Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!

Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

Via Lattea - Sauze D'Oulx

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
4 of us (all confident skiiers) are off to Sauze for the first time on Jan 29th and are very pumped - just had a few questions for any Sauze Heads out there snowHead :

Really keen to get over to Sansicario and Sestriere but struggling to find the best route for Sestriere on the Piste Map - I'm sure I'm misreading it but it looks like we might have to cross the village to get over to the pistes? Also, what would be the best route back to Sauze? I've also heard that it's harder to ski out to any of the other towns as the routes aren't very fun and it can take a while, so are we just best sticking to Sauze, Sansicario and Sestriere?

Apologies for the nooby questions, but I've got one more - are there any Sauze bars on the pistes that have live music/DJs for apres? I've heard Capanna Kind or Rocco Nere might have a bit of this going on.

Thanks in advance for the help Very Happy !
snow report
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Hi GGB few years since I was there and I've only been once so I'm sure others will offer more detailed advice but it's easy to get from Sauze to Sestriere and Sansicario.

Keep going up from Clotes Sportina to Col Basset from there it's across to Mt Fraiteve and both resorts are open to you.

The bars you mentioned are in Sportina I think.

Have a great time
latest report
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
In Sauze in 2020 (squeezed in a holiday before Corona hit!) we particularly enjoyed the red runs over in Sansicario. From memory the links were all really easy, to both Sestriere and Sansicario
ski holidays
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
check out https://www.sauzeonline.com/ also
latest report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Very easy to get back to Sauze from San Sicario and Sestriere, lifts arrive at the same point, blue and black runs down. The godola down and I think the blue run to Sestriere deposit you in front of the next Lift up. San Sicario is direct access from Mount Fratieve

Just don't miss think link back from Sestriere as is long taxi or bus down to D'oulx and a connection back up as a member of our party found out
latest report
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Its a few years since I've skied Sauze et al but it's a very easy area to navigate and the links are well signposted. I'm not digging out a map but access out of sportinia is the easiest way but can be a bottle neck at times as it's only (or was...) a slow 4 man chair.

Sestriere is a nice area and as above, some of the reds in to Sansicario are excellent, there's also the womens Olympic downhill in that resort.
snow report
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
The runs down to Sansicario are great, one is the former Women's downhill run for the Turin Olympics.

From memory there's a blue run from the top of Fratieve that brings you out to Borgata where you can access all the pistes in Sestriere. No walking across town required. A warning, the 2 man fixed speed chairlift to get from Sauze to the top of Fratieve is awful.

Also worth a day trip across the border to Montgenevre, some good runs over there, more snow sure and more modern lifts! This does however involve getting 3 consecutive chairlifts with no skiing but worth it in my opinion
ski holidays
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
It's nearly 4 years since I was in Sauze, but the runs to, and in, Sansicario are great. Coming back into Sauze at the end of the day is not always fun though, especially in bad viz, which is common at the top of Freteve. The options are a red run with a narrow, steep opening section, which is okay once it opens out, or a narrow, blue cat-track round the summit, which then joins that same red. Alternatively, there are two blacks down from the other side of the lift station. Two or three years ago a young girl had a fatal accident on the red run and the authorities closed both red and blue pistes for a long time, leaving the blacks as the only home runs, with predictable end-of-day carnage. I assume all runs are open again now, but it might be worth checking.
snow report
 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=76763&highlight=

I did a write up a while ago based on a week in 2002. I am sure plenty of people will tell you it is easy to get there and back if you are confident skiers. Sometimes the bubbles can be closed in high winds but I am sure that is the case for most bubble cars.
ski holidays
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Access to all areas is actually really easy and linked up with some very nice runs mostly wide.

One note of caution coming back from Sestriere or Sansicario to Sauze you have a choice of a blue track (27 alta 27 bis) to link to the reds and blues back and chair to Basset or a black (25 colo) off the top of Fratieve. When I last skied Via Lattea in 2020 the blue was horrendous and way harder than the black. Granted the black is reasonably steep and can be a bit icy as it stays shaded but the blue was in such bad condition with basically ankle deep grooves you either had to slot in and enjoy the ride or battle a tight space with others trying to avoid the grooves.

It was on this blue 25 run that sadly a teenager lost his life going through the netting on the left and off the cliff just a few years ago.
I tried the blue track once and vowed never again, way easier to ski the black.
snow report
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Thanks guys, great tips!
ski holidays
 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Attached below is the link for my trip report on Sauze from 2020, there are two pages of posts so you should get some good ideas advice from all who contributed.

https://www.snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=3504003&highlight=sauze#3504003
snow report
 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Been twice and had a great time but not for a few years.
Early-week in low season they might not open the links over to Sestriere because CBA. But when open it is easy to link across. You can do Sauze to Montgenevre and back in a day with a lunch stop in Montgenevre provided you get a wriggle on.
I recall on the far side of Sestriere there are a couple of runs left un-pisted (think leading down towards the Club-Med)

Bars in Sauze: Ghost bar and the Irish bar (name escapes me but probably Paddy's or O'Neills) were good for beers and music. Cotton club used to be a lively late night venue and will show sports (6 Nations moreso).
snow report
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
jirac18 wrote:
Access to all areas is actually really easy and linked up with some very nice runs mostly wide.

One note of caution coming back from Sestriere or Sansicario to Sauze you have a choice of a blue track (27 alta 27 bis) to link to the reds and blues back and chair to Basset or a black (25 colo) off the top of Fratieve. When I last skied Via Lattea in 2020 the blue was horrendous and way harder than the black. Granted the black is reasonably steep and can be a bit icy as it stays shaded but the blue was in such bad condition with basically ankle deep grooves you either had to slot in and enjoy the ride or battle a tight space with others trying to avoid the grooves.

It was on this blue 25 run that sadly a teenager lost his life going through the netting on the left and off the cliff just a few years ago.
I tried the blue track once and vowed never again, way easier to ski the black.


A young man died late 2018 coming off this run by accident, then a little girl early 2019. This run was then closed for the remainder of that season and the resort management were prosecuted. They then widened the black run that gave the only other access to Sauze and smoothed it down making the link accessible to all despite the steep initial drop off, but nothing that’s not manageable by majority of skiers on this forum!
latest report
 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
All runs down to Sestriere from Fraiteve were closed at New Year - not sure if closed because of avalanche risk, bulletproof or lack of snow (all 3 were possibilities in the conditions). Sestriere was still accessible by downloading in the gondola. Hopefully the runs are now open with a bit of fresh and/or a change in the weather.

Return from Sansicario entails a long drag lift, unless you can get to the Sestriere gondola middle station. Some boarders had a particularly tough time on the drag.

Blue 25 is now back open - they’ve bypassed the dangerous bit (although still not one for nervous/vertiginous skiers). Would agree one of the 2 black options is much better.
snow conditions
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
And to get to Claviere/Montgenevre from Sansicario involves downloading from SS and then going up the other side of Claviere, I think. Not sure how much walking is involved - we didn’t bother (ski school pickup).
ski holidays
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
DidierCouch wrote:
And to get to Claviere/Montgenevre from Sansicario involves downloading from SS and then going up the other side of Claviere, I think. Not sure how much walking is involved - we didn’t bother (ski school pickup).


No walking involved, just 2 slowish chairs
latest report
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
afcbtim wrote:

No walking involved, just 2 slowish chairs


Thanks, I didn't know how far apart the lifts were in Claviere. From the piste map, it looked like a bit of a gap.
snow conditions
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
To return from Clavier you normally have to take 2 of the chairlifts down as the snow coverage is poor and pistes closed
snow report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Poor snow coverage in Sauze seems to be an occurance lately.. Been twice before Covid and both times conditions have not been the best... No fresh snow, Icy hard packed and the run down to clotes in the afternoons was naff.

Headed over to Montengerve and a total different story haha
latest report
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Spike107 wrote:
Poor snow coverage in Sauze seems to be an occurance lately.. Been twice before Covid and both times conditions have not been the best... No fresh snow, Icy hard packed and the run down to clotes in the afternoons was naff.

Headed over to Montengerve and a total different story haha


Unsure how true it is, but I was told that due to the location of the valleys the weather systems 'get stuck' over Montgenevre, dumping all the snow there, before moving on and leaving little for Sauze. Again, no idea if there's any truth in that
ski holidays
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
DidierCouch wrote:
All runs down to Sestriere from Fraiteve were closed at New Year - not sure if closed because of avalanche risk, bulletproof or lack of snow (all 3 were possibilities in the conditions). Sestriere was still accessible by downloading in the gondola. Hopefully the runs are now open with a bit of fresh and/or a change in the weather.

Return from Sansicario entails a long drag lift, unless you can get to the Sestriere gondola middle station. Some boarders had a particularly tough time on the drag.

Blue 25 is now back open - they’ve bypassed the dangerous bit (although still not one for nervous/vertiginous skiers). Would agree one of the 2 black options is much better.


We were there in Jan 2020 (so possibly pre bypass) staying in Sestriere, but on heading over to Sauze, our weakest / most nervous skier decided from Fraiteve he'd do the blue 25 / ?27 (so another of us went with him). they both said it was an awful run. The next day he took the black and said it was far easier!

The lift up to Fraiteve from Sauze is very slow and a queue bottleneck in the afternoon, but that's not an issue if you are heading back to Sauze
snow report
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
NBH wrote:
Spike107 wrote:
Poor snow coverage in Sauze seems to be an occurance lately.. Been twice before Covid and both times conditions have not been the best... No fresh snow, Icy hard packed and the run down to clotes in the afternoons was naff.

Headed over to Montengerve and a total different story haha


Unsure how true it is, but I was told that due to the location of the valleys the weather systems 'get stuck' over Montgenevre, dumping all the snow there, before moving on and leaving little for Sauze. Again, no idea if there's any truth in that


I tend to agree with that theory on weather... Unbelievable the difference between the 2 areas in such a short distance...

Sauze wins hands down for Apres though Laughing
snow conditions



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy