 Poster: A snowHead
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After my post regarding getiing the train to Italian ski resorts, I I think we are tempted by the flight to Turin and then the train to Oulx for Sauze. However, i've read very mixed reviews for both the area and the lifts.
What is the current lift situation with regard to drags in Sauze D'oulx. Were alot of them replaced for the Olympics as I have read, or can we still expect plenty of them?
What do snowheads think of the skiing? We are looking to go mid-March. Anyone care to share their good/bad experiences please.
If people think Sauze is a bad idea for a mixed ability small group that includes one child boarder, one advanced skier and a few abilities in between! we welcome other suggestions easily accessible from Turin on the train.
Many Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I only had one experince of Sauze, it was Jan 1985, and didn't enjoy it at all
skiing wise the resort is not snow sure, we had to trek to one lift every morning and get upto the plateau (sportina i think), so there was no end of day skiing down to the bars at the top of the village, possible could be same in March?
we stayed is small hotel at the bottom of the village, ie it was cheapest, the nearer the top of the village you get the dearer it gets.
The resort prides it self as a big apres ski resort, so maybe with kids????? not good idea
Because we got fed up with the lack of snow we did a train trip to Turin one day and yes its was easy, bus down mountain and train from Oulx, not sure about airport link.
Also we did a day trip to Montgenevre only 8 miles away, this is more snow sure and was wonderful, the pistes at Sauze were poorly marked in comparison, hence i did a week there the year after, and i'm going back next easter, as far as i can see the only down side for Montgenevre is the eating out costs, but it still easy accessible from Turin via train and poss 15 min taxi ride or bus
hope thsi helps
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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?
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1985 is a long long time ago.
I have been to Sauze twice: March 2007 and Feb 2008. March 2007 saw a lack of snow coverage which meant the last run to resort was never open, and Feb 2008 was starting to head the same way by the end of the week. reason being is Sauze does have an erratic snow record, but they do a fantastic job with keeping the pistes in god condition. I march 07 the pistes were literally a white stripe amongst green trees and grass, but the skiing was excellent.
Sauze has some gorgeous pistes, with a few new lifts that were put in for the olympics. You can get around sauze without using a single drag, lots of 4 and 6 man chairs, as well as a few older 2 and 3 man chairs that are frustratingly slow.
Some of the best skiing was over at Sestriere, and its real fun making the trek over there. But on the return, there is the longest drag I have ever been on in my life, takes about 15 minutes. However, I read that these are being replaced this season, making the link easier to use and quicker too.
You can do a bus trip to Montgenevre for a day on the lift pass, and I also recommend a day slightly further afield to Serre Chevalier.
The town itself has calmed down, and is not rowdy as it used to be famous for. In fact its quite a cute little place with some nice bars and eateries. Its not true that prices escalate as you go up the village. I stopped in the cheap and cheerful Hotel Sauze very cheaply and its literally at the bottom of the piste into town. You pay a premium, and rightly so, for better quality. I would recommend the Relais des Alpes, a 5 minute walk from the Clotes lift through town.
I like Sauze a lot, some nice varied skiing, a real friendliness to the place, but the problem is the snow record. Friends of mine went 3 weeks before me and struggled with the amount of fresh snow there was, but by the time we got there it hadnt dumped once and the sun had been out constantly, which is common.
In an ideal world, I would book to go to Sauze within a week of a massive snow dump. Having said that, provided this year gets a decent base with regular top ups, you should be fine. But dont quote me on that.
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I had lunch there on a circuit from Montgenevre and the part I saw seemed rather Benidorm on snow - very fast-food. I wasn't that impressed by the skiing either.
From my limited experience Sestriere skiing was rather better, though ( at least as seen from a distance) the place is a monstrous mass of modern blocks.
Montgenevre was much nicer - both the resort which has a nice old centre, and some beautiful tree skiing and smaller bumps and folds in the mountain lower down. Also some good off piste which is not as much skied as at better known places nearby (Serre Chevalier, La Grave). If you have transport Serre Chevalier is very close to Montgenevre. The train does not go all the way to Montgenevre, however - you need to transfer to a local bus. In any case, if I'm remembering right, I think you also need to get from the airport to the train Station by bus. Or are there any more direct transfers from the airport? I didn't find any.
You can ski between Montgenevre and the other centres if there is enough snow low down (as when we were there). If not you'd have to go down a lift to do it.
Edit: I am told that Sauze does have an older part which I didn't see. I hope the restaurants there are nicer than the ones we found.
I am told that the problem with Montgenevre used to be the traffic on the through road, but this has been diverted through a tunnel. The village is quite linear with the lower, Briancon, end all modern and (for me) less nice.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thanks for the comments,and time taken to post. Would welcome any other thoughts.
I think we are going to gamble on the snow, it's just too difficult to predict, and I need to get hotels/flights sorted. My luck, if I wait, the dates I need will be full.
Does anyone know if all the ski schools start from the top of the Sportinia lift, as I think we are hoping to stay near the clotes lift. Do any ski schools start here, and if not what is the differenece in walking time (ski boot speed!) between them please?
Thanks again
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Tony_H,
Have been debating over an offer in the 'Hotel Sauze' but havent been able to find any reviews on it; I see you have stayed there; whats it like?
Thanks in advance
Mitch
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Sorry Mitch for not replying earlier. If you havent made a decision yet....I found the place to be in a good position right at the bottom of the run into town. However, its an oldish building, I wonder if it has a health and safety certificate, and its very echoey at night when people stumble back in late. Food wasnt great, but it was cheap and served its purpose when we went.
Personally, I'd look for another hotel close to the Clotes lift as I would not go back to the Hotel Sauze, but would happily return to the village again.
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Had a great time in Sauze. Stayed in Hotel Gran Baita, about 10 mins walk to the lifts and 5 mins from the main square. Decent hotel. We were there a couple of weeks before the winter olympics in 2006. Cotton Club springs to mind as a decent place for beers.
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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.
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kyoto49, I went in 1976 and returned for a week-end in 2008... to be honest not an awful lot had changed. Some very old slow lifts still running. They've smartened up the village a bit with pedestrian areas but it was very chavvy, very male and I saw a good old fashioned pub brawl outside the Irish bar (forget the name). Historically when snow is bad in France / Italy, Sauze seems to always get the worst of it. From Turin I'd be looking at Aosta Valley.
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Bode Swiller, that would be Paddy McGinty's. Pleased to say it was a fairly friendly atmosphere when I was there in 2007.
As for the skiing, it was ok given how bad the snow was (lot's of comments already about the snow record), but it wasn't particularly inspiring. The long motorway run from the 'top' was nice to blast down first thing in the morning, but apart from that nothign stands out. And the general standard of skiers/boarders on the pistes was poooor (not that I helped much...), which is normally a sign of weaker resort. On the other hand, it did feel like the kind of place you could have a lot of fun if there was fresh powder...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I was a regular visitor to Sauze in the 1990's as it suited a purpose - we were a group of young(ish) men who wanted to ski all day and spend all night on the town. And I have to say we had some fantastic holidays, primarily because during the mid-90's in particular the region had some fantastic snow. We pre-booked a number of years and never had a bad season, enjoying the large ski-ing terrain. San Sicario offered some of the best tree lined red runs I have skied anywhere.
As a result of good snow and copious amounts of alcohol I couldn't wait to return every year. I could put up with the dreadful walk uphill to the lifts and the out-dated lift system because of all the plus points.
But then three things happened - I got older, I started to become serious about my ski-ing, and it dawned on me that we had been getting away with it weather wise for years when Sauze actually has a truly dreadful snow record. 1999 was my first glimpse of how bad things could be, as we spent a week ski-ing on rocks and ice. Two more visits (2003 and 2006, both early season gambles with my brother-in-law) confirmed what I had suspected for some time, that being that Sauze is a resort which is stuck in the 1980's.
The lift system is pre-historic, and despite the odd improvement here and there is (or certainly was 4 years ago) nowhere near fit for purpose. I could not believe, for example, the lack of investment pre-2006, given the fact the region was hosting the Winter Olympics. The snow making facilities too were pitiful, covering a few runs above Sportina but little else, and key links were as prone to ice in 2006 as they were 15 years previously. And the resort itself started to look really tired - very little changed throughout the 15 year span when I visited.
In short, a great place for young groups when the conditions are good, but not great for families or serious skiers. Mixed ability groups can have a problem too, especially groups with beginners, as this is not a great resort for the first timer. I would only ever return on a late, cheap deal when I knew conditions were spot on.
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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.
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Pre-historic? Have you been to Serre Che or Les Seybelles?
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I was last in Sauze the year of the Olympics, and frankly we saw no improvement from the previous 3 (or was it four?) years. The lift system is (by the main) antiquated, with key lifts above and below sportina being old and very slow fixed double chairs - there is even a really ancient single chair (two-way) at the top, between the top of Sauze and the top of the gondola down to Sestriere, which is called into use when the intermediary valley has insufficient snow.
Given that the Italians can do it right (just look at the Sella Ronda), then their inability to do so in Sauze is not acceptable. Go elsewhere.
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You know it makes sense.
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Will one of your Sauze d'oulx experts please enlighten as to how the name is pronounced?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I've been to Serre Che Tony_H, and the two lift systems really don't compare in my opinion. As RobW mentions, they still (or they did in 2006) have a wooden single seater which provides a link to Sestriere in poor conditions - when that's closed (as it frequently is) I have seen the lift company drag skiers across the ridge behind skidoos. Absolutely unbelievable in this day and age.
And that's the tip of a very large iceberg. When they did away with the two man up from Clotes (upon which you had to carry your skis, prior to jumping off at the top) they replaced it with a slow 4-man which, because of it's pace, did little to reduce queues. And don't even get me started on the ridiculously slow twin 2-man lifts which tortuously transport you out of Sportina - a key link with the slowest lifts I have ever seen, with huge lunchtime queues the result. There really is no excuse for an area the size of The Milky Way to have had such an appalling lift system for so long - parts of it are on a par with Bulgaria c.1989!!
And dfl, it's pronounced Sowzee Doo!!
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Poster: A snowHead
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I found this on http://www.sauzeonline.com/blog
A new chair lift is being installed and will be open for the beginning of the 09/10 ski season that will link the back bowl area of Sauze to the top of Fraiteve. This will enable skiers and boarders to get to Sansicario and beyond without having to rely on the Rio Nero drag or “The dog leg drag” as its known locally.
At the finish point of the new lift you get fantastic views of the full extent of the Milky Way ski area. The furthest skiable point is Montgenevre in France however the views go on beyond that towards Briancon which is close to Serre Chevalier making this a great spot to take out your cameras!
For those who are familier with the bowl area you will also be aware of the double drag lift that is the only link from the bottom of the bowl back to Sauze. At the end of the day this can be somewhat of a bottle kneck and also can strike fear into those that are less then comfortable on drags. Fear not for this is also being replaced this year by a chair lift!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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skibandit, is this the English variant, or the original French pronunciation? The 'zee' part doesn't sound quite native (a bit like the conversion of the French 'les' into the English "Ley").
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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?
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| kyoto49 wrote: |
A new chair lift is being installed and will be open for the beginning of the 09/10 ski season that will link the back bowl area of Sauze to the top of Fraiteve. This will enable skiers and boarders to get to Sansicario and beyond without having to rely on the Rio Nero drag or “The dog leg drag” as its known locally.
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It will also presumably mean that there is a route back to Sauze from Sansicario for the less experienced skier - I always thought the fact that a black run was the only way back to the bowl at the end of a day was a major shortcoming for the circuit as a whole.
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