenceau chair you can ski in the open or through the trees. 

Ski schools and guides

The mains are Ski School Sauze d’Oulx (00 39 012 285 80 84), Sauze Project at Clotes (00 39 012 285 06 54) and Sportinia’s Ski School (00 39 012 285 02 18). Lessons are normally 10am-1pm and English is widely spoken.

Lift system

Sauze has 11 chairlifts and 10 drags, some of which are a little slow. But the new season will have upgraded lifts in the M Fraiteve area — a faster hub for links between Sauze, Saniscario and Sestriere. The Milky Way lift pass covers all the Italian lifts plus one day’s skiing in Montgenèvre.

Snow reliability and snowmaking

At 1,510m Sauze is not entirely snow sure in late season, but tree-lined runs afford protection. Snow cannons service 75km on the home slopes, while 950 cannons cover 125 km of the whole 400km Milky Way.

Terrain park

Usually sited by the Triplex chairlift, but can be a moveable feast and is seldom in operation. Head for the good, reliable parks at Sestriere and Sansicario.