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Weather and crowds - Sauze (18th Jan) vs Sestriere (22nd Feb)
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead

Weather and crowds - Sauze (18th Jan) vs Sestriere (22nd Feb)

Long term reader, first time posting, so be gentle! Very Happy

Looking at either w/c 18th Jan in Sauze or w/c 22nd Feb in Sestriere.

The ask which is the best week?
Trying to guess the better week weather wise and hoping to avoid crowds.

Based on this https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=167136 it looks like 22 Feb will miss the UK/Ireland half term and the Italian carnival just some French zones on holiday.
How much busier is that week likely to be? Guessing 18th Jan will be very quiet. Not much, twice/three times as busy?

I know it's a bit of a lottery but is Feb better weather wise as well as a bit more daylight. I know Sestriere is higher and so will have better conditions in bad weather but if it's really bad we probably won't venture out much anyway.

Any other big differences worth considering between the two weeks?

Background
    Group of 3 or 4 late 40s / early 50s blokes.
    Skiers (not the fitest). Competent on French reds. Parallel turns.
    Not off-piste or carving hounds. Bit nervous in icy conditions.
    10 one week trips across the last 15 years or so.
    Never been to Italy. Been to Ellmau, Mayrhofen, Tignes, Les Arcs, Avoriaz, Les Menuires. (We like to see different places).
    Usually go mid Jan, so used to the cold and have had all sorts from +10 to -22 degrees.


Thanks in advance,
Goran. snowHead
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

Snow cover in Sauze can be a bit iffy -- I would choose Sestriere..
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ski holidays
 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?

Could you do 18 January in Sestriere? Probably better bet than either of the other combos.
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Thanks for the replies, all opinions welcome!

Long story short, Yes, we can do 18th January in Sestriere.
Main thing is that it's going to work out more expensive at about €300 each. Which is doable but it just squeezes the beer, eating out and private ski lessons fund Puzzled
Is Sestriere worth that much extra?

I was trying to keep my original post as simple as possible if the February week was going to be better then that would rule out Sauze for us as the apartment we are looking at is only free in January.
There's pros and cons for each option based on the quality of the apartments and location (centre of town vs closer to the slopes) etc. but I think the biggest thing is how busy it will be and trying to optimise the chances of the best conditions.
So trying to understand the pros and cons for the two weeks, weather wise and if in between the big holiday period will still be a pretty busy?
We've only a small set of dates to pick from due to commitments at home and we're trying to leave the option for someone to be able to join the group if they can as they can't commit right now.
So it all starts to get a bit complicated. Probably a bit of analysis paralysis kicking in. So trying to get a consensus from the experts on here Very Happy

Many thanks for all the help.
Cheers,
Goran.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Personally I would always go for January given the choice.
Would always go for the quieter times
As long as you are first lift types the earlier dark is not much of an issue.
Not been to either resort though.
Good luck getting five to agree and commit.
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.

@goranrodney, as you've identified you are maybe overthinking a bit.

The January week will likely be a bit colder, bleaker, etc. but much quieter. As you are used to mid-Jan trips and seem happy with it I would stick with that. No point going in the busy part of the season unless you really need to. If you wanted it to be a bit more pleasant but still quiet you need to target second or third week of March. I could be wrong but statistically precipitation is higher in Feb/March. Certainly less likely to be very icy but given you've been a lot in mid-Jan not sure how big a deal it is. Personally if I only going one week a season and not restricted by school hols or other commitments I would be targeting that mid-March sweet spot.

The two resorts are part of the same ski circus right so it comes down to what the villages are like. My understanding is Sauze is more lively and Sest more ugly. Personally I always prefer staying a bit lower. More pleasant, easier access transfer wise, more protection from the weather usually. Sauze is at 1500 so wouldn't have thought it would get that ropey even at the worst of times. And anyway you will still have access to good altitude skiing.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thanks for all the advice.

We've picked Sauze on the 18th January, fingers crossed now for lots of snow!
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