Via Lattea - Milky Way 2023/24

A snowHead

Oldest seasonaire trick in the book Laughing

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I always pay with cash for that reason.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Looking really good now with that day yesterday - and the report here is decent - more opening
They seem like nice people too - we booked our transfer thru them

http://youtube.com/v/R6mi3gYuedQ

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Any update on conditions, arriving on Monday.

You'll need to Register first of course.

So it's gotten a bit warmer towards the end of the week with some melting today, which is making things a bit icier but in general the snow conditions have been good this week. It snowed probably 20cm on Tuesday and Wednesday so that made it super soft, but it's started melting today right up to 2500m

Haven't seen the forecast for next week but hopefully not too warm because the base is very limited in places and won't enjoy lots of melting.

I've been skiing off piste but not so much today since the warmer conditions made the powder not so fluffy any more.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I’m heading out in a week, so obviously glued to the pressure and radar charts, for all the good it does.
Forecast looks ok, a bit freeze-thaw but more snow coming in mid week and then unsettled. Better than I’d feared after all that high pressure. Would be good to hear how the home runs are holding up - debating whether to rent locker at clotes or schlep up to sportina on the bus each morning.

After all it is free

This week was fresh pow nearly erryday.

Next week looks like a rollercoaster.

Sunshine, followed by rain midweek, followed by -20c.

But still half the run 44% of runs closed on the Italian side. Fingers crossed they don't have to close more with the pending sunshine and rain. Out of interest , does anyone know if the lift pass is cheaper given half the runs are closed.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

But still 44% of runs closed on the Italian side. Fingers crossed they don't have to close more with the pending sunshine and rain. Out of interest , does anyone know if the lift pass is cheaper given half the runs are closed.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

snow reports

We arrived on Saturday to sestriere and a 6 day pass with 2 international days was 243e.
Lots of places now quite scrapy. Some fluffy spots once it gets cut up a bit and the sun gets at it.
San Sicario today and so much of the runs were not open. Glorious sunshine and I'm not at work so no complaints at all.
Bit of a pain coming back as the returns to sestriere were not open which meant the long drag back up to the gondola. We boarders hate drags.
So, very much riding to the conditions, which is fine. Lovely having a beer in the sun.
Snow coming tomorrow so let's see what that does.

Looks like the snow will be rain now

You know it makes sense.

Funnily enough, it was mostly snow that fell until around 11-12 or so - It was definitely raining down the bottom of Borgata.
It was lovely up top but links were closed due to wind again - in combination with lots of runs still closed, its making the resort quite small.
What is open is pretty good though to be fair.
Fog/cloud came up the valley about 2pm and made it really tricky in conjunction with at one point, 5 ski schools!
We stuck to the same red/blue combo and just practised switch and another couple things on the check list.
You just need to ride to the conditions I guess.
Looking out this morning, I dont see any fresh snow from here in town - and the forecast is for snowing right now - I guess they didnt look outside yet!
Its been as strange season so far - 1 report said they were at only about 50% accumulation so far.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Heading to Montgenevre on Sat. Big family group. Any recommendations for lunch on the mountain ?

A snowHead

@Gufo, Baita La Coche in Claviere is our favourite (just ski down red 100 which turns into blue 100 from Rocher de L'Aigle). Or in Monty, Les Terrasses on the Chalvet side. Or book La Graal for lunch if you have beginners in your party, just over the road from the beginners area.

A snowHead

First time for us so will make a note. Thanks

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Gufo, Montgenevre isn’t blessed with mountain restaurants, unless you go over to the Italian side. It’s probably its biggest flaw. There are plenty of places to eat in the main village which is a very short walk from the bottom of the slopes. The Graal is very popular for lunch and great for burgers, pub food etc. if it’s snowing definitely advisable to book in advance as they lose all of the outside eating area!

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Lovely conditions at Sauze this AM. Really great snow from midstations up. Patchy in some high traffic places but not bulletproof, though you can see it’s a thin base and it could do with another proper storm.
Wind picked up from 2.30 and heavy cloud rolled in at 4. Currently raining in the village Sad

but should be cold enough to fall as snow higher up.
Although the app still shows a lot closed, a fair chunk of that is just sections of runs, for example 48 Alta where 100m of a run isn’t being used as the triplex is isn’t running, but all groomed and ready to go. The remaining 90% of 48 from Rocce nere down is open and was skiing very nicely. The sector below Mt Moncrons is still thoroughly closed, if you’re a drag lift fan.
All being well the rain will turn into something more useful overnight and a good day in sansicario to be had tomorrow.
Beer prices are a revelation after many years of 3V and Paradiski. Now, if you’ll excuse me.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

Blowing an absolute hoolie this morning and the bowl was closed as well as the links, but triplex open from about 11 for laps in the main area and high runs still nice. Rocce nere closed for an hour at 12 for no discernible reason but now seems to be open again.
Lower stuff suffered in last nights rain and red 11 Bassa, well, if you’re a decent skier you might find yourself spending a fair bit of time returning others stray skis. There’s certainly some firm bits.
Lunching at Clotes.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Arriving in Sauze on Saturday, sun cream and tee shirts rather than bas layers I’d imagine…

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

First timer to Sauze, never really looked into the place or its snow record, have the current conditions become the norm over last few years? Appears lots of the low down slopes are shut due to lack of coverage.

Also is it the norm to have so many pistes closed/ do they open more of the skiable pistes up later into the season?

snow reports

5 euro 400ml ghost happy hour. 6 eur La grangia. Aperol spritz at grangia 7 euro and potent. Beer 8 euro at Miravillino. Moncrons is competitively priced (and has a great guest ale on at the moment , but I am unable to recall the cost).
Snow conditions not great and the wind has been strong. The wind is the real limiting factor at the moment, even allowing for the iffy snow depths. If that does drop as forecast next week then the bowl and sansicario will be accessible, so a load more will open up. As the link from Sauze and the back bowl are currently closed, skiing this week is rather limited.
I’m pretty relaxed about it - having been stormed off the hill in various places by gales and zero vis in the past at least it’s sunny, but it’s a bit much for January.

Incredibly warm next week, day and night. But importantly, no rain.
https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/week/sauze-d%27oulx_italy_3167045

You know it makes sense.

Final day today of 2 weeks in Sestriere - its been a lovely holiday where we've made the most of what was available. As mentioned above, lots closed but there is still much open. The links being closed has been a pain and we've really only crossed over a couple of times which was a pity. And having to download home is a shame.
Its quite bare now in places, rock solid in the morning and slushy afternoons so for me, its a 3-4hr window from 11-3pm - and thats fine.
But I'd have killed for a couple of powder days.
Certainly not unique weather to the milky way this year, seems to be similar all over Europe - Perhaps this is the new norm.
Still, it beats working...
Enjoy the rest of your winter, folks - I hope ye get many powder and bluebird days!

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Thanks people.

I've had two fantastic weeks away with epic snow so a nice leisurely week with friends is on the cards.

Fingers crossed there is a top up before we travel.

A snowHead

Links open today, got over to sestriere and the altitude really helped. Late start so not long to get about. Sauze bowl looking patchy, but the red back from the traverse was still really nice. Team consensus was “we’re not doing the black”. Fair enough.
If you’re a sensible person, apparently hiring 71mm carvers really improves things immensely. I was on my skinny head 93s, rather than my all mountain 108s and quite glad of it. Leave the hellbents at home.

Will endeavour to put an informed, considered and sober analysis of route choice and ski home vs down lift options on the Resorts page tomorrow.
It’s been fun, mind.

A snowHead

Any recommendations for lunch restaurants in Claviere? Preferably with table service? Thanks in advance.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

https://maps.app.goo.gl/r7fyn35SAXe5oBjf8

https://maps.app.goo.gl/qSaTnCRZFDrzoY7g8

Il Gallo Cedrone-Sas Di Barbui Luciana E C.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

@Weathercam, I don’t suppose you’re in Claviere with your skins and dog at the moment?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@sbooker, no I'm back in the UK for a couple of days, back out Wednesday

After all it is free

My honest opinion on Sauze/Via Latte after spending one week there, 21-28 Jan '24...

Firstly the snow was poor - nothing could be done about that. And the week was warm which compounded the problem. There had been little snowfall up until the end of Jan I gather and what was there was generally very compacted at best and more often than not very icy. I assume some limited snow making was going on at night, but this seemed to get blown off the piste leading to some decent snow on the edges and a very icy lane down the middle - pick your turns very carefully!

During our first day in Sauze, we decided we'd suck it up, ski it out as much as we could and make use of the links over to Sansicario, on to Sestriere etc. But then we realized they were closed 'due to high winds'. This was the first main problem we encountered - more often than not the links were closed during the week. Much speculation on the reason - honestly it didn't seem windy all of the time. Some have suggested it was to save money, etc. Miraculously the links all seemed to open back up at the weekend when the domestic weekend crowd arrived. Is it a bit cynical of me to think that the weekend domestic skiers are an important source of income and will decide to come or not on the day, after checking the app to see if the links are open, whilst the rest of us are a captive audience stuck there for the week regardless? Interested to hear if there is a pattern of links being closed on weekdays but opening on weekends.

Second problem... The road connections. Innocently, having never been to Sauze and not having done much research, I vaguely read that there were bus connections between Sauze, Sestriere, Cesana, Claviere etc. and probably assumed a situation similar to the free bus in Chamonix, Tignes, etc. There is no ski bus. It's a public bus #285 that isn't particularly frequent and requires going to Oulx first and changing bus. On our second day we just missed the bus because we'd underestimated how long it would take to walk to the bus stop - it's quite a way outside the centre of town - we were within maybe 30 metres of the stop as the bus left, waved at the driver and he pointed back to the stop and drove onn- don't expect favours from the bus drivers! We waited over an hour for the next one. Got to Oulx and waited for our transfer - it didn't arrive. Had to wait for next one. Chatted to a local English lady who did say this was unusual. We ended up arriving in Sestriere (I think) around 2pm... Not ideal. Anyway the skiing there was a lot better, so any inconveniences were soon forgotten. Needless to say , the links remained closed and we had to bus it back.

That evening we decided to get a taxi the next day and got some prices from the lady at the hotel. We made a group of 10 and had a plan. Later when we went back to confirm the booking she told us that there were only a few taxis and all had already being booked. We tried to summon an Uber the following morning (50 plus euros one way) but to no avail either. Well, at least we were familiar with the buses by now...

Speaking of which... The bus ticketing system... You can buy your tickets in advance which I'd recommend. For some unknown reason it seemed to take an age every time we bought tickets. They are on printed cards but either the vendors don't use the system much or it's overly complicated to input the details? Oh you can buy the ticket on the bus - but it's 1.50 extra. And some buses don't take cash - or cards, I don't remember. Very tourist friendly.

Anyway, we were getting used to it by now. So on to the slopes, and more opportunity for the Italians to confound us... Cunningly , the paper piste map has most of the lifts labelled by number, whereas on the ground all the lifts have names, but no number. This was a perfect way to confuse us when the GPS was slow or battery had run out.

Despite all of these issues we had a great week and got lots of skiing in. We covered all the Via Latte and according to my app "coloured in" most of the runs - some of which were wonderful, others which we were lucky to skate down in one piece.

I know I'm coming across as a bit of a moaner and none of these problems were unsurmountable, but taken together it made for quite an exhausting week. I should add I'd never skied in Italy before. I've been to the French Alps many times, Austria and Andorra. With the warming climate etc. you'd think the powers that be would be working extra hard to guard their cash cow - but it honestly didn't seem like that. Why were the links consistently closed? If it is a wind problem maybe they should upgrade the system - bi-cable gondolas? How about laying on a decent free ski-bus? Take cash or card. Sort out the piste labelling. Encourage more taxis? Just be a bit more helpful.

Anyway for anyone heading out, I hope there's a good dump before you go!

Anyone out in Montgenevre at the moment? We're heading out on Saturday. I imagine conditions are good following the dump last Sunday?

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Help!!

Via Lattea - Milky Way 2023/24

snowHeads Forum Index >>> Snow Reports - weather - snow conditions