Sestriere - slopes

Sestriere comprises three main ski areas: Sises, located in front of the village, Motta / Banchetta, located above the satellite village of Borgata and Fraiteve, accessed by gondola from across the valley, from where skiers can access Sansicario and Sauze d’Oulx. Pragelato is accessed by cable car from under Banchetta. 

Ski highlights for all levels

Beginners: Sestriere is immediately surrounded by gentle meadows, which make for great nursery slopes. There are also some very gentle blues at the base of Borgata. 

Intermediates: The majority of the resort’s slopes are well-suited for intermediate skiers, being mostly blues and reds. Warm up on the more gentle slopes of Sises (save the Olympic giant slalom Col de Sises black piste for day two or three) before heading to Motta. Don’t miss the opportunity to ski the tree-lined slopes of Sauze d’Oulx. 

Experts: Advanced skiers will find some challenging pistes off the two drag lifts at the top of Sises and Motta and will enjoy burning down the Col de Sises black before exploring the vast Milky Way ski area.

Off-piste

There is some entertaining off-piste to be found through the trees from the peaks of Sises and Motta but deep powder is not a common occurrence in Sestriere.  

Ski schools and guides

There are four schools based in Sestriere but it’s important to check that instructors speak English when you book classes. 

Lift system

The lifts are mostly chairs and drag lifts and queues are only really noticeable during weekends, when visitors come from nearby Turin. 

Snow reliability and snowmaking

Thanks to its high altitude and north-west-facing slopes, Sestriere fares better for snow than many of its Italian neighbours. Artificial snowmaking facilities are also good. 

Terrain park

There’s one quite small, non lift-served terrain park