Vialattea Ski Area (Milky Way) Resort Guide

Sestriere, Claviere & Jouvenceaux 

The high altitude, snow sure resorts of Sestriere, Claviere and Jouvenceaux offer great value for money ski holidays, with good, centrallly located accommodation available at reasonable prices.   There are some 400km of pisted runs and the magnificent Vialattea area, with its modern lift system, offers the chance to ski in a number of different resorts, including the French resort of Montgenevre, in one day.

As you would expect in Italy there are plenty of excellent restaurants and bars providing good quality refreshments on and off the mountain!

Beginners are well served with conveniently located nursery slopes in all resorts and have lots of excellent blue runs to progress on to.  The Vialattea area is an intermediates paradise with a huge variety of lengthy runs on open, sunny and surprisingly un-crowded pistes.  There is also plenty of skiing and boarding, including World Cup Circuit descents, to challenge even the most advanced practitioners!

Sestriere

In addition to being superbly positioned at the heart of the Vialattea, Sestriere has its own extensive ski area.  It offers a complete range of skiing, from the gentle nursery slopes of the resort centre to the long steep runs which are used on the World Cup circuit. The easy, high speed connection to San Sicario (and onward to Sauze d'Oulx), means that you can ski a number of resorts in one day, ensuring variety as well as maximizing your time on skis.

Sestriere is a cosmopolitan resort with a good range of shops, restaurants, pizzeria’s and bars.  There is also an ice rink and public swimming pool.

Claviere

Claviere is a small historical village where the sport of skiing is said to have originated in Italy. It is positioned in a snowy bowl, right on the French border and offers fabulous skiing on un-crowded pistes, between the two well linked resorts of Claviere and Montgenevre.

The extensive Vialattea area is easily accessed from Claviere and beginners will find the village centre nursery slopes a great place to start their skiing experience.

Claviere is a quiet resort featuring several bars, pizzerias and restaurants, as well as some excellent on-piste restaurants.  There is a natural ice rink, and an easy bus ride will take you to the picturesque fortified medieval town of Briancon.

Jouvenceaux

Jouvenceaux is a delightful old hamlet full of character and charm, with narrow cobbled streets and a frescoed chapel, 1 ½ km south of Sauze d’Oulx. The village is very quiet and relaxing, but has its own restaurants and bars, meaning that there is no need for you to travel to nearby Sauze for entertainment (unless you wish to!).

Jouvenceaux is served by a new chairlift, which takes you directly to the beginner’s area of Sauze Sportinia, and from there links into the whole fabulous Sauze and Vialattea ski area.

Vialattea Area Ski Facts

Total kilometres of pisted runs: 400km.
Total no. of lifts: 90
Uphill capacity per hour: 90,000
Highest arrival point: 2,808m
Snow Park: Yes

Blue runs: 46 (95km)
Red runs: 80 (220km)
Black runs: 30 (85km)

Direction of Slopes:  N, NE, NW, W
Approximate snow cannon coverage: 130km
Number of mountain restaurants: 34

Sestriere

Village Height: 2,035m
Highest arrival point: 2,808m
Total no. of lifts: 21

Blue Runs: 10
Red Runs: 20
Black Runs: 5
Longest run: 4.1km

Mountain Restaurants: 9

Cross Country Ski Trails:  Sestriere has a sunny cross country ski circuit of approximately 8km, and there is also some excellent cross country skiing in neighbouring Pragelato, where the Winter Olympic competitions in this sport took place in 2006.

Approximate transfer time from Turin: 1 hour 45mins.

Claviere

Village Height: 1,750m
Highest arrival point: 2,409m
Total no. of lifts: 12

Blue Runs: 5
Red Runs: 18
Black Runs: 2
Longest run: 6.3km

Mountain Restaurants: 7

Cross Country Ski Trails: Approximately 15km of cross country ski circuits between Claviere and Montgenevre, with various extensions catering for all levels of Classic or Skating technique skiers.

Approximate transfer time from Turin: 1hour 40mins.

Sauze d’Oulx - Jouvenceaux

Village Height: 1,509m
Highest arrival point: 2,470m
Total no. of lifts: 21

Blue Runs: 7
Red Runs: 28
Black Runs: 6
Longest run: 6km

Mountain Restaurants: 14

Approximate transfer time from Turin: 1 hour 20mins.