Sauze d'Oulx, Italy

Ady Keeble from UNITED KINGDOM writes:

I have visited this resort several times over the last ten years and have to say that, in good conditions, it ranks right up there with some of the bigger French resorts. The one major drawback, however, is that good conditions are not always that easy to find. I have been to the Milky Way when there has been over three metres of the white stuff (1997 I think), but equally I have spent 7 days skiing on rocks and ice.

The problem is that Sauze, along with the southern French Alps, gets its weather from fronts that move in from the south rather than across mainland Europe. As such, it is possible to sit outside a sunny Italian bar watching a huge dump fall in France whilst not a flake lands in the Milky Way! The region seems to have to rely on infrequent major dumps of snow for a good season, and these are often several weeks apart. Still, time it right, keep an eye on the snow and take a late deal and you will be in for a treat.

It is fair to say that Sauze is not a great beginners resort. Not only are the resort level slopes a bit on the steep side, but some of the key links, most notably above Clotes, are prone to ice in the afternoon making the run home tricky on tired legs. But for anyone above the level of timid intermediate the possibilities are endless.

Once you have negotiated the rather out-dated lift system to the main meeting area at Sportina, the mountain opens out before you. Get in and out of Sportina early, as the bowl here is the meeting place for ski school and can get very busy, especially at high season and weekends. This is compounded by the fact that the only route up from here is via two excritiatingly slow 2-man chairs.

Once out of Sportina, the world is your oyster! There are some sweeping reds which lead down into the bowl beneath the Sestriere gondola, and the whole area tends to be less crowded until midweek when the ski schools start to venture farther afield. From here you can take a steep dogleg drag over to Sansicario, where I have enjoyed wide open motorway cruising on some of the best tree lined reds I have found anywhere. There are also great lunchtime possibilities here with one particular bar enjoying spectacular views across the valley into France. Be warned, though - the route back from Sansicario is via a steep black (to date still the only possible way back to Sauze) which I would not recommend to anyone lacking confidence or stamina.

Another great day can be had at Sestriere, perhaps best done early in the week before ski schools clog up the gondola there and back. Keep one eye on the weather, however, as the link is prone to closure when the wind gets up and taxis back are not cheap!

At the weekend Sauze gets invaded by the locals from Turin, who all seem to head for Sportina particularly when the sun is out. My advice would be to steer well clear of Sportina on Saturday, taking the Clotes lift instead and skiing the Genevris sector - I have always found this area deserted when Sportina is packed.

The resort itself has always had a reputation for rowdy behaviour, stemming from a couple of high profile lager induced incidents in the late 1980's, and whilst Sauze is still lively in the evening it in no way justifies the label still attached to it. There are bars which are tailored to suit most tastes - I prefer 'relaxed' and Moncrons and The Derby fit the bill perfectly. Accomodation wise there is loads to choose from, but my advice would be to try for a hotel as close to the top of the resort as you can find - the morning walk up the hill to the lifts can be a real pain otherwise. The Stella Alpina is ideally located about 50 yards from the Clotes lift.

All in all, a great place to ski in good weather. The Milky Way still lags behind other areas this size in terms of uplift capacity - the lift system in parts is positively pre-historic - but if you come knowing what to expect you will be in for a fantastic time.

2003-11-08